Hahahha on the "that was different" thing. In Seattle we say "well that's interesting" which means "I want very strongly for you to never speak again"

I think probably part of me is bias since my Minnesota comes with my ridiculously outgoing family - which makes the stranger thing and the making a scene thing a moot point because we are all about a 20 minute conversation with the person who is bagging groceries and its not really dinner with my big family unless there's a fight about something and then a long discussion about the fight.

That said. If people would stop being so nice when allowing others to merge on the freeway. That'd be swell.