One day while in an elevator, I pointed out to an expat that Vietnamese will generally keep their hairy moles, especially on their face, and not trim the facial hair as it somehow represents luck. He then asked if that was why the men had long point fingernails, primarily the pinky. Yeah, ummmm....no. The man next to me on the ferry today happen to have all his fingers long and pointy. Some have argued that it is similar to Asian women's desire to be white - i.e., a sign of wealth as people with long nails are less likely to do a lot of manual labor (see quest for snow white). While that may have been the case many centuries ago or perhaps an urban legend to make it seem a status symbol of sorts, the reality is that it is for more practical reasons - picking noses and cleaning out ear wax.
That sure makes one think twice before shaking someone's hand when noticing the long pinky nail, or better yet, when that person is making the sandwich that was ordered at Subway.
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