Ok, maybe y’all misunderstood me. When I asked you to enlighten me on the cultural differences between Canadians and Americans I wasn’t joking! I really want to know what you all have experienced. I’m left to speculating as to why no one is sharing. Either a) you think I’m lame and are boycotting my LAME lameness by not commenting, or b) you can’t think of any way to say what you want to say about Canadians/Americans without violating my “play nice and no insults” rule, or c) there ARE no discernible differences between the two countries (and I really don’t think that is the case).
So I’m asking nicely now. Please share your wisdom! This blog is all about shades of gray so I’m sure we can find ways to share observations without judging the citizens of entire nations. Don’t make me start calling on individual names, because I can and I will!
Also, one more thing…I am more than a little concerned about one particular American custom. I understand that the majority of Americans wear their shoes in their (and other people’s) homes. I am getting a bit uptight about the idea of footwear! in the house! I have SO MANY QUESTIONS about this very foreign (to me) practice. Like what do people do in poor weather? Do they just wipe their shoes the best they can and then go in? Do they stay off carpet? Do they have “indoor shoes”. Don’t they sell slippers in America? Will I be shunned or thought of as rude or bizarre if I ask people to remove their shoes in my house? Will people be offended if I remove my shoes when I go to their homes?
This post over at Notes to Self got me thinking about the whole thing and I posted my questions as a comment. I was interested by a few different responses. Kyran (who authors the blog) suggested that “…In the South, some people have a stigma about going shoeless, because it is associated with poverty (think “barefoot hillbilly”)”. Another commenter posted that, having always worn shoes indoors, bare feet seemed kind of intimate to him and that he would feel very uncomfortable with the no shoe scenario. Upon reflection, this does make sense to me. It’s all about what you’re used to.
Personally, I would feel like I was being very disrespectful by wearing shoes in another person’s home. But I can understand how another person with the opposite experience would feel “naked” without their shoes. Now my concern is how to navigate this world of “shoe etiquette”. Several other Notes to Self commenters, coming from a variety of places and experiences, said they had felt that it wasn’t usually a big problem, so long as you asked politely.
I’m thinking perhaps I can write my “shoes-off-in-the-house policy” as an endearing Canadian quirk. What do you think, internets?
