i like that your friend has a shoos-off policy...that is one i have too. i don't like shoos very much.

I'm encountering something for the first time here...

Can someone explain to me the shoes-off policy?  Do people actually all take their shoes off when they come into a house for a party?  Why?  What if it's a party where dressing up (even a little bit) is expected?  Are there a bunch of folks wearing blazers and socks, and a pile of penny loafers in the hall?

Sorry if this seems odd, I was just kind of thrown when you mentioned the shoe pile...

quite right tony, a house should be hospitable enough not to require a thick layer of rubber or leather to protect feet.

Ugh.

I hate it when people have the "shoes off" policy.  I'm not a child; I was not out running around in the mud.  If my shoes were dirty, it would be nice if the host assumed that I was not an idiot and would, in assessing the situation, remove my shoes on my own accord.

I don't buy my shoes to leave in a pile by the door, allowing them to get scuffed by everyone else's shoes.

I probably should apologize for sending this thread careening wildly off-topic.

Depending on where you are culturally this can be a class indicator.

In the 'Haute' Cotswolds:

As a host I know when to serve drinks in the Giant vibrator and when in the sitting room.

As a guest I know when to cheerfully say at the front door "Don't let me in, I'm covered in shit." before kicking off my Bean Boots and making my way to the Giant vibrator for a spot of plonk.
If I expect to dine I do not arrive with half a field adhering to my Weejuns.

... ... ... ...

In London it is all different again depending on postcode.

Cheeky could deconstruct all this for you.

Last edited by The_Shooman (2007-11-20 03:32:55)

In Japan, it is customary to remove one's shoes when entering a home and occasionally even in some restaurants and other public places. I don't wear shoes in my apartment nor does anyone who visits. Indoors, I wear my LL Bean suede and lamb's wool "bunny slippers."