Funny! Not sure if it's a cultural thing, but I experienced this phenomenon with Indian and Portuguese guys, and while I'm sure they're just trying to be polite, it's annoying as hell. Just ask the damn question!
There’s a term for this kind of message: phatic expression. Ie. ‘Hello, is this thing on?’<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phatic_expression" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phatic_expression
whythismatters · · focus · HN ↗
xtiansimon · · focus · HN ↗
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phatic_expression" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phatic_expression