In Hawaii, everybody takes off their shoes or slippers before entering someone's home. It's an Asian custom that is now part of the Hawaiian lifestyle. When we moved to Chicago, I absolutely could not wear shoes in the house. It just felt wrong. I felt as though I was bringing dirt and germs from the outside into my clean house. When my babies were born and crawling around the floors, it became even more imperative to not track grime into the house.
Luckily, our friends (maybe that's why they were our friends) understood our idiosyncrasy and were kind enough to always remove their shoes before they entered our house. One particular couple of friends even brought over their own house slippers when they came for dinner in winter.
I've been amazed at the sensitivity of some sales or repair people who noticed that we don't wear shoes in the house and automatically honored us with their understanding in Illinois by removing their own shoes before going further into the house.
Now we're in Hawaii and it's no longer a problem. Everybody just knows they must remove their shoes no matter what the cultural background of the homeowner might be. It just makes things so much easier.
It's humorous to us that my mother's family room area is carpeted and she has asked Art and me to remove our house slippers before we step into that area. We think that's a bit much but by golly, we sure do as she says. Won't our mainland guests be in for a surprise!
I never wear shoes at home. When I was growing up we didn't and I still don't. My mother was a fussy housekeeper.
ReplyDeleteKay, I love your aunt's idea of using recycled fabrics to make these wonderful slippers! The slippers really do look comfortable and the color combination is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteOh wow. They're beautiful, and what a great use for old clothes and scraps (of which I have plenty). I want to make some myself.
ReplyDeleteIt's so cold and wet in our country that slippers are a necessity, along with woolly cardigans and a big fire. Visiting your stories and photos always helps me feel warmer--thanks!
Removing shoes before entering the home is becoming quite the custom everywhere now. We do that at our Oklahoma home and two of our daughter's, California and Missouri,ask guests to remove their shoes. Your aunt's houseslippers look wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI have been seeing you at Kay Dennison's blog and for a while thought she was her own first commenter. LOL You have a very nice blog.
lovely slippers, people in sweden do that also-remove their shoes. it's harder though for american teens or those who wear lace up athletic shoes. they are not easy to remove. I enjoy keeping my shoes on all the time for comfort, support and warmth...interesting differences in cultures though.
ReplyDeleteI love the slippers! We don't always take our shoes off before we enter the house, but soon after, neither of us wears shoes in the house. Since it's chilly up here in Seattle, I keep a bunch of really thick socks and that's my foot apparel.
ReplyDeleteThe slippers are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMy husband has trained the kids to take of their shoes in the house, but going shoeless hurts my feet, so I usually keep mine on -- especially in the colder months when I nearly always wear lace-up boots. It's too much of a hassle to untie them.
Of course, if I go to someone's house who asks me to remove my shoes (or if I see a pile at the door), I'd do it, but I feel so vulnerable with shoeless feet.
I just hate shoes anyway but with my very bad feet walking barefoot for very long kills me but I still like the barefoot way. Now if I can get The Hubby (a construction guy) to keep up keeping his dirty boots in the garage I've got it made.
ReplyDeleteHow I wish we had a "No Shoes in the House" rule here. It makes so much sense.
ReplyDeleteWe don't wear shoes in our house, probably because of the all-white kitchen floor! However, we don't mind if guests wear shoes, we just like to go without shoes ourselves. Loved the slippers, such a neat way to "recycle" and be comfy at the same time.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely idea to make slippers from such assorted fabrics ... practical recycling idea for sure. I dropped by to see the list of 'retired teachers' in your sidebar and I notice some familiar names there. I'm almost always barefoot at home, but I do keep slip on shoes by each door in wintertime for chilly days.
ReplyDeleteHugs and blessings,
Kay;
ReplyDeleteI never wear shoes in my house either....When I started walking after my braces, the Dr said to walk bearfoot as much as possible to stimulate my arch!
I love this custom and people have been taking off their shoes in my house as long as I have had a house..but I need to provide some of those beautiful slippers for my guests
ReplyDeleteI love the slipper idea. My daughter and her family always remove their shoes before entering their house or mine. I think it's a wonderful idea.
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense since you do track stuff in on the bottoms of your shoes. If you walk on grass that has been chemically treated[mine is not] and then wear the shoes into the house, then you have those chemicals in your house, too.
ReplyDeleteKay, I think your Aunt's slippers are wonderful and I love the fact she uses recycled items to make them!
ReplyDeleteAnother lover of Auntie's slippers checking in here.
ReplyDeleteI also have bad feet. So I have indoor and outdoor shoes. I only weaer the soft soled shoes inside the house and keep outdoor shoes by the door.
My husband on the other hand... what can I say? We live on a mini-farm and he walks through all sorts of mud and gluck and then tramps across my dark hardwood floors dropping whatever falls from the tread on the blasted things whereever his foot lands.
I'm a bit of a clean freak, so I spend a third of my life sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping. Drives me crazy. It's a good thing he spins my beanie, or I'd pack up him and his mucky boots and ship them off to Alaska.
Aloha! Saw your post on Jerusalem Daily Photo and was excited to run into a fellow Hawaii person. Stay come! Visit my Waikiki blog: ComfortSpiral.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteGlad I found you ;->
Beautiful slippers. Gosh, is there anything your mother doesn't know how to do?
ReplyDeleteGlad you and Cloudia found each other. Is "Stay come!" some codeword in the islands? :)
Stay come is Pidgin English. It just means to "Come on over." Another example of Pidgin is in order to say, "Would you like to go with me to the movies?"
ReplyDeleteIn Pidgin it would be something like, "You like come go with me to da movie?"
Those are darling slippers! I don't ask people to take their shoes off before entering my house. But I think it's a good idea. And I hate shoes, so I'm usually barefoot when I'm inside.
ReplyDeleteThose slippers look soooo comfy!
ReplyDeleteScandianvian people never wear shoes indoors (it would be way too muddy!) and neither do Nigeriens actually.
Greetings from West Africa,
Esther
Thanks for bringing up this subject.
ReplyDeleteI have an whole blog about removing shoes in homes:
Shoes Off at the Door, Please
You might want to take a look.
Yes lovely slippers.We also remove our shoes at the door.And once again like many others here the cold weather means that we change into slippers,as do our guests, I may add.
ReplyDeleteTo those of you who think it so cozy and are so proud to state your rule asking all to remove shoes:
ReplyDeleteI used to love going barefoot and in socks but now I have a painful foot condition that has me limping within a few minutes if not wearing hard soles. I think it is rude and inconsiderate to ask guests to remove shoes.
So I am supposed to carry extra slipper-shoes everywhere? I think I would prefer not to enter your oh so precious space.
Dear Anonymous, I was surprised to find you suddenly commenting on such an old post. You must have been looking for this topic. My cousin also has foot problems and she asks us politely and kindly if she can keep her shoes on when she comes to our house. We do, of course, tell her to go ahead. She is very dear to us. I'm sorry if we've stepped on a sore spot with you and hope you have a happy holiday wherever you walk.
ReplyDelete