The Iraqi Barber. The Little Things are what I tend to appreciate in any culture. In Japan, haircuts run about $45, but the barber takes almost an hour, and starts and finishes the process several times until hsi perfectionism is satisfied. (They start cutting individual hairs, after they've cut, shampooed, dried and dusted off your hair.)In Iraq, a cut takes about 15 minutes, costs about $3 and is likewise an experience unto itself. The most interesting part, for me, is how the barber cuts. He keeps his scissors flowing like an electric razor, never pausing. He cuts, cuts, cuts - swish, swish, swish even on the away stroke. The scissors are constantly opening and closing whether he's cutting or not. The hands are a-flurry, the hair falls to the floor in precise cuts. Then, for a finale, typically they defoliate your eyebrows and forehead by rolling these two, neatly-paired strings carefully woven across their fingers in precise angles (and yes, it hurts.) They pull the strings, (now rolled together) apart with fore-finger and thumb - and out comes the hair, (by the roots).
Arabs are caucasian, and like we pale-faces - they have more hair than they need, in places they don't need it. The rest is history. (I leave the editorial comment to you.)
So I thought I'd have this picture taken and throw it in for context.
2 comments:
Happy New Year, Greene!
My wife calls the string hair-pulling operation "threading", and used to get it done in Boston. Not available here in the sticks, so the eyebrows grow wildly.
--Matt C
LOL, I had my hair cut by a paid professional last year for the first time in over 10 years (gave it to Locks of Love) & the girl was the same way.... snip,snip, snip, swish, snip, swish, wisp, snip. I imagined her idol being Edward Scissorhands & I thought she was artist at work. Of course by the time she was said & done I was surprised to see that I had any hair left.
On another note, a comedian once said that as men age their hair moves about...hair once emitting from our heads begins to shoot off of our brows, ourt of our noses & ears. LOL.
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