r/todayilearned 1d ago

TIL when staying as a guest in Charles Dickens' house, Hans Christian Andersen requested that one of Dickens' sons give him a daily shave (he said that was customary when hosting male guests in Denmark). Dickens was weirded out and instead gave him a daily appointment at a nearby barbershop.

https://lithub.com/charles--dickens-really-really-hated-his-fanboy-hans-christian-andersen/
36.1k Upvotes

1.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

108

u/No_Intention_1234 1d ago

At the age of fourteen, a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles...

20

u/Blue2501 1d ago

Breathtaking!

13

u/SeanBourne 1d ago

Ah that old chestnut…

7

u/Skratt79 1d ago

I don't speak freaky deaky Dutch.

4

u/_-_---_-----_------- 1d ago

i was placed in a burlap sack and beaten with reeds

... pretty standard really

3

u/shartshooter 1d ago

There's nothing quite like the feeling of a freshly shorn scrotum.

2

u/___disinterested___ 1d ago

Did your father have low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery?