Would you like a Vietnamese girl?

Yesterday while cutting my hair I was chatting with the hair stylist and she asked me if I was married. No, I replied. Girlfriend? No, I'm looking. Would you like a Vietnamese girl?

I laughed, enjoying the boldness of her statement and my own embarrassment. I was speechless. I told her I appreciated the offer (I did) and that I didn't know what to say. Thinking about it now, I realize that I don't want to go on a blind date if I know before-hand that the person and I won't match. And I felt uncomfortable discussing the various things I would like in a partner with a relative stranger (politics, religion, worldview, and so forth). I'm looking for someone that shares my values regardless of cultural background.

After a moment, the woman cutting my hair lowered her voice a bit and shared that the owner's daughter is shy and she would like to find someone who is not playing. Her sharing that touched me. The moment passed and the conversation moved on.

This is the second time in as many visits this has happened (it must have been the same woman last time). A friend once said to me whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and I sort of view these awkward-but-humorous situations as a way to articulate and clarify what's going on inside me.

This Vietnamese-owned hair styling and manicure shop is where I have gotten my hair cut for about five years. I used to live about two blocks away, and I return now because I enjoy the friendliness, the relatively inexpensive price, and the quality. And on top of that the drama of match-making.