Hugging is problematic. I do it--it's culturally so prevalent, and hand-shaking has pretty well died, and we don't bow, and yet even I need something in those meeting-and-parting situations. There seems to be no non-awkward solution!

have you not met that person, or did you never allow that person close enough to ask?

That's the Mobius strip question, really, isn't it? The one whose ultimate answer is that it probably doesn't matter. Same outcome either way, and the implied third possibility, of being more open, warmer, more available--well, that was the rock I dashed my sanity on for at least 25 years. It was theoretically possible but practically impossible. Just too hard. Still makes me kind of sad some days--the wasted effort and time.