Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Sooke]

Was reading this post http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=46466
when I thought of this question: Back Home did you take your shoes off inside the house? Sometime over here I get angry when people come into my apt. with their shoes on. I thought pretty much everyone did that.

[Qinella]

[JongnoGuru]

Not sure I want to tick any of those poll options.

Look at any (Western) TV show, commercial, or any film made in this or the previous century. How often do you see people kicking off their shoes when entering a (non-Asian person's) home? Pretty much never, I'll bet. True, you won't see toilets in those homes either, but we know the reason for that omission. I've lived in several Western European countries before coming to Asia, and never was there a "no-shoes-in-the-house" culture or even freak-trend that I was aware of.

Here's a quote I came across that echoes my sentiments rather well, though I wouldn't phrase it quite this way.

[Demonicat]

I grew up to always have something on your feet. Be it slippers or shoes I had to be wearing something- bare feet was considered poor and rude.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I was brought up to wear shoes in other people's homes unless directed otherwise. At home, we wore shoes when our feet were cold and took 'em off when we wanted. The rule was: Don't put your shoes on the furniture! (So you took off your shoes before laying down on the couch.) Guests at our house kept their shoes on unless it was raining.

Here I take my shoes off because I'm comfortable in my socks. I don't get hyper about walking back across the floor with my shoes on if I have forgotten something on the way out.

[Demonicat]

Oh, and whats so trailer park about living the way that most westeners live- that is to say, wearing shoes instead of walking around barefoot like some poor dirt farmer.

[Moldy Rutabaga]

I make no judgment as to which is better-- I think that the idea of not wearing shoes might be Canadian, because we have harsher weather and people don't want muddy or snowy shoes inside a home. But apparently Hawaiians also don't wear shoes inside!

If it's a nice home, I never wear shoes, but if it's a dorm party or a house party and the floor has beer everywhere anyway, I'll keep the shoes on. The situation usually makes it clear.

Ken:>

[krats1976]

It never occured to me to take off my shoes growing up... except when visiting the homes of my two best friends who happened to be Japanese-American.

That changed when I moved to Alaska. In Alaska it's an unwritten rule that you take off your shoes when you visit someone's house. If you don't, you are telling your host that her home is so dirty, you don't want to take off your mud-&-snow-coated bunny boots (courtesy of the dirt roads that are ubiquitous in the villages) and risk getting your socks dirty.

So, Alaska + Korea = no shoes in my future homes, no matter where they're located.

[Demonicat]

hawaii is predominantly Asian, n'est pas? So it bears to reason that they would follow with Asian customs.

[itaewonguy]

it depends.. out our country house we would take te shoes off before coming in because of the mud and stuff.. depending tho..
in the city usually shoes on..

[Ekuboko]

Shoes on.
(I'm not voting).

[SuperHero]

no shoes in the house, only barbarians do that.

[JongnoGuru]

[SuperHero]

[Greekfreak]

That's an American thing--shoes on the floor--which I've never understood. The same pair of shoes that might've just stepped in a pile of dog shyte, you track them all over your floors--do people enjoy wearing their shoes that much?

Then again, we grew up in Canada with indoor carpeting.