Almost decked by the Chinese Hooters guy

Sexy van
Shanghai, China
May 2012
This is a "from behind" photo. Head here to share your own.

You expect to see many things in China, but I never thought a Hooters restaurant would be one of them. While American brands like Starbucks, McDonalds and Apple seem to do well in cosmopolitan cities like Shanghai, Hooters didn't really come to mind as the kind of Westernized brand folks here would deem aspirational.

I guess I was wrong. Shows you what a Canadian geek-writer knows. (Here's their website. Don't forget to put your vote in for the 2012 Miss Hooters China contest.)

Whatever my preconceptions were, I suddenly decided I needed this shot. I was wandering down the street with my camera in my hand. Kinda hard for the foreigner with a big lens on a DSLR to be inconspicuous, and sure enough, the driver saw me as soon as I saw him. I didn't understand a word he said as he almost willed me away from his vehicle, but the stink-eye is a universal message.

But something compelled me to keep going. I know: Dumb. Foreign country. No democracy. I'm a journalist (apparently a point of sensitivity here.) I was asking for it. But the gonzo devil voice on my other shoulder pressed on. So as he eyeballed me and scowled under his breath, I walked nice and far down the street, estimated the angle within which I'd be solidly in his blind spot, pre-set the camera, wheeled and fired off one shot.

It won't win any awards, but it helps me remember a moment. Which, I'm guessing, is why we all carry cameras around in the first place.

Your turn: Ever taken a picture you probably shouldn't have?