A young boy looks at the Lebanese flag. (Credit: General Knowledge)
In a barbershop in Achrafieh, the place is a far cry from the usual small salons in Beirut where time seems to never pass. Here, there are flat screens embedded in the mirrors, state-of-the-art clippers, a hostess offering espresso to waiting clients and young "master barbers" dressed identically in black vests over white shirts, who offer head massages with creams made of vetiver extracts after each haircut.Joe, a man in his thirties who lives in the neighborhood, has been coming here ever since his old barber — who his father brought him to for the first time when he could barely put two words together — retired. He takes care of his beard here every week, entrusting it to the same barber, Ali.After seven years, Joe no longer needs to give him any instructions. "The usual, Joe?" "The usual, Ali!"Phoenician...
In a barbershop in Achrafieh, the place is a far cry from the usual small salons in Beirut where time seems to never pass. Here, there are flat screens embedded in the mirrors, state-of-the-art clippers, a hostess offering espresso to waiting clients and young "master barbers" dressed identically in black vests over white shirts, who offer head massages with creams made of vetiver extracts after each haircut.Joe, a man in his thirties who lives in the neighborhood, has been coming here ever since his old barber — who his father brought him to for the first time when he could barely put two words together — retired. He takes care of his beard here every week, entrusting it to the same barber, Ali.After seven years, Joe no longer needs to give him any instructions. "The usual, Joe?" "The usual,...