Guys and Gals

I have noticed when i am invited to a home of an Asian friend 99% of the time shoes are removed at the front door and I am expected to walk around in my socks (most times they match ) however when i am at the home of a non-Asian friend this never happens

Also we went out to a Korean BBQ a few weeks back and had to remove our shoes

just curious on why this is ??


Thanks

 

It's just common courtesy and it's not only with Asians.

Also depends if the floors like wood then maybe it's ok but like muddy/dirty shoes on carpet... you know...

 

We don't want you to track your outside germs into our house!!


I have no idea. It's gotta be cultural, but as to the real reason, I'm not sure.

 

Historically, people were walking into their homes after walking dirt roads, not paved streets. In some countries, mostly Asian, people didn't like tracking dirt into their homes, so they took their shoes off on the way in. These people also bathed regularly.
The Europeans, especially the British colonists, regarded dirt as a natural state of affairs, and lived in what we would consider utter filth and squalor. They bathed maybe every six months, and washing clothes was considered weird.
This really helped them out when the Black Death swept thru Europe (not).

To get a really good feel for the times, read James Clavell's Shogun or Tai Pan.

 

Dave hit it on the nail. Shoes are dirty. We don't want them inside out house. In India (that makes me Asian right?) where people in villages wear slippers or go barefoot often it's tradition to wash your feet before entering someone's house for the same reason.

 

Thanks guys

makes sense and of course i would not track dirt and mud into anyone's home but in this day and age it seems like an antiquated practice (i.e. paved roads, walkways, etc etc)

 

Paved roads and walkways are still pretty dirty! lol
Plus itsn't it just more comfy without shoes?

 

depends on if your feet stink

 

there is an asian deity with 12 toes. if a family finds one and eats it...it's good luck for 3 generations.

 

I'm not Asian, but when I have people over, I ask them to take off their shoes. Carpets stay cleaner this way.