The end of Movember

There are some things about living in China that cause more concern than they rightly should.  Taking a taxi for the first time, dining out in a local restaurant and getting your hair cut.

Not that the latter should really bother me too much since anyone that knows me will testify I’ve had more than my fair share of dodgy cuts over the years – many of them on purpose.

So I was less than apprehensive about going to Eric’s, a French salon staffed almost exclusively with local Chinese, the first time round, much less more recently, during Movember.

Nonetheless, I turned down the offer of an immediate haircut from a junior, and eschewed the ten minute interval before a senior would be free, opting instead for a full fifteen minute wait to see a “Master.”

It was during that wait that I became aware that they sadly offer a further level up – “foreigner.”  No doubt, this allays the fears of those whose apprehension is indeed too great and I would at least hope that said foreigner is a qualified barber, not just any passing stranger with a pair of scissors and a few minutes to spare – or that really would be a sad indictment of Beijing’s coiffuring ability.

Of course, procuring the services of a foreigner would make more sense if it was the Mo that needed attention, there’s no question that your native Beijinger is hardly used to sporting facial fungus of the kind this month traditionally commands.

But, for the more straightforward job at hand, I paid my money, I took my choice.  Perfectly happy with the Master, and an understated cut – perfectly suited to a more refined Movember than those of yesteryear…