Isn't is amazing how quickly this thread took off in radically different directions other than what was intended? I loathe that question as well, as if there can be ONLY one or the other. And even if there was who the fuck cares if you're not in a committed relationship. They are the only two that truly need to know anyhow so why should anyone really care to ask/know to begin with?
I toootally agree with this.
Part of why, I think, the OP stated how he hated this question was because there's such a stigma behind this question and that's why I also hated it for so long. Bottom-shaming is so prevalent in the gay community and it's so destructive and ridiculously unnecessary.
Being foreign in Seoul, majority of guys would just say to me, "You're a top, right?" only because they think bigger dick = top, smaller dick = bottom, and they just assume being white I'm bigger than them. And
yes, for some, that may be how it works, but I've never felt that way. It's all about your chemistry with the guy and how it feels in the moment.
That being said, I've had some super muscle bottoms totally own me while I top and in the back of my mind I'd just be like "shouldn't this guy be fucking me?," and I've also had some really thin, dainty-looking guys top me and because they were so well-versed in bottoming, they were incredible tops. So in those moments, my own pre-conceived notions and judgements failed me and I found myself judging them based on what I assumed their position would be, which is exactly what I hate when it happens to me.
tl/dr; I hate this question too and I only find it necessary if I'm about to have sex with a guy, but even then, I don't care that much. I rarely ask.