Weird beard
Waiting at a red light today at the intersection of Zhongxiao and Dunhua, I was attacked by one of those guys dealing out advertising, or paper napkins with a flier attached to it, or thin 8-page papers promoting something or the other, or trying to get you to answer their poll promoting something. He tried to give me a paper.
-Hng, hng.
-No, thanks.
-Oh, you speak Chinese.
-Yeah.
-Can you read this?
-Sure, but I don't have time.
-You should shave off your beard.
-What?
-Why did you grow a beard?
-I like it, I think it looks good.
-Really? You should shave it off.
-Why?
-Look at me. He points to his cleanshaven chin and cheeks as if that explains something. All I can see are bad teeth stained by too much beetle nut chewing.
-Well, your face is a different shape. Anyway, some people like beards, others don't.
-Yeah? But you should shave.
He must have been one of the others. Maybe that would explain why the conversation took such a strange turn.