Out of La Jolla

Recently a new and very cool friend of mine casually asked, while staring at my face, if I’d ever threaded my eyebrows?  I’d heard of threading, but frankly I thought it sounded kind of weird.  She explained to me that threading is a hair removal technique used to remove facial hair at the root.  Rows of stray hairs are yanked out with twists of cotton thread that the practitioner holds with one hand while the other end is in her mouth. This ancient hair removal technique originated in Persia and spread to the Middle East and then the far East.  Both men and women in Arab countries regurlarly use threading for hair removal.  Lately it has gained popularity in Western countries.

Since this was a new girlfriend (a new womance—as my husband points out, when making new friends, women tend to simulate dating behaviors, I said, “Ok, I’m game.  Let’s thread.”

The salon, Beauty By Dolly, is on Black Mountain Road.  While waiting–without an appointment you will have to wait–I noticed that the other customers were all women of East Asian or Middle Eastern descent. The all had big beautiful eyes and thick brows.  When it was our turn, my friend introduced me to her thread person, Neusha.  A middle aged Persian, Neusha, sat me in her reclining chair and went to work. I must tell you it was an amazing experience.  Fast, cheap, painless. And my brows have never looked better. All for $12.00.

Afterwards, lunch proved as wonderful an experience as the threading had been. We drove five minutes down the street on Activity Road to Punjabi Tandoor.  The neighborhood looks like an industrial complex. This lone restaurant was stuck in the middle of it.  A sign on the wall proudly announced that Punjabi Tandoor was voted the best Indian restaurant in San Diego in 2007 by the Channel 10 News A list.  We ordered the Combo #2 (all vegetarian) It included Rice, saag paneer, daal, curried veggies, nan, raita or kheer (dessert) all for $6.99.  The prices don’t vary for lunch or dinner. This place has the charm of a taco stand.  It’s family owned and the servers couldn’t have been more friendly. This traditional Punjabi food rivals the food I had when I was in India.

I recommend getting yourself over to Black Mountain Road and spending a day getting your brows shaped and your stomach filled.