Hello and Goodbye...

The enkai. A place to shed off workplace formalities and have a good old-fashioned drink till you burst. Had one on Friday. Ate Chinese noodles and beef wrapped in an iceberg lettuce leaf. I was unaware the Chinese use iceberg lettuce in their cooking, but apparently they do. Good food and I was able to lay the charm on thick, though I'm only at the job until late July.

Before the festivities began I was sipping on a Tsing Tao at the Kobe Chinatown's public square, when I noticed some Korean kids playing. The boy had one of these hairstyles that is truly Korean. He had a few strands of hair maybe six-eight inches long that had been bleached and appeared to be a misplaced rat tail, which was what all aspiring boys had when I was 10. These boys were emulating, as best they could the mullets which their fathers had and their mothers were hesitant to comb the snarls out of.

Myself, I had always gone to get my pate trimmed at Barber Bob's barber shop. Located next to my elementary school, Bob was a pillar of the community and his ramshackle shop smelled of talcum powder, aftershave and pipe tobacco.

Decor was eclectic with several prominent 'America Needs Wallace for President' and 'Eat More Possum!' sign boards adorning the walls. For $3.50, he was the best deal in town, and the political commentary was laid on thick at no extra charge.