It is (possibly) well known that, as a Canadian, I do not wear street shoes indoors. Not in my home, nor in anyone else’s. So it stands to reason that I also don’t want people wearing street shoes in my home. I mean, ick. You’re walking through all sorts of nastiness out there (you can imagine it yourself, I don’t want to think about it). Yet many, if not most, people think nothing of tracking that nastiness all over their houses when they get home. I’ve never understood this.

Likewise I don’t wear street clothes at home. If I’ve worn something out, have sat down in public places, etc, I don’t want to then sit on my furniture in the same clothes. I realise this is (probably) even weirder to people than the shoe thing, because I’ve been told so on many occasions. But you know what? My house, my rules. I have my reasons.

But back to shoes. Since Covid started I’ve had very few people over. At first it was out of necessity, then I decided I kind of preferred things that way, and anyhow in Sevilla it’s more natural to meet people outside your home. But although it was always easy enough to ask friends to remove their shoes (once Paul even wore his special socks for the occasion)… workmen and The Landlord not so much. My regular handyman Luis has no problem complying but last week when the Carlos the electrician (sent by the insurance company to check out the broken water heater) refused for “security reasons” of course I still had to let him in. Which is how I ended up slipping and smashing my hip on the marble floor.

And then this week the same thing. Hervé, also sent by the insurance company, said he couldn’t take off his shoes, but if I had a couple of plastic bags he had no problem slipping those on. Well, he was just going from the front door to the kitchen so I decided I would just mop up after he left but this time be extra careful and remember THE FLOOR WAS WET before walking on it again. I told Hervé it was because I’m Canadian, hoping that would make me seem less crazy, and he said “so, like the Japanese?” Yes, Hervé.

I had mentioned this no shoes rule to Ana when we met up for lunch on Saturday and was explaining why I was meeting her after an impromptu visit to Urgencias. I said something like “I can’t help it, I’m Canadian” and she locked her bright blue Portuguese eyes on me and said “Shawn, I never allow street shoes in my home, workers included”. Omg, one of the many reasons I love Ana. Then I told her that Carlos had said he couldn’t take his shoes off for safety reasons and Ana remembered another electrician who’d said the same thing. We reckoned that maybe for their job they wear rubber-soled shoes? Whatever.

After Hervé left I got to thinking… plastic bags? That’s too much to ask (though I liked the idea!). Then I remembered that whenever I visit a food production place (jamón, cheese, bakeries, etc) we are asked to don not only those baggy shoe covers but also a hair net and a loose gauzy coat. And I thought… omg! This is the way! Then I found out that I can get 100 of these babies for about 9€, which will probably see me through for life. I mentioned them to Ana, thinking I’d be passing on some new innovative info and she said “I’ve had a bag full of those since the renovation”. Of course you did, darling.❤️