Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
Pretty sure people in the UK, France, Netherlands, Australia, and the greater part of the U.S. where shoes are worn indoors don't wipe their ass with their bare hand. Okay, I'm not so sure about France.
The point I'm making is that to people in those countries it isn't a matter of being clean vs dirty. They honestly regard the amount of dirt you bring into a house on your shoes as negligible, whereas we've developed a peculiar cultural horror of it (again, I think it goes back to a time when Canadians had slush and horse crap on their boots all the time). To them, our shoe removal custom is like a host handing his guests laytex gloves whenever they enter his house and asking them to put them on. It comes across as neurotic and rude.
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And what if your shoes are muddy and/or dirty enough that they would leave noticeable marks on a floor/carpet (which someone likely just cleaned in the anticipation of guests)? Someone who won't take shoes off, and abide by the wishes of someone allowing you into their home, seems pretty neurotic and rude.
Most people in the places you mention have indoor slippers they carry around, or people have guest slippers in the homes. This is actually where Uggs come from. Aussies think we are ridiculous for wearing them outside.
As for your point about the gloves, people don't wash their shoes multiple times per day as they (hopefully) do their hands.