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RE: Deeply concerned about the state of things
in China a common greeting is "ni chi fan le ma" which directly translates to "have you eaten" but contextually it means "how are you".
This suggests if you are hungry all is not well. A language relic from the cultural revolution where millions starved to death.
Nice post. We often take "are you hungry" as in "is there something you are craving i may have". which are very different.
Where I grew up it is customary to say "A buen tiempo" which means "you've come at a good time" as in offering food when someone walks in while you're eating. The other person is supposed to reply "buen provecho" which sorta means "Bon Appetit" if they are not interested in what you are offering.
I could never make sense of this habit until one day someone who was eating made an offer I couldn't refuse at the time...only then I knew how valuable this tradition is.
ah so, very interesting will remember that.