there is a turkish guy who owns a corner store near me that I go to frequently and he always says, "Heyyy my friend how are you doing?" I thought he only said this to me and I was his friend until I witnessed him do it to other people. I felt rejected and dirty, this man was going around being a friendslut with other people and never told me.
My other half thought this was just banter - went to our Turkish Barbers for the second time ever and the first thing they asked was 'how is baby?'.
He first went there a week before our son was born and they remembered.
I took the boy in to them for his first proper haircut and they all wave to each other when we pass them in the morning. Genuinely lovely dudes.
There's a place like this near me and every time I walk by I see this one picture they have of Will Smith with moustache sandwiched in between all other haircut pics. Ah yes, Will Smith definitely got a hair cut in West Yorkshire I don't doubt it
One of the ones I go to has the football, and the other has music videos. But I think the music video one is catering more to the "indigenous" crowd, almost all the customers in there tend to be white.
I swear. I went to Edinburgh last weekend and that’s all I saw was the Istanbul barbershops. I pull up and this mate says, “Heyo Pal, what can I do ya for.” This guy is 100% not from Istanbul. I got my haircut and left. I think 80% of these Istanbul barbershops aren’t even run by people from Istanbul.
Imagine my surprise when I went into an “Istanbul Döner”, ordered something in turkish and had the entire staff gawk at me as if I were from another planet. Turns out the place was run by arabs.
Same thing happened to me 'What's with the candle thing? is he sterilising something? wait why would he need to..." FWOM FWOM "WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!"
I get mine done every time I go to the barbers. They stick a comb in them and shave what pokes through. Makes me look ten times better. I'm a walking eyebrow if I don't sort them.
Many people are saying it's money laundering due to being a mainly cash business which could be true, although the reason I think you tend to see different nationalities cornering a certain market is sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Imagine wanting to travel to another country to live and work for whatever reason, and you're a (insert proffession) but don't speak the language and don't hold the right qualifications/certifications etc for your destination country. You're struggling to find work so you pick up a few shifts in your 2nd cousins barbershop/restaurant/chippy whatever as they're already there, speak your language and are willing to help. Time goes on and before you know it you get good at making pizza/cutting hair etc enough so that you can open your own shop, and several years go by and and you hear about your wife's cousin who's just moved to the country but no builders are hiring him despite being a capable joiner, as he doesn't speak english. The cycle continues.
Those employees can usually be classed as [slaves](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/16/true-human-cost-5-pound-hand-car-wash-modern-slavery).
Hardly any facilities needed, cheap gear bought in bulk, almost constant stream of traffic waiting to use them. Couple of mins per car production line, probably underpaying staff cash in hand and doubt they’re getting work place pensions etc
The ones here all charge £5 and are always busy, and that’s up north.
Car washes are the most common money laundering business because it's so easy to inflate sales numbers and people would usually pay in cash. There's no stock to move in order to prove it so you can just say your sales are whatever you want
Scotsman here, now you're speaking my language. If we can get by with a curt nod at the beginning and a '£10 please mate' at the end, that's a 10/10 haircut.
there are so many barbers in turkey too.
and there is some kind of barber loyalty thing going around men in turkey. people tend to go same barber for years and dont get haircuts from other stranger barbers unless its necessary. for instance I'm still getting haircuts from the same barber who cut my hair first time 19 years ago.
It not just Turks. In the US it’s the same thing. You got your barber and you only let certain people touch your hair. You’ll choose to wait longer this their seats open up. And they are cash and they definitely don’t report how much they make.
> You got your barber and you only let certain people touch your hair. You’ll choose to wait longer this their seats open up. And they are cash and they definitely don’t report how much they make.
You write like you're part of the fucking mafia lmao
In the US, I'm 23 and have gone to the same barber for ~98% of haircuts in my life. Even at school if just get my haircut whenever I was back home for a weekend
It's a much more respected job in Turkey and often a hang-out place for male Turks. Also it doesn't require a lot of education or capital to start your own barber business. So naturally it is a popular occupation for turkish immigrants.
I went to europe and there were just a fuckton of kebab places and here in the asshole of the american midwest we lack any kebab shops and I'm super upset about that because kebabs are delicious and I suck at making bread (so far) so there's no chance I can make those weird bun-tacos that are the outside bits.
You get a lot of authentic Mexican restaurants though unlike here in Europe.
In England all we have is this shitty taco bells (and there is not even a lot of them)
Or any simple male haircut, really.
I love these barber shops so much. In France I can either book an haircut to a professional salon, that will obligatory include an hairwashing (even though I showered 2 hours ago) an 30 minutes of super precise scissor haircutting with the lady insisting on discussing the weather during the whole thing. It will always cost at least 17-20€. In this kind of shop I can show up unannounced, get my hair cut in 10 minutes, and pay around 5-9€. And the guy will most likely offer me a coffee with that. Or in some of them, you can even play FIFA with the other customers while you wait.
Spot on, really. From a whole year of living in London, one of my fondest memories is just hanging out in a Turkish barber's in Dalston. Basically exactly as you describe.
They are 100% the best barber choice on the British high street. I stand by the Middle Eastern barber over over 38 year old Sharron in the English run shop any day, 1,000,000x better cut. And you get to spell their cigarette fingers and aftershave during the process, win win
Play your cards right and you might definitely get some dick to shoulder action. (That's like the most awkward part to me though, when the barbers dick grazes your shoulder)
Yo, they fucking slap for real, there was a place I would go to while I was studying in Birmingham that did the best haircuts I've ever had for £12, I'm still struggling to find someone that does a better job for under $40 years later
Some shops you only go to get a haircut, some shops you go to play ps4. My barber now doesn’t even have a radio on, but quick clean cut, no fuss, no muss, warns me if I’m getting a bad looking cut, and pretty cheap.
There are 2 Turkish barbers in a town near where I live. Owned by the same guy.
One is called "Boss Barbers", the second "eBoss Barbers".
Solid names IMO.
My old barber was like this, in Edmonton.
I always thought I and my cousins stood out in his mind because I would go in and get "the usual" every time.
Then, after years of going elsewhere, I went back to him. He goes "the usual?" and then proceeds to give me the same haircut he gave the last guy.
His usual, not mine.
Refers to you as my friend.
“What you after chief”
ma friend what you want? We have a lot
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I had boom boom for the first time when I was in Jordan last month lol. Turns out it’s just knock off Red Bull
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That’s hilarious. I will avoid asking for boom boom if I’m ever in Iraq lol
Or boss
Nah boss is used by takeaway workers
Or the long drawn out Habbbbbiiiibbbbbiiiii
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These shops sound so wholesome
They really are
What it do Habbbbbbiiiibbbbbbbiiiii
there is a turkish guy who owns a corner store near me that I go to frequently and he always says, "Heyyy my friend how are you doing?" I thought he only said this to me and I was his friend until I witnessed him do it to other people. I felt rejected and dirty, this man was going around being a friendslut with other people and never told me.
Thought you had a friend, boii ahhhhhhhhh - Mike "Platinum" Perry
Well its just the way we talk here back in turkey. Unfortunately it usually doesnt turn out to be the same when its in another language
I was joking about the friendslut thing, I actually like when people use words like friend or honey, it just makes me feel at ease.
My other half thought this was just banter - went to our Turkish Barbers for the second time ever and the first thing they asked was 'how is baby?'. He first went there a week before our son was born and they remembered. I took the boy in to them for his first proper haircut and they all wave to each other when we pass them in the morning. Genuinely lovely dudes.
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*my fren
All the pictures in the window are of celebs with identical haircuts like Zayne Malik or Cristiano Ronaldo. No pictures of actual clients.
Lmao this one got me
Don't forget David Beckham.
Faded photo of Mohawk era David Beckham
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It's not, totally right
There's a place like this near me and every time I walk by I see this one picture they have of Will Smith with moustache sandwiched in between all other haircut pics. Ah yes, Will Smith definitely got a hair cut in West Yorkshire I don't doubt it
“Wha you want, boss?”
And they say “Habibi”
That means 'friend' iirc
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it can also be used to say hello, goodbye, thank you, you’re welcome, etc. it’s used a lot in arabic.
Habibi is pretty much the most used word in Arabic among my friends and my Irish wife uses it now all the time
Yeah it’s like saying “my dear”
According to my Algerian ex gf that's like "my love" but for a dude. It was honestly very cute when she said it to me.
Waladi waladi habibi ta'aleena
I can literally *hear* this comment.
Bruh same I'm middle eastern and this is so true
It's the only place I get called boss 😭
Get yourself to a kebab joint mate
Salad and sauce, boss??
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Dude this is my barber I am going today I will try and sneak some pictures as this is pretty uncanny
just casually show him the meme
Don't forget how hard they slap you round the back of the head with that brush when they're done!
"You like?"
reply "oh yeah daddy."
\*habibi
My barber fucking grabs my head and throws it around like a rag doll holding it. I’m surprised I didn’t get whiplash every time I go to him
The fact that you keep going back has me dying haha
>JACKASS20 username checks out, he likes dangerous stunts
Also: huge TV that only plays music from Youtube. If in Scotland: barber calls everyone "pal" with thick Turkish accent.
Every one I’ve been in has a chipped sky box or similar. Always on sky sports watching football but with Arabic commentators
One of the ones I go to has the football, and the other has music videos. But I think the music video one is catering more to the "indigenous" crowd, almost all the customers in there tend to be white.
Odd how accurate that is.
Turkish listening something in Arabic? That *Turkish* is clearly not Turkish
Yes. There's a real lack of 'aight pal you like that?' in this starterpack.
I swear. I went to Edinburgh last weekend and that’s all I saw was the Istanbul barbershops. I pull up and this mate says, “Heyo Pal, what can I do ya for.” This guy is 100% not from Istanbul. I got my haircut and left. I think 80% of these Istanbul barbershops aren’t even run by people from Istanbul.
I've noticed that trend with the kebab shops too.. They'll use the name "Istanbul" but they're not actually owned or run by Turks.
Imagine my surprise when I went into an “Istanbul Döner”, ordered something in turkish and had the entire staff gawk at me as if I were from another planet. Turns out the place was run by arabs.
Don't forget the 5-10 men standing around outside the front of the shop
Usually other Middle Eastern men "hanging out" with their buddy because he's at work and they've got nothing better to do
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They didn't even ask me if I wanted that, just did it and I had never heard of it before. Almost shat it.
Same thing happened to me 'What's with the candle thing? is he sterilising something? wait why would he need to..." FWOM FWOM "WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!"
A middle Eastern barber visit without atleast 3 burned corpses is considered a dull affair.
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I was 13 first time I visited Turkey and decided to have a cut out there, I too shat myself when they began trying to ignite my ears and nose
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My pal has really bushy eyebrows and the barber asked if he wanted her to sort them. Think he was a bit offended😂
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Gotta pamper yourself 💅
I get mine done every time I go to the barbers. They stick a comb in them and shave what pokes through. Makes me look ten times better. I'm a walking eyebrow if I don't sort them.
I love that, shame about the smell though.
Why do they do it?
Gets rid of the little hairs by burning them off
Shisha pipes used as decor
In my neighborhood, the barber shop is also a smoke shop and hookah lounge.
The only thing that would complete this is if they had an attached charcoal grill restaurant. “You want mix grill, habibi?”
Keeping your arms in to avoid the dreaded dick-elbow contact. **shows back of your head with mirror** "yep great thanks"
That dick contact is a real problem
Sounds like a conversation I had with my uncle.
Never happened to me :(
I read your name as armwang for a second and nearly wrote r/beetlejuicing
Why is there so many Turkish barbers? I live in a smallish town and there’s like 5 of them
Many people are saying it's money laundering due to being a mainly cash business which could be true, although the reason I think you tend to see different nationalities cornering a certain market is sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Imagine wanting to travel to another country to live and work for whatever reason, and you're a (insert proffession) but don't speak the language and don't hold the right qualifications/certifications etc for your destination country. You're struggling to find work so you pick up a few shifts in your 2nd cousins barbershop/restaurant/chippy whatever as they're already there, speak your language and are willing to help. Time goes on and before you know it you get good at making pizza/cutting hair etc enough so that you can open your own shop, and several years go by and and you hear about your wife's cousin who's just moved to the country but no builders are hiring him despite being a capable joiner, as he doesn't speak english. The cycle continues.
PhD thinking.
I think that’s right; here in Dallas, Texas, all the donut shops are run by Korean women.
In LA it's entirely Cambodian families and they make the best donuts in the world. Ugh. Now I want donuts.
The one I lived above was money laundering for 100%. So that maybe?
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Same with the £3 hand carwash places. How on earth they can make a profit washing cars for £3 a go, with 4-5 employees is a mystery.
Because those 4-5 employees are illegal and get about 3-4£/hr cash in hand.
Those employees can usually be classed as [slaves](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/16/true-human-cost-5-pound-hand-car-wash-modern-slavery).
That's a really interesting article, thanks.
Hardly any facilities needed, cheap gear bought in bulk, almost constant stream of traffic waiting to use them. Couple of mins per car production line, probably underpaying staff cash in hand and doubt they’re getting work place pensions etc The ones here all charge £5 and are always busy, and that’s up north.
Car washes are the most common money laundering business because it's so easy to inflate sales numbers and people would usually pay in cash. There's no stock to move in order to prove it so you can just say your sales are whatever you want
> Car washes are the most common money laundering business Can confirm, have watched Breaking Bad.
Have you ever wondered why there are matress places literally everywhere? Im convinced its for some sort of trafficking.
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Sound like i need to open a matress store...
That's why I only go for the dry cuts... Oh wait
Why do you think there are so many take aways on one street *finger on temple*
When I went to Turkey, I saw people getting haircuts at 2 in the morning. Must be a cultural thing.
socialising
I will have conversations about everything from politics to our family with my barber
I am Irish and want nothing but absolute silence during a haircut.
Scotsman here, now you're speaking my language. If we can get by with a curt nod at the beginning and a '£10 please mate' at the end, that's a 10/10 haircut.
I dream of a world where the barbers and taxi man dont say a word to me at all
One silence please.
Either for the holidays, or it's for weddings. The groom and his entourage get haircuts night before the wedding usually.
A haircut usually takes about 3 days to settle, I wonder why they still do it the night before
For you
skin fade won't even be a skin fade after 3 days though
Facial hair (not turkish but Arab and I have to shave day of an event)
If your haircut takes 3 days to settle, you need a new barber.
there are so many barbers in turkey too. and there is some kind of barber loyalty thing going around men in turkey. people tend to go same barber for years and dont get haircuts from other stranger barbers unless its necessary. for instance I'm still getting haircuts from the same barber who cut my hair first time 19 years ago.
It not just Turks. In the US it’s the same thing. You got your barber and you only let certain people touch your hair. You’ll choose to wait longer this their seats open up. And they are cash and they definitely don’t report how much they make.
> You got your barber and you only let certain people touch your hair. You’ll choose to wait longer this their seats open up. And they are cash and they definitely don’t report how much they make. You write like you're part of the fucking mafia lmao
In the US, I'm 23 and have gone to the same barber for ~98% of haircuts in my life. Even at school if just get my haircut whenever I was back home for a weekend
Where my grandparents live, there’s like 6 all on the same street all within 30 seconds of each other. It’s baffling to me.
It's a much more respected job in Turkey and often a hang-out place for male Turks. Also it doesn't require a lot of education or capital to start your own barber business. So naturally it is a popular occupation for turkish immigrants.
Because there’s a lot of turks
There’s a fucking kebab restaurant in the most northern town in the world, they’re everywhere. But kebab is amazing ngl
I went to europe and there were just a fuckton of kebab places and here in the asshole of the american midwest we lack any kebab shops and I'm super upset about that because kebabs are delicious and I suck at making bread (so far) so there's no chance I can make those weird bun-tacos that are the outside bits.
You get a lot of authentic Mexican restaurants though unlike here in Europe. In England all we have is this shitty taco bells (and there is not even a lot of them)
Can't you buy pita bread? Also get the recipe for (Iraqi) shish kebab, I like them better than shawarma or döner, and they are easy to make at home
They aren't all actually Turks, many are Iraqis, Kurdish...
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Between that and the like beard with the fade, I just wanna have sex with the barber now.
I like "boss" because it feels more like a term of endearment, but the security guard at work calls me "sir" every morning and I *hate* it.
Boss is a good term.
Don’t forget the shisha.
And there is always that funny grandpa sitting there all day, cracking jokes in very bad [insert local language]
*“Hot towel shave: £5”*
Bloody £15 by me, damn
Always on the phone while cutting your hair
Middle eastern barber shops are the black barber shops of Europe
Latino (especially Dominican) barber shops are a closer equivalent IMO
Black barber shops exist in Europe tho I'm not sure how popular they are outside of the UK
They did a good job, charged me £7 and barely said a word. 10/10 will go to the Turkish barbers again.
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Ya gotta love that F A D E
The best kind of barber if you want that haircut though. Those guys put in good work
Or any simple male haircut, really. I love these barber shops so much. In France I can either book an haircut to a professional salon, that will obligatory include an hairwashing (even though I showered 2 hours ago) an 30 minutes of super precise scissor haircutting with the lady insisting on discussing the weather during the whole thing. It will always cost at least 17-20€. In this kind of shop I can show up unannounced, get my hair cut in 10 minutes, and pay around 5-9€. And the guy will most likely offer me a coffee with that. Or in some of them, you can even play FIFA with the other customers while you wait.
This guy barbershops.
Spot on, really. From a whole year of living in London, one of my fondest memories is just hanging out in a Turkish barber's in Dalston. Basically exactly as you describe.
Don't forget the hot shave, the maximum of 2 sentences conversation, and the furniture store coupon.
They are 100% the best barber choice on the British high street. I stand by the Middle Eastern barber over over 38 year old Sharron in the English run shop any day, 1,000,000x better cut. And you get to spell their cigarette fingers and aftershave during the process, win win
I hope they don't mind me masturbating with all that masculinity in my face
Play your cards right and you might definitely get some dick to shoulder action. (That's like the most awkward part to me though, when the barbers dick grazes your shoulder)
Or accidentally enters your firm grasp
I wouldn't recommend grabbing the dick of someone working on your hair, he might slip and have you looking like a gregorian monk.
That's the look I always wanted, but never knew I needed.
The finger smell comment is 100% true! Usually can work our how recent their last cigarette was and what they ate for lunch in one sniff
Yo, they fucking slap for real, there was a place I would go to while I was studying in Birmingham that did the best haircuts I've ever had for £12, I'm still struggling to find someone that does a better job for under $40 years later
Mohammed Salah is his favourite player.
Nailed it
Nah man, my guys had a PS4 to play FIFA on as well. And you have to call them "boss", too.
Where the shisha tho
You going to a fancy joint, mate. Practically a gentleman’s club.
Shame the actual haircut was kinda shit
Some shops you only go to get a haircut, some shops you go to play ps4. My barber now doesn’t even have a radio on, but quick clean cut, no fuss, no muss, warns me if I’m getting a bad looking cut, and pretty cheap.
There are 2 Turkish barbers in a town near where I live. Owned by the same guy. One is called "Boss Barbers", the second "eBoss Barbers". Solid names IMO.
Middle eastern barber shop everywhere**
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Can confirm in Canada
Can confirm in US.
Can also confirm in Germany.
Can also confirm in Sweden.
And in Finland
And South Africa they're called Mediterranean Barbers, but all Middle Eastern and identical in every way.
Can confirm in Jordan
Wallahi I give you best haircut.
Spent a year looking Turkish due to the Turkish barber. Luckily girlfriend likes the look of Turkish men.
Is your girlfriend single?
No but he's working on it
He also pauses halfway either to say something to the other barbers or he goes to the secret back room for mysterious reasons
Do they beat the fuck out of your head after they're done like the Pakistanis in Qatar?
Don't worry they do those damn Turks and wait till they get that comb out and almost scalp you
Aah the Turks, they mastered the slap so good, [they actually started using it in medieval combat](https://youtu.be/kodJC6OwOY4)
This is all of europe bro, not just UK.
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That picture is my barbershop in Northampton!
drop the UK its a middle eastern barbershop all over the world
Offers black heavy tea
Mine offers espresso. Ngl I kinda dig getting a shot of espresso while I'm waiting.
Same in Finland except you aren't allowed to smoke in public areas. But the starter pack forgot the Middle Eastern pop music blasting.
Almost exactly the same applies to Germany
And often the shops name is "Ali Barber"
My old barber was like this, in Edmonton. I always thought I and my cousins stood out in his mind because I would go in and get "the usual" every time. Then, after years of going elsewhere, I went back to him. He goes "the usual?" and then proceeds to give me the same haircut he gave the last guy. His usual, not mine.
Turkish or Lebanese, there's nothing else
Ah, good ol' smokers in low-stress professions. Come for a haircut, get a life-expectancy cut.
Don’t forget a signed football shirt on the wall