Haircut

An haircut - a simple 15/20 minute "task" - but a great stress reliever. And if you happen to be in India  (I do not go to the "salons" where you may end up parting with INR 200-400, but not have all the small things that a smaller establishment has to offer), an additional 20 Rs will get you a nice head massage - leaving you completely relaxed and fresh after you come out of the shop. And if you tend to visit the same barber shop each time, an haircut becomes the perfect place to catch up on area gossip, cricket news, and how-xyz-should-have-played type of arguements. Also, if you are a "regular" , you also enjoy the the tea brought by the neighborhood "baarkya". And those "Mayapuri" magazines giving you the latest gossip of Bollywood. Sportstar (generally old editions, purchased from a 2nd hand book shop) are found - you can get to catch up on the older news. Also, an additional 10 Rs buy you a perfect shave

Alas, you cannot enjoy these simple pleasures in the US. A typical barber is a "She" instead of a "He" - unless you go to the old fashioned barber shops on Main Street that are run by old African Americans.

The thing that irriates me is that you are foreced to have a conversation about things (how are you, and the weather, and the Bears and the Sox - No God, I just want to relax for a few minutes without spending time in meaningless talk) that you are least interested to discuss while you are getting a haircut. And then you part with a tip, which is not really deserved. Well, these US-Barber-shop discussions lack the passion that a Sachin Tendulkar discussion would generate back in India.

Anyways, you do feel "leaner" and "younger"- as if you did loose a couple of pounds  after an haircut, whether done in India or the US!!