and to think i'd been stressing about where to get my bangs trimmed...

I've seen three or four of these roadside barbershops in Delhi. I absolutely love them-- there's just something about seeing a man set up shop on the side of a busy street so that people can just mosey on up to his business ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD and get their hair cut. He's not washing cars or selling Girl Scout cookies or advertising a new restaurant while dressed as a piece of pizza-- he's cutting hair! And on a much busier road than any safe Girl Scout would dare sell cookies on. It's just such a typical "this is India" moment. Blood Diamond, anyone? Yeah... I haven't seen it either, but the majority of my friends traveling this summer have started to use the phrase. This is Africa! This is NOLA! This is Morocco! It's easy to use and perceive it as being used in a derogatory manner, but that's not always the case-- sometimes it's really just the best way to sum things up. It just comes naturally-- Elephant on the highway at 11pm at night keeping up with traffic? A man selling the same scarf to an Indian at 100 rupees and an American for 300? Drive-by haircutting? This is India; check, check, and check.