pandora_parrot: (feet)
[personal profile] pandora_parrot
Day 38 of my barefoot experiences.

A few interesting things have happened since the last time I wrote in. This weekend, in particular, has been rather event filled. Let's start with that.

On Friday, we went out to dinner in honor of my friend [livejournal.com profile] cyberspice being in town. We went to my favorite Italian restaurant. [livejournal.com profile] chirik arrived first and got us a table. But then one of the servers or something asked her to put on shoes because she was barefoot, telling her that it's against the law. When she indicated that she didn't have any shoes, he asked her to wait outside. I was really upset by this, since my friend was being refused access to a place that I selected and picked out.

[livejournal.com profile] chirik went back to her car, got her sandal straps, and came back in telling the person, "It is *NOT* against the law." She also showed him the PDF of the letter from the California Department of Health stating that there are no laws against being barefoot. She then confidently strode to her table.

While this was going on, I, too, was barefoot, and ignored the fact that she had just been rejected from the restaurant and went inside myself. Nobody gave me any problems, probably because they recognized me there. After dinner, I got up and talked to the manager about how embarrassed I was that I had selected this place to eat when my friend was getting harassed and discriminated against. She frantically indicated that she was very sorry for what had happened and that it would not happen again in the future. She really appreciates my business and she appreciates me bringing new clients to her restaurant. She told me that she respects whatever practices I or my friends have and we are always welcome at her restaurant.

It was kinda neat to basically go up there and confidently tell the manager off, although apparently, it was unnecessary. She already knows me pretty well and has seen me coming there quite a bit. I'm a bit of a regular there. So when she saw that it was me and my group, she chastised the server that had told Jenny to leave, before I had even said anything.

I really don't understand the big deal with bare feet in a restaurant. People seem to think it is unsanitary, but I have no idea why. Are they afraid I'm going to try to use my feet to eat or something? It really makes no sense, and I can't figure out the motivation for the idea.

I get the liability issue in case someone were to step on a staple or something. While ridiculous and over-protective, it at least has some basis in our litigious society. But really, this whole "You have to wear shoes around food" thing seems more like a bizarre taboo than anything else.

The next day, [livejournal.com profile] chirik and I went with [livejournal.com profile] cyberspice on a hike. A pretty light hike up in the Monte Bello mountains, just a little over 3 miles of hiking over gentle terrain. But [livejournal.com profile] chirik and I did it barefoot! That was pretty intense. For most of it, it was relatively pleasant and enjoyable. But big chunks of it really hurt and scratched my feet up. That's, of course, due to my soles still needing to toughen up and such.

When we finally got home, my feet were *killing* me. I couldn't walk barefoot at all, even on the carpet inside the house.

This was made worse the next day when we discovered that the gutters were too clogged to direct rain to the right places. I had to climb up to the roof to help [livejournal.com profile] foxgrrl clean the gutters. Turns out that my bare feet do not have much traction on wet tree branches in the rain. I slipped and fell four feet down the tree, smashing my foot up against the tree. I could barely walk at all for the rest of the day, and I still have a limp today because of that one. OW. Surprisingly, most of the damage comes from the impact. The scratches on the bottom of my foot are a bit itchy, but not really all that painful.

One more thing: What do I do when people tell me that I should be wearing shoes? I really can't figure it out. I was driving the uhaul around, picking up stuff from freecycle for [livejournal.com profile] theflamecrow, and I met this nice lady that told me that I should be wearing shoes to be moving all this heavy stuff. I just sort of stared at her and had no idea what to say. Why was this random person that I was going to meet for all of 5 minutes telling me what to do with my feet? How the hell do I respond to that? I think the best response is probably what I did: I ignored her.

My experiences with being barefoot are actually making me appreciate shoes more. For warmth, protection, and traction, shoes just cannot be beat. When walking barefoot through the woods, throwing on a pair of socks and hiking boots felt like a dream, since the muddy ground was very very cold. Not that the ground was really all that unpleasant, but the boots were definitely more comfortable. And after I fell off the tree getting to the roof of the house, it was really nice to have my soft moccasins available to keep my feet warm in the rain and give me better traction on things.

Still, in all of these situations, as much as I've appreciated my shoes when I wear them, I still feel best without shoes. My feet just feel more free and more comfortable. Less cramped, less jammed in and just generally better. Plus, I get to actually experience my environment, which is really cool. I appreciate my shoes being useful for what they're useful for, but I'm finding that I prefer to get away without them as much as I can, otherwise. I'm glad that I have some proper "barefoot-like" shoes to wear, though, since I'm definitely starting to feel the issues with regular shoes.

Date: 2010-04-13 12:26 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nytemuse.livejournal.com
She also showed him the PDF of the letter from the California Department of Health stating that there are no laws against being barefoot.

Nani? Is this PDF publicly accessible somewhere? I wouldn't mind having a copy of that...I similarly feel more comfortable not in shoes and might be inclined to try it out in some places if I had backup that I couldn't be dinged for it.

What do I do when people tell me that I should be wearing shoes?

Depends what kind of mood you're in. If I had the time and the inclination, I might go all socratic and just respond to everything with a question. In the case you mention above, I'd've probably responded "Why?" to pretty much everything she asked :) You're right; most people can't give an irrefutable answer and most tend either to "that's how it's done" or "_______ factoid that I was told by others but can't verify myself/urban legend".

Date: 2010-04-13 12:33 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] paradox-puree.livejournal.com
Is this PDF publicly accessible somewhere?
Here's the link: http://www.barefooters.org/health-dept/

You can get PDFs for every state there, for a variety of years.

You're right; most people can't give an irrefutable answer and most tend either to "that's how it's done" or "_______ factoid that I was told by others but can't verify myself/urban legend".
I'm not entirely sure how to respond to all of the urban legends, though. "You might hurt yourself/step on glass" is one of the more common ones, and, although true, is not actually that big of a deal. That's the part I have trouble getting across to folks.

Date: 2010-04-13 12:46 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nytemuse.livejournal.com
People also get hurt through their shoes. Yeah, shoes protect from some of the more common nasties, like glass, but nails and staples can go through rubber soles pretty easily given sufficient force. Essentially, you might hurt yourself almost as easily in shoes as without, it's just different hurts.

Date: 2010-04-13 01:53 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] maestrodog.livejournal.com
I don't get the aversion to barefoot around food either. After all, it's not like shoe soles are any cleaner...in fact, I would wager they are probably a lot worse.

And a common and rather effective response to anyone who offers you unsolicited advice about your life, no matter what the topic, is to smile politely and say "Thanks for your opinion, I'll be sure to remember that," and then carry on with whatever you're doing. That is, of course, if you feel the need to respond at all.

Date: 2010-04-13 05:47 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pouchedfox.livejournal.com
it's for people who eat with their feet ;)

Date: 2010-04-13 05:55 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] maestrodog.livejournal.com
LOL...try watching the movie "Shorts" sometime ;).

Date: 2010-04-13 08:24 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chirik.livejournal.com
... I can't remember the last time I washed my shoes (I think it verges on never, but ... maybe I did once?) but I scrub my hindpaws daily...

Date: 2010-04-13 09:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] blackberry74.livejournal.com
I remember my sister stepping on a large piece of glass while going barefoot when I was a kid. BUT, I think you pay a lot more attention to your surroundings than she ever did. :)

Date: 2010-04-13 08:37 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chirik.livejournal.com
Technically, he asked me to put on shoes, and said they can't (not won't! They'd make their lives a /ton/ simpler if they'd simply say they won't instead of can't - because I know they /can/, but also that they may choose not to) serve me if I'm barefoot because it's against the law, although he could not tell me which code, other than vagualy health-code-ish. Sadly, I can't really turn around and cite code XXX(b)(1) that says it's legal, because the law doesn't work that way. It (generaly) covers things which are not allowed, not that which is.

Anyways, after going back and forth with him for awhile, I decided that this was going to go nowhere. He had no clue what he was talking about it, but he had faith and God that he was right, and I didn't have any magical psychic paper on hand that would shake that enough to cut through his arguments.

So, off to my car, grabbed my straps and put them on, while looking up the PDF of the fax from the CA Health Department saying they know of no such restriction. Once back, I show it to him, 'hi, here, image of a fax from the health department saying it's NOT against the law. I have something on my feet now.' and just went past him and joined the (now seated) group.

I could easily have snuck in the back door, but he'd told me they did not want me if I was barefoot, so that would be trespassing in some manner. Instead, I approached him directly, and informed him I was complying with their request, but that it was based on misinformation.

Date: 2010-04-13 12:26 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] natalie-i-am.livejournal.com
"Put something on your feet" doesn't mean said object had to have soles I assume.

Date: 2010-04-13 04:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chirik.livejournal.com
I don't recall his exact, but he made it very clear it was 'something on the soles of my feet'.

Which, when you think about it, my foot is still exposed if you think it's a health issue... It protects me from puncture wounds, but so do the calauses, and keeps any sweat off the ground (which, really, is minor when you think about what else is on the ground)

Date: 2010-04-13 12:23 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] natalie-i-am.livejournal.com
I can understand the whole "wear shoes around food thing".. except whatever you stand on barefoot, probably isnt as bad as what you stand on with shoes. That and if your feet and food are in the same place I dont wanna eat there :P

As to the "wearing shoes while doing lifting", it might be like me, this woman is a total klutz and has dropped stuff on her feet. Steel toe-capped boots are great forbouncing heavy objects off of. Like cabinets, tins of paint [they were closed!]

Date: 2010-04-13 04:48 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chirik.livejournal.com
Regular shoes provide absolutely minimal (read: zero) protection from that, but would have satisfied her and most people as 'protected'

I'd argue they even provide only minimal protection against puncture. Something like a nail, you're not going to register sharp point on placing your foot down, and will tend to keep pushing your foot down until the nail pierces the sole of your shoe, at which point there is enough force it'll pierce your foot before you stop. Barefoot, I regularly step on sharp rocks, even when moving quickly, and roll my foot to take weight off of them. Might not work for a nail depending on how I'm walking, but I'm fscked there anyways.

Date: 2010-04-13 08:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] paradox-puree.livejournal.com
I can understand the whole "wear shoes around food thing"
Can you explain it, then? Cuz I don't get it.

Date: 2010-04-13 09:51 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
lol. take a ritual bowl of water and a rug with next time.

Date: 2010-04-13 02:51 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
what were you doing in adolescence if not questioning everything and telling people off? amazing. the difference is you get away with it.

Date: 2010-04-13 08:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] paradox-puree.livejournal.com
Heh. I never did that in adolescence. I was following everyone else in lock-step. I'm doing the questioning everything thing now in my late 20s.

Date: 2010-04-13 03:06 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
lol just about how my mother still has a conniption fit at the idea of someone putting their mattress on the floor without a frame and a box to support it. i'm talking total disarray and panic.

Date: 2010-04-14 12:19 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] voiceofanangel.livejournal.com
I almost never tie my tennis shoes. Instead, I leave the laces pulled loose. It feel so much more comfortable than restrictive shoes!

Date: 2010-04-14 01:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] alisonpv.livejournal.com
About the folks telling you "you should wear shoes when you _____"

(when the risk is to YOU if you don't, IE moving heavy furnature - YOU get hurt more if something falls on your toes..)

I don't think those folks are intending on being rude, It's in human nature to care about other humans. I might say the same thing - out of compassion.. not out of judgement.

Date: 2010-04-14 01:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] alisonpv.livejournal.com
however, I do realize it's none of their business :)

Date: 2010-04-14 04:08 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rachelbythebay.livejournal.com
In terms of attracting drama, it's hard to top.

Date: 2010-04-15 09:43 pm (UTC)
ext_130910: Me as I want to be (Default)
From: [identity profile] fyremane.livejournal.com
was wondering if you had seen the site for invisible shoes.
yah it isnt true bearfooting, but its veryvery close,
http://www.invisibleshoe.com

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