I, and almost all Chinese, have learned to take our shoes off when we enter a house from practically the day we learned to walk. It is considered extremely impolite, and unclean, to wear shoes indoors. Once inside, most of us also take off our socks and just wear slippers under our feet. I always thought that it was a good idea to remove my socks at the earliest possible moment so I can air out my feet and prevent athlete's foot and other infections. I can't wait every afternoon to come home from work and strip my socks off so my feet can dry out and get rid of that clammy feeling between the toes.
Yet white people, who presumably prefer athletic persuits and outdoor activities don't follow the same etiquette. They wear their shoes until they are ready to hop into bed. Even if they do take their shoes off at the front foyer, they most likely leave their socks on, as if they're ashamed of anybody looking at their toes. Do they really prefer people to smell their dingy greying socks instead of look at their feet? Perhaps they're trying to keep the multibillion dollar indoor floor cleaning products business from bankruptcy? Would they rather spend hundreds of dollars on powerful Dyson cyclonic vacuum cleaners to clean up the dirty footprints on their carpets instead of wearing cheap clean indoor slippers?
Think of all the money that can be saved if people didn't wear their shoes all the time. There would be less need to buy Dr. Scholl's Odor Eaters shoe inserts. Carpets won't have to be replaced nearly so often. And closets won't stink nearly as bad with all the moist and disgusting shoes and socks that are thrown into them at the end of the day.
So please pass the word to your white and ABC friends. Please take your shoes and socks off when you get inside. It'll make your indoor environments more pleasant, improve the health of your feet, and save you money too. Who can argue with that?
In the Nordic countries it's considered impolite to wear shoes indoors. I always take my shoes off when I go inside a house, unless we are told not to, which is usually in fancy "ball" like situations where we wear dress shoes.
ReplyDeleteAs far as socks go, most people do wear them indoors, but that is mostly due to hygienic reasons. Contrary to what this article might seem to indicate, socks don't sweat - feet do. No one wants sweaty foot marks on the floor, and naked feet are usually considered "dirty" and sweaty, and socks protect the floors. It's a bit like indoor slippers, just more comfortable. Also, if you wash your feet every day and change your socks at the same time, then your feet and socks don't smell, unless you have some sort of fungus or bacteria growing on your feet.