I’m asking because it’s a very normal thing to do here.
When you enter a room, but also things like a hairdresser or say a small cafe, you say hello to the people there and say goodbye when leaving. Or when taking a bus, you say hello to the driver and goodbye or thank him when getting off.
I was only recently told by some online friends of mine that this is pretty weird in other places. So I’m wondering if I’m (or my country) is the weird one or them
These are called Phatic Expressions, and every culture has some version of them. Unfortunately, they aren’t really going anywhere, so it’s good to familiarize yourself with which questions in different cultures don’t require a response matching the question. A good example, as Tom mentions, is the famous “y’alright?” in the UK. They aren’t asking for a run down of your day, it’s just a societal greeting without any expectations.
They aren’t asking these questions to be unnecessarily nosy, so I’d advise against the passive aggression because people who greet others this way are well-meaning. I highly recommend that video to put these into perspective from the greeter.
So I meant that mostly tongue in cheek. However it’s cool to see there’s a term and use for it. In general I dislike small talk but will usually engage as minimally as possible just to be polite.
That’s fair. Yeah it’s definitely meant for even less than small talk; “minimally as possible” is the general sentiment behind phatic expressions in the first place.