Nose

I consider myself fairly culturally aware and tolerant, but there are some things that just should go beyond culture and into the world-wide realm of consideration for your fellow human being and his nose.

Why is it that everywhere I fly in the Arab world, someone perfumes himself as soon as he gets on the plane? Occasionally he’ll wait until after the meal or just before disembarking, but it is inevitable nonetheless that someone on that plane will at some point cause my eyes to tear and my nose to drip.

It seems to be predominantly men who are afflicted with this crisis of grooming. Why’s that then? Are they compensating for the fact that their spotless dishdashas invariably become wrinkled during the flight, and they feel a need to impress those who will greet them on the other side in any way they can? Do they fear that the fresh, clean soap they used in the morning may have worn off? Are they jealous of the girlies who can just paint on a bit of lippy and call themselves freshened-up? Or do they believe that the rest of us enjoy spending a flight weeping into our beef and rice entrees or sneezing onto the in-flight entertainment screens on the backs of the seats in front of us?

‘Tis a puzzlement.