4 ms·

I find that many American families cargo-cult the "no shoes inside" rule but without the necessary home infrastructure to support it. A pile of shoes at the ga

by pkamb 8y ago

I find that many American families cargo-cult the "no shoes inside" rule but without the necessary home infrastructure to support it. A pile of shoes at the garage entrance with no bench to put them on, or expecting you to remove shoes on the wet doormat before stepping onto the carpet inside. In Japan there seemed to be an entire cottage industry of shoe horns, benches, stools, slippers, and mats designed for the custom. I'd need that in my home before I went all-in with no shoes.

jakobegger 8y ago
I'm baffled by this. Do Americans really keep their shoes on at home? What do you do if it is wet and muddy outside? Do toddlers wear shoes inside as well? So many questions...
- manfredo 8y ago
  I sort of depends. Usually there's a subjective boundary. In parents place the first floor is tile, and it's acceptable to wear shoes on the first floor. But the others floors are carpeted and you don't wear shoes up there. In the older house, the one I grew up in, the front door led to an atrium where it is okay to wear shoes. But the hallways and rooms connected to the atrium were off limits for shoes. The Laundry room opened to the outside (namely, our bunny's enclosure) and we also stored some yard tools in the laundry room. It'd be inconvenient to take shoes on and off all the time when going in and out. So the laundry room is fair game for shoes. At my apartment I do it Asian-style and take them off at the door because there is no natural boundary and because San Francisco streets are especially filthy. So the answer is: it's chaos and there are no rules.
  - jakobegger 8y ago
    Ok, this makes sense and is similar to what I am used to from Europe.
- thatguy0900 8y ago
  It's not something me or any of my friends care about. If your shoes are obviously dirty, as in muddy, you take them off, but otherwise it's not something anyone thinks about. Complete non-issue to us.

by pkamb 8y ago

jakobegger 8y ago

I'm baffled by this. Do Americans really keep their shoes on at home? What do you do if it is wet and muddy outside? Do toddlers wear shoes inside as well? So many questions...

manfredo 8y ago
I sort of depends. Usually there's a subjective boundary. In parents place the first floor is tile, and it's acceptable to wear shoes on the first floor. But the others floors are carpeted and you don't wear shoes up there. In the older house, the one I grew up in, the front door led to an atrium where it is okay to wear shoes. But the hallways and rooms connected to the atrium were off limits for shoes. The Laundry room opened to the outside (namely, our bunny's enclosure) and we also stored some yard tools in the laundry room. It'd be inconvenient to take shoes on and off all the time when going in and out. So the laundry room is fair game for shoes. At my apartment I do it Asian-style and take them off at the door because there is no natural boundary and because San Francisco streets are especially filthy. So the answer is: it's chaos and there are no rules.
- jakobegger 8y ago
  Ok, this makes sense and is similar to what I am used to from Europe.
thatguy0900 8y ago
It's not something me or any of my friends care about. If your shoes are obviously dirty, as in muddy, you take them off, but otherwise it's not something anyone thinks about. Complete non-issue to us.