I'm traveling in an area where bilingualism - specifically, English - is extremely common. As in, I'm yet to meet someone who doesn't speak pretty good English in the two months I've spent here (across many trips). This is a lifesaver, because I don't speak the local language. I have a vocabulary of about 50-100 words, and can't form a sentence from any of them, though I know enough other, similar languages, and own a smartphone, so can handle most written material.
What I haven't figured out for he life of me, is how to politely and non-awkwardly say "hey, I'd really prefer to have this conversation in English." It's easy enough when I'm initiating the conversation, but often, at a restaurant or shop, I end up embarrassed and staring at a person for a minute before desperately apologizing for asking them to speak my language.
My instinct has been to respond to being greeted in the local language with a clear English reply of "Good morning" or similar, but for some reason it feels rude to me to not respond with an appropriate greeting in kind.
Do I just need to get over myself and just respond to (for example) 'Anyoung Haseo' with 'Hello'?