It was time. Well, it was past time, considering the last time I ventured a haircut was back in February when I was last in an English-speaking country.
This time, I ventured back to the place where I had brought a translating friend in the fall armed only with a pencil sketch of the profiled view of the shape I was looking for. (Thanks, Kelly!)
Even in Wudaokou, home to many English-speaking ex-pats and English-friendly restaurants, everyone at this place acted like I was the first laowei (foreigner) to cross the threshold. It is possible I’m the first English-only expat who tried to get her hair cut there.
They asked me lots of questions, to which my only response was to hold up the picture and try to show the angle with my hand on my hair showing short in the back, long in the front. Some asked me something, which to me sounded like, “Yada yada 30-something, 50-something, 100-something?”
I know my numbers, but sometimes they speak so quickly I can’t make it out. My best guess was that they were telling me my expenses, which ended up around ¥100/$15, which is ridiculously overpriced. (The average haircut, even at nice places is ¥20-30.) Nevertheless, I didn’t have much ability to argue, and was willing to pay the extra price just for shorter hair in this deadly hot Beijing summer.
“Dui, ok,” I answered. The guy just looked at me and repeated. “Dui, ok” I answered. He left.
By the time another person came by, also saying the same thing in Chinese, I realized I was being given a choice. What that choice meant, hover, I had no idea. I went with the middle option, around ¥50, just to be safe.
I had to wonder, though, what is the difference between different prices when you’re talking about a haircut?? Do they care about you more? Cut it more even?
The ex-pat, English-only world may never know.
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