>>I guess they are a bit offended. At least they have a chance to take the joke. If I answer plain "Guten Tag", that's freezing.
>
>"Servus" works quite well, but coming from me might be considered equally dishonest, as I view myself not to be in serfdom

I allways thought that one orders my servant to follow me ... even if he is imaginary.
>
>>Normaly it's bavarian, southerners. We are unable to lock them there. Freedom has black spots, you know ...
>
>Sometimes I wonder why the minor differences are harder to swallow than the bigger differences found whith people from a few thousand km away.

This is why I feel more at home in Taiwan then in the U.S. They seem to mean the same - but they don't, Chinee are complete strange, thats easier.