I think that there are two points to consider:
1) If you are running the fuel that low you should remember the line in the good green book that refers to 'endangering safety of an aircraft' and possibly be satisified at a 1261.
2) Maybe the controller was not at his best socially and didnt appreciate your possible 'nervous humour'
When I said right you should have known I meant left...
:o
Just thought of a third:
3) If you do run low tell Atc nice and early, you will/should be asked if you are declaring an emergency, to get the priority you will have to declare but you will then find that the seas part and the job is a good en! The reason why you now have to declare an emergency is that a certain airline use to tell ATC that they were short of fuel to get No1 when rumour has it, the certain airline had enough gasol to circum-navigate London Village several times...