The Barber of Baghdad

Iraqis are the greatest barbers on earth. Iraqi men may not always be dressed well, but they are uniformly well groomed. I never saw an Iraqi man that needed a shave or a haircut, or in any way looked bedraggled. Their hair was always perfect, regardless of length. One of the first things (and of one of the few good things) our Company Commander did when got to Baghdad was to set up a barber shop and hire Iraqi barbers to cut hair. I don’t know where or how they get trained, but they take their profession seriously and take their time. After being seated, they use the usual set of scissors and electric clippers to cut your hair. After that, they begin to tackle every other hair follicle on your head. They have special trimmers for your nose hairs. Ear hairs. Eyebrows. Neck hair. You know that fine hair that we all have on our foreheads and cheeks above the beard line? Well, they stretch a length of really thick dental floss between both hands and roll it over your face. The pain is excruciating as they remove all that fuzz. The barbers get a hoot out of hearing us pale faced Americans yelping. Then, a shave and trim the sideburns and hairline with the sharpest straight razors known to man. After all of this, a series of balms and scented ointments are lightly applied. Dude, you are looking and smelling good!! Cost: one dollar, plus one dollar tip.