Gold Digger

When I was in college my roommate E came home one day and said she saw the most disgusting gold digger ever on the way home.

"Gold digger?" I asked, assuming she meant some tarted up woman looking to snag a husband.

"Yeah, just because you are sitting in your car, you think other people can't see you! If you can see out, others can see in! This guy had his finger in up to the knuckle! It was disgusting!"

It was then I understood what she meant. A gold nugget digger of the nasal variety.

When S and I moved to London, we were immediately struck at how much more comfortable British people seemed with picking their noses. Oh, they don't always go for the full finger in, though that's fairly common as well, but often to the side nose thumb-swipe. Like they're scratching the inside of their nose, but we all know what they're doing, they're scratching for gold is what they're doing. And this habit doesn't seem to know the boundaries of class or race. Sit on a tube from start to finish and guaranteed you'll see one of each kind of person to a nasal swipe at some point during the journey.

Now of course this begs the question, doesn't everyone pick their nose? I mean, honestly, I'm rather of the opinion that everyone does, but there's a correct time and place for such things, and equally the disposal of the product. For example, picking your nose on a crowded 38 bus vigorously is not okay. Going to the bathroom, picking your nose, wiping it in a tissue and disposing of it properly isn't going to hurt anyone.

The only reason this has been on my mind of late is the new Kanye West song "Golddigger" makes me think of the unfortunate other meaning of the lyric every time I hear it or see it in print. Of course, now that I've shared this nugget of information, perhaps you too will be equally afflicted.