Nowhere else can not wearing any footwear stir up so considerably controversy and raised eyebrows than in the American town I decided to grace with my presence back in 2002.
Getting a Kiwi I have embraced the correct kiwi custom of not wearing something on my feet for the duration of the hot long summer season months that we encounter in the North Island of New Zealand. It is hot, it’s humid and just way to uncomfortable to wear much more than is necessary. For months on finish Kiwis put on nothing at all but shorts and a T-shirt. My feet have turned into Kiwi feet, I do not feel the heat by way of the soles of my feet un- like other ‘thin skinned soled feet’ of my western counterparts. In New Zealand we wear either no footwear or just these ‘jandels’ (or flip flops, thongs or slippers, based on what element of the world you are from). For the most part we are a nation of bare-footers. Little ones go to college routinely without wearing footwear, or upon arrival kick them off by no means to be noticed once more till winter when footwear is sought soon after. The only time it is mandatory to put on foot put on is in Factories and particular organization, exactly where closed toed shoes are a security requirement, but normally speaking, footwear are optional. I frequently misplace my footwear after I’ve kicked them off in either the auto or upon entering someone’s house, and do not miss them till I go browsing for them the next time I go to put them on. Kiwis are also excellent gumboot wearers, even in summer season. It’s not unusual to see farmers in shorts, a singlet and gumboots, fairly a sight I should admit, some thing really standard Kiwi but one particular that is embraced. Many socked cladded feet have padded softly by way of supermarkets and numerous pairs of gumboots can be located lined up outside the door. We are really easy going when it comes to foot wear. So it came as a bit of a shock to me upon arrival in America – Land of the Free (yeah, we’ll get to that in a moment!)
I arrived in New Jersey, USA at the end of a winter, which fortunately turned into a gorgeous spring followed by an incredible summer season. But spring bought not only new development on the trees surrounding the farms where I lived, but also some personal development for me in regard to some strange American customs and rules.
One particular lovely morning on the way to function on the farm it was merely also excellent an opportunity to pass up to walk about barefoot. Following all, the weather was great, I was dressed in shorts and T-shirt so automatically went barefoot. It’s an American tradition to acquire your coffee at one particular of the several, numerous 24/7 shops as an alternative of doing the Kiwi point and have it at property prior to setting out to work. And me being adaptable in certain techniques, waltzed into the shop to buy my every day caffeine. The shop keeper, a ‘lovely’ American chap, right away zeroed in on my lack of footwear and asked me to leave the shop ‘Erm, Miss, I’m going to have to ask you to leave’. His statement was met by my silence, I’m thinking why? I didn’t shoplift or do anything incorrect? What’s his dilemma? I’m merely standing right here in line waiting for my coffee. Now do not mess with me prior to my every day coffee intake, so my silence was followed by a polite but somewhat surprised query of ‘Excuse me?’ . I then got the complete version of ‘No Footwear, No Shirt, No Service’. Apparently it’s un-hygienic, you can have all sorts of nasty’s below your feet and it is just not allowed. You are also necessary to put on a shirt (which fortunately I was envision that? Two ‘mistakes’ in one day!), so Kiwi and Aussie guys walking about in their customary singlet’s would be frowned upon as well (so considerably for a ‘free’ country!) After a moment of stunned silence I stated that I would go to my truck, place on my footwear and return to the shop. The shop keeper was content with that he even smiled for a moment till he heard my parting remark of ‘They have horse poo and possibly dog poo underneath but if you are happier with me bringing that into your shop alternatively of my clean feet that is your get in touch with.’ Needless to say, he let me buy my coffee in bare-feet and was pleased to see me go!
It’s so much less complicated to let a Kiwi go barefoot than to force shoes on us. In New Zealand we have no difficulty with bare feet and quite frequently there is a sign at the entrance of a business asking buyers to please TAKE OFF their footwear! I guess Down Below we really do factors backwards, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
About the Author :
Monica Toretto is a writer, painter, photographer and blogger. She lives with her two young sons in Invercargill near Bluff. She has travelled broadly in Canada and the US and worked as a veterinary technician just before returning to New Zealand. Her work has appeared in a number of magazines in the UK and New Zealand. She has also authored a book of poetry and photography named ‘Words’
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