How are you in Russian

Unlike the English ritual, как дела expects an actual answer. Нормально (okay), хорошо (good), неплохо (not bad), or the honest classic по-разному (it varies). Answering with a full weather report is culturally normal.

Как дела is not a greeting on its own: Russians greet first (привет, здравствуйте), then ask. Opening with как дела cold, the way English speakers use 'how are you' in passing, reads as slightly odd.