YOU LIE?

Okay...let me first start by saying that what I am about to write is in no way racist or demeaning to the Vietnamese population.

Watch This Then Come Back

So...all you women (or men) out there that have ever patronized a nail salon run by Vietnamese, most likely have had an experience similar to that.

Marie and I were in deep conversation a few nights ago, like we so often are, and we were trying to figure out how the whole Vietnamese nail salon craze got started. Like a good sleuth I went into CSI mode and did some research.

Here is what I found:

The rush of Asians in the beauty industry came about because of timing: Right when the Vietnamese immigration waves were coming in 1970s in the wake of the fall of Saigon, acrylic was born in 1979 to create a cheaper material for fake nails.

As a result, discount nail salons enabled Asian women to open their own businesses and provide a service at a much cheaper cost to customers of all income levels. These businesses bloomed especially in the cities with large Asian populations such as New York, Los Angeles, Houston and Dallas.

Basically, doing nails is the Vietnamese's niche in life. Like being a tool is John Edwards' niche in life.

So there, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I've fully accepted the fact that they talk about me in their native tongue. It's cool, just don't screw up the nails and mọi việc đều ổn cả (that's Vietnamese for "everything's all right").