Ms DD Posted June 25, 2007 A close shave at the Cairo barber's By Jon Donnison BBC News, Cairo If there is one thing worse than an unfamiliar barber it is a blind one. But that is who greeted me at the door on my first trip to an Egyptian barbershop. The elderly man in his slippers gingerly led me down the steep steps off one of Cairo's bustling, traffic-infested streets and showed me into the small basement salon. I followed even more gingerly and the drone of car horns drifted away. Coiffeur Deluxe, said the sign said on the front of the shop. In fact it was anything but. Two dusty old, cracked leather chairs, in front of a grimy mirror, surrounded by dozens of multicoloured plastic bottles and jars containing dubious-looking hair products. Many of these had clearly been there for quite some time and had something of an industrial look to them. I settled into one of the chairs, brushing off the fine coating of hair beneath me. "Hairdresser come soon," my host said, and I realised to my great relief that, despite having the scissors clutched in his hand, he was only minding the barbershop until his friend, the barber, returned. The hairs on the back of my neck relaxed. The inevitable offer of tea came, and the blind man carefully felt for the small portable television in the corner of the room and switched it on. I watched and he listened as a kitsch Egyptian 1960s film crackled from the tiny box, the shrill singing voice of the garishly dressed heroine filling the salon. The mullet I have only been in Egypt two weeks but I already know that a useful motto to try to carry with you is, "Good things come to those who wait." It was an hour, three cups of very sweet mint tea and half a half-decent film before the long-awaited barber finally arrived. Adel Mohammed rather worryingly for me sported a mullet haircut, of the kind once seen on 1980s footballers. Fingers on my temples, he sized me up, threw me a toothy smile which rebounded back and forth on the cracked barbershop mirrors, and asked me, by means of an inquisitive look, what I would like. Back home in England for much of my life I have had my hair cut at the same South Yorkshire barbershop. Again, not a fancy place and certainly not deluxe. The barber there offers three cuts: short back and sides, a trim or "the general tidy-up". As a teenager I once asked for a flat top, and the non-committal reply came: "I'll see what I can do". Here in Cairo I decided to be more conservative and opted by means of hand signals for the general tidy up. The haircut itself proceeded for the most part without incident with the sound of Adel Mohammed's nimble fingers working the scissors furiously in my ears. Even the complementary shave with the cold cut-throat razor gliding across my neck produced no drama. Thread bare It was when we came to the optional extras, and I was to take the wrong option, that things took a downward turn. Adel Mohammed produced in front of me with a twinkle in his eye a long piece of fine, white Egyptian cotton and pronounced the word "fatlah" invitingly. Not having any idea what he was suggesting, I nodded apprehensively as he brushed his fingers over my eyes to close them and began to twist the thread around his fingers into a kind of lasso. I have since learnt that fatlah is an old Egyptian tradition, also known as threading, and common in India where it is called Khite. It involves twisting the fine thread in such a way that it catches on the hairs on your face. Whoever is conducting the fatlah holds one end of the thread in his hand and the other in his teeth, moving his head backwards and forward like a pigeon to tighten the thread which then rips the hairs away from the skin. Adel Mohammed proceeded to do just this, working feverishly, with some glee I suspect, first on my eyebrows, then my cheeks, before finally moving onto the tops of my ears, a place where I was unaware I even had hairs. Needless to say I do not any more. Blue murder are the two words that come to mind, like being pinched repeatedly around the face by someone who really does not like you. Be a man about it, some might say, but then if I were, perhaps I would not be having my eyebrows plucked in the first place. Needless to say, in true English fashion, I said nothing. For what seemed like an age, Adel Mohammed plucked, I winced and tried to show a stiff upper lip - mercifully no hairs there. Eventually the ordeal was over and I peeled open my tender eyes. Adel Mohammed admired his handiwork and I admired the two red raw strips of skin that surrounded my now dramatically reduced brows. I declined a final bladder-busting cup of tea and shuffled out of the shop. "Shukran," I muttered, ¿thank you," not entirely convincingly. "Anything for the weekend sir?" Adel Mohammed might have asked. "An ice pack and some dark glasses," might have been my reply." From Our Own Correspondent was broadcast on Saturday, 23 June, 2007 at 1130 BST on BBC Radio 4. Please check the programme schedules for World Service transmission times. Three Ways to Listen From Our Own Correspondent Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6230208.stm Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BOB Posted June 25, 2007 LoooooooooooooooooooooooooooL....The ancient land of Egypt is not only full of amazing archiology relics but apparently crazy people who would do anything anything for a quick buck or should i say Egyptian pound. Dhucdhuch iyo Dheylo....nice article...I love these sort of stories...it shows you how fickle humans are.... Salam Aleikum W.W Peace, Love & Unity. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BOB Posted June 25, 2007 I should beat the "Embarrassment" out of this old and sickly PC...this is becoming quite a circus as i keep on double-posting when one would be just fine....some disturbed child would accuse me of doing it intentionally but that is what you expect to happen when you interact with more than 3 Somali individuals at any given moment. My Sister Dh & Dh...Sorry...(Again) Salam Aleikum W.W Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ariadne Posted June 25, 2007 lol I love barbrshop stories good and bad There's this guy who was touring North America last year on this performance peice called hair cuts by children. The performance was that you sat in the barbar chair and had your hair cut by children between the ages of 7- 11. I missed the oppurtunity to do so last year -sigh- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baashi Posted June 28, 2007 Shariqa baan barber Hindo leedahay timaha ka jartay. Ask Northerner and dabshid how thad goes I'm sure they know theatrics that come with having simple hair cut...the badaw guy I'm I protested too much... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N.O.R.F Posted June 28, 2007 ^^I get my mop cut by Africans saxib. Had enough of indians trying to give me a fade only to make me look like an army recruit! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baashi Posted June 28, 2007 That tells me ya know ur way around. I went to the barber around the corner. The cut wasn't that bad just the feerka iyo madax la gilgilayo was the problem. I guess ya haven't had that experience yet. It goes like this: it starts as a massage like daliig @ qoorta and then lil tap with rythem like accuracy and jug-jug...what the hek stop it right there boy just clean it up and save that for the next lucky guy was my reaction...here u have an Indian barber doing his best and expecting a tip for the good jobe done and this oday Baashi is taking offence and telling the guy off...bal badawnimadaa ka talli awoowe. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N.O.R.F Posted June 28, 2007 LooooooooL A madax massage is no biggie saxib. They do it when they smell money . Must have been that 'One man Show' you was wearing You spoke Enlish right? = Money/Greens/Ends/Bengies Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Malika Posted June 28, 2007 Baashi,your life is intriguing,if its not the hotspa's in the viking lands with semi nude blondes, its a head massage in the hands of an Indian Barber..Hmm...what a life!eey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N.O.R.F Posted June 28, 2007 ^^Oday iilbahay dhe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Malika Posted June 28, 2007 ^^He is living it large as they say!,Lucky Oday! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N.O.R.F Posted June 28, 2007 He will be skydiving next Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Malika Posted June 28, 2007 Oh, I think he will be sand boarding in the sahara desert with a belly dancer crew..imagine that, the man is so adventurous..Lol! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baashi Posted June 28, 2007 Xamaali is all I do aroosada and I do it well so they got me ride with the caravan a la Xamaali delivery. Aroosada qallanjo baxar ha i galin and don't ya twist that sightseeing trip. North, that's it buddy. Must've been the "one man show" perfume n "Azura" shirt I was wearing Awoowe cadarka kale waaban ku xajiimoodaa Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
