Question for Americans...

[Sapper-FIN]

Do you take your shoes off, when you enter a house?

I mean, in movies and american tv-series, you never see people taking their shoes off, when they enter their home, for example..

This question has puzzled me for years...

[:FI:Gurberly]

Similar question for Australians....

Do you ever get bad weather there? Does it ever rain or get windy?

All I ever see on TV is sunny days and surf bunnies. Worst weather I have ever seen there is when a cloud drifted in front of the sun and prevented people getting a tan for 30 secs.

G

[:FI:Snaphoo]

Or at least, in my area of the country. It's not customary to take off your shoes when you enter a house, necessarily. But I have been in houses that have requested their guests remove their shoes. And I generally remove my shoes when I enter my own home.

But then, we have more carpet around here than hardwood floors. Could also explain our high alergy rates as well.

[L.F]

is there not a hygenic issue with shoes inside?

[:FI:Heloego]

...if you have a severe case of Athlete's Foot, or Hoof and Mouth disease.


As a rule, Americans are not particular about the wearing of shoes indoors.

In my home, shoes are left just inside the entryway. If left outdoors, one risks a shoe full of sand.

[:FI:Falcon]

...

everyone keeps their shoes on in my home

until alllllll the company is gone;

it is only then

that we hazard talking off our shoes.


Fal "choke" con

[MikeVictor]

We take our shoes off just to protect the carpet from wear and tear and for comfort.

However, that is not the case when company is here, shoes are expected to remain on.

The only society I thought that would always take off their shoes was the Japanese and perhaps other Asian societies, from what I have seen on TV.

I lived in Germany for 3 years, I don't remember my German hosts taking off their shoes in their home, but perhaps that was because company (me) was there.

I think we consider it to be a sign of respect to our guests, to remain fully dressed in their presence.

One custom(one of many) that I liked was how the Germans would put an evergreen tree on the roof ridge of new houses and other buildings before they covered the roof. A celebration would be held with food and drink for the construction team. I enjoyed the social customs of Germany and became rather close to an elderly couple that sort of adopted my former wife and I (we were in our mid 20's then). We called them O'ma and O'pa (Mamma and Pappa in English terms) which as you know is a very personal way to address an elder. Loved them dearly.

Well, I like learing about all the different and intersting things we do.

One thing that baffles me is why we Americans hold a fork in our left hand, cut food with our right, then switch the fork to our right hand, eat the food, and swithc the fork back to our left hand. The European table customs are much more efficient.

Guten Abent,

Mike

[:FI:Igor]

We take shoes off before going into our house. My wife is Korean, therefore we observe that Korean custom. Shoes stay in the garage by the door. My wife does wear 'house shoes' in the house, but these shoes never go out of the house.
Korean homes are very clean, you can actually eat off the floors. The custom is to sit on the floor. Modern homes (in Korea) are set up western style, i.e. tables, chairs, however shoes are still not worn in the house. Its actually considered rude to not take your shoes off before entering.
The only people that wear shoes into our house are repair people and furniture delivery people (for safety reasons).

Igor

[:FI:McBiggles]

I've gone into homes and taken off my shoes if asked, or it seems to be the thing to do. It seems to me to be an individual, case by case, psecific instance sort of thing. Trousers, on the other hand, OFF instantly!!
McB

[:FI:TacticalS!]

Never understood this about those "crazies" south of our Canadian borders. Different climates and flooring aside, folks walking around with muddy shoes doesn't sound very nice to me. Unless you are a slob or teenager, we Canadians ALWAYS remove our footwear.

[Flynn]

One thing that baffles me is why we Americans hold a fork in our left hand, cut food with our right, then switch the fork to our right hand, eat the food, and swithc the fork back to our left hand. The European table customs are much more efficient.

Thats why I dont do that. I prefer a different approach:


1.) Hold cutting utensil in your right hand. Hold multi-pronged thingy in your left.

2.) Rotate plate until desired food item is directly in front of you.

3.) Hold down food item with multi-proged thingy to prevent escape. Use cutting utensil to make big pieces into smaller ones.

4.) Use multi-proged thingy to transfer smaller pieces into oral cavity.

5.) Repeatedly apply pressure to food item with teeth until reduced to a size that will allow for more efficient digestion...or three times, whichever comes first.

6.) While performing step five, breathing is best done by inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth while producing "umm" and "yumm" sounds for maximum oxygen absorbtion.

7.) Keep jaws well lubricated during this process by pouring fluid into oral cavity regularly...beer seems to work the best for this.

8.) Repeat steps two through eight as needed.


I don't think even the Japanese could improve on that system.

[Sapper-FIN]

So you do wear shoes indoors? rgr that...

In finland, there ain´t a single mother, who doesn´t yell at her children, if they dont take their shoes off when coming inside the house

I guess some generation on mothers started this habit hundreds of years ago, and it just keeps passing on generation to generation

Hmmm... wearing shoes all the time.... doesn´t that make your feet sweat?

[Flynn]

I don't believe there is any tradition about indoor footwear in America. It can't be painted with broad strokes. For some it's OK for some it's not. In most of my family's homes they prefer you remove them. In other they don't. Simple as that really. I dont know a single person that will tramp through someones house with mud on thier shoes (without a kick in thier flat wide arse). That would be just plain rude. Hygienically? I don't really know about that but there are other areas of a house I would be more concerned with.

[MikeVictor]

Hey Flynn,

When I lived in Lousiana USA I used to travel about a bit. I remember once as I was passing through La Place, Lousiana I saw some folks eating in the fashion you mentioned. All this shoe talk made me remember that as in your step three above, they would use their shoeless smelly right foot to hold the food down as they cut it. That seemed very efficient to me at the time and they did seem to wipe their feet off before each meal.


Mike "Falcon's goin to kick my butt" Victor

[:FI:TacticalS!]

Oh come on my American mates, WE all knew Americans were deep down bad, bad people, now with have the shoes to prove it!

Seriously, though, I can remember several relatives/friends who came for visits and routinely walked through our home with their shoes on. Mind you some of these relatives were once great Canadians, but now they have been turned to the dark side, corrupted by those sinister American shoes.

Oh I'm just having some fun my American cousins. The only bad Americans I know are Snoop and Helo, and well Falcon too I suppose. Well then there is Willie, and . . .