Do You Remove Your Shoes Before Entering Your Home ?

[chickenslegs]

I think a more interesting poll would be to ask if you take your shoes off before entering a Thai shop. It seems to me that many Thai people remove their shoes before entering a lot of Thai stores and shops. I see their shoes scattered outside the door, and that makes me a little uncomfotable walking in with mine on, but I do enter wihout removing them, making sure to wipe the bottoms if there's a mat at the door and not to step on the threshhold (after hearing that that was a no no).

BTW, in response to the original poll, I do remove them at home.

I don't understand why you would keep your shoes on, when you can see (from the pile of shoes outside) that the shopkeeper probably prefers customers to remove their shoes.

To me, it's exactly the same as walking into someones house without taking off your shoes.

[Tod Daniels]

Surprisingly this is one of the inane thai quirks which some of the rose colored glasses wearing crowd might call a 'cultural' thing; which actually does make sense (as opposed to random actions thais do which have no logical rhyme or reason).

I DO remove my shoes before entering my apartment, although I don't ever take my shoes off entering a thai shop (even if shoes are piled high outside the door).

You see, not being thai gives me the option to follow or ignore any oxymoronic alleged custom at my discretion. Being a foreigner; I can't lose face, nor would the ever smiling yet diminutive people here comment about it openly.

On occasion I've been known to wipe my feet ON the threshold, as they're usually good mud scrapers, so go figure..

[chickenslegs]

Surprisingly this is one of the inane thai quirks which some of the rose colored glasses wearing crowd might call a 'cultural' thing; which actually does make sense (as opposed to random actions thais do which have no logical rhyme or reason).

I DO remove my shoes before entering my apartment, although I don't ever take my shoes off entering a thai shop (even if shoes are piled high outside the door).

You see, not being thai gives me the option to follow or ignore any oxymoronic alleged custom at my discretion. Being a foreigner; I can't lose face, nor would the ever smiling yet diminutive people here comment about it openly.

On occasion I've been known to wipe my feet ON the threshold, as they're usually good mud scrapers, so go figure..

Whether it's custom, practice, hygiene or just preference don't you feel that it's ill mannered to walk into someones home or shop with your shoes on, when they obviously don't want you to?

If you object to taking off your shoes you can use another shop - there are plenty to choose from and I'm sure the shop will survive without your patronage.

Or, are you just doing it to prove that you can?

One more thing. Why do you find it necessary to sneer at everything and everyone Thai?

[greenmember]

I wear socks all the time so feet won't get cold.

Aaahhhhh, someone else with circulatory problems - I'm not alone!

LOL I have no problem with my feet, but someone in my house likes to wear shoes into house or steps out with bare feet and steps back into house.

The benefits of wearing socks all the time are:

1. I don't feel sands on the floor. I clean the house quite often but there are always sands for the above reasons and because of the wind.

2. My feet don't get dirty (I change socks 2, 3 times a day after showering) as the geckos sh_t a lot in my house.

3. If I go to shops they want us to remove shoes, my feet won't get dirty with the socks on. Someone might have the priority to wear outdoor shoes into the shops so the floor is not clean.

4. To protect the heels from being cracked.

5. To protect the feet from the sun.

6. I don't need to brush the feet as they are not black.

[Beacher]

I think a more interesting poll would be to ask if you take your shoes off before entering a Thai shop. It seems to me that many Thai people remove their shoes before entering a lot of Thai stores and shops. I see their shoes scattered outside the door, and that makes me a little uncomfotable walking in with mine on, but I do enter wihout removing them, making sure to wipe the bottoms if there's a mat at the door and not to step on the threshhold (after hearing that that was a no no).

BTW, in response to the original poll, I do remove them at home.

I don't understand why you would keep your shoes on, when you can see (from the pile of shoes outside) that the shopkeeper probably prefers customers to remove their shoes.

To me, it's exactly the same as walking into someones house without taking off your shoes.

Well, the reasons are that I'm only going to be in there for 1 minute and being from N.A., it's normal not to remove one's shoes when entering a store. (BTW I'm not talking about going into a massage parlor or an internet shop where I'm going to be in there for a considedrable amount of time.) Also, with the high amount of barefoot traffic in a shop, it makes me squeemish -- a bit afraid of picking up athlete's foot or something like that.

I also think that Thai shopkeepers understand that it's something farang don't do in their home countries, so they don't take offense. If they have very strong feelings about it, I would expect that they might do something to let people know it's a rule for their shop by placing a sign on the door or something like that.

[Tod Daniels]

Why do you find it necessary to sneer at everything and everyone Thai?

I like to think of myself as an equal opportunity sneer-er. My demeaning manner, acerbic wit, and cynical attitude is not limited to one race of people. Although this being the "THAI Visa Forum, I doubt you'll find much sneering on this forum at say; Peruvians, Cambodians, Burmese, or as the US President GW Bush calls them "Chinesians' either for that matter.

I also have an extremely limited tolerance for mindless sheep-like sock puppets what ever their nationality.

[MonkeyHouse]

Why do you find it necessary to sneer at everything and everyone Thai?

I like to think of myself as an equal opportunity sneer-er. My demeaning manner, acerbic wit, and cynical attitude is not limited to one race of people. Although this being the "THAI Visa Forum, I doubt you'll find much sneering on this forum at say; Peruvians, Cambodians, Burmese, or as the US President GW Bush calls them "Chinesians' either for that matter.

I also have an extremely limited tolerance for mindless sheep-like sock puppets what ever their nationality.

What about the sneering of ugly old bald men that like playing with guns?

Thailand seems to attract of ugly old bald men, but thats another topic i guess.

[Groongthep]

do you remove your shoes before entering your home ?

Yes, and if my girlfriend is there I sometimes remove the rest of my clothing as well.

[Andrew Hicks]

just wondering if the expats/travellers have adopted the Thai habit of removing their shoes before entering their home or stick with their old habit from farang land.

I always wear shoes in the house but take them off when I go outside. That way the shoes are always clean and I don't get the house dirty.

Taking my shoes off when I come inside means I get my sweaty feet all over my nice shiny tiles.

Any more questions?

[chickenslegs]

Why do you find it necessary to sneer at everything and everyone Thai?

I like to think of myself as an equal opportunity sneer-er. My demeaning manner, acerbic wit, and cynical attitude is not limited to one race of people. Although this being the "THAI Visa Forum, I doubt you'll find much sneering on this forum at say; Peruvians, Cambodians, Burmese, or as the US President GW Bush calls them "Chinesians' either for that matter.

I also have an extremely limited tolerance for mindless sheep-like sock puppets what ever their nationality.

Seriously, don't you think it becomes less witty as you become more predictable?

I can almost guess what you have written before I open one of your posts.

...diminutive...sock puppets...ever smiling...Glorious Land'O'Thais... etc...etc...

Rhetorical question - way off topic.

Edited July 29, 2008 by chickenslegs