Food

Not yet, actually. I was just starting to think about it.

pass it backWere you about to go somewhere?

Not yet plus were you about to go somewhere turns a question into an invitation without you having to ask directly.

I grabbed something at my desk, which barely counts. It was a sandwich I do not remember eating.

pass it backHave you had a proper one?

Barely counts is a nice hedge, and the forgettable sandwich is a small joke that keeps it light.

Depends what counts as eating. If coffee counts then yes, I have had three meals.

pass it backAre you going somewhere good?

Playing with the definition is a natural move and lands well when someone is clearly about to suggest lunch.

I am easy, honestly. Anything except what we had yesterday.

pass it backWhat are you leaning towards?

I am easy is the standard phrase for no strong preference. Adding one exclusion is still helpful and prevents an endless loop.

Something warm and not too heavy. I have got an afternoon of meetings and I do not want to fall asleep in them.

pass it backDoes that rule out the noodle place for you?

Giving a constraint and the reason behind it makes deciding much faster than naming a cuisine.

I will decide the moment you suggest something I do not want. That is the only way I know what I want.

pass it backSo go on, suggest something terrible.

A genuinely funny and very human observation. It also efficiently gets the other person to commit first.

Really good, thank you.

This is a courtesy check, not a conversation. A short warm answer is the correct one and needs no pass back.

Really good — the sauce especially. I was not expecting it to be this rich.

pass it backIs that the one everyone orders?

One specific compliment is worth more than a general one, and staff usually enjoy answering what is popular.

All good, thank you. Could we get a bit more water when you have a moment?

If something is genuinely missing, this is the polite shape — praise first, request second, when you have a moment as the softener.

Not as much as I should. I have got about four meals I can make well and I rotate them forever.

pass it backAre you a cook?

Four meals on rotation is a very recognisable situation and much better than a plain no.

More than I used to. I started properly during a stretch when I was broke, and it turned out I actually enjoy it.

pass it backDid you learn from someone, or just work it out?

A reason for starting gives the answer a shape, and the follow-up opens a family or self-taught story.

I would not call it cooking. I assemble. There is a difference and my flatmate points it out regularly.

pass it backAre you an actual cook, or an assembler like me?

Inventing a distinction — cooking versus assembling — is playful and gives them a category to claim.

Up to a point. I can enjoy it, but I am not trying to prove anything.

pass it backAre you the one who orders it extra hot?

Up to a point is an honest middle answer that avoids both bragging and refusing.

I have been training, genuinely. Two years ago I could not do it at all and now I am somewhere in the middle.

pass it backDid you grow up eating spicy food?

Framing tolerance as something you built is more interesting than a fixed yes or no, and it invites their background.

I always say yes and then regret it about four bites in. Every time.

pass it backAre you going to order something that ruins me?

Predicting your own bad decision is funny and warm, and it playfully hands them control of the order.