In The Netherlands, within my social circles, it’s mostly seen as overly informal and quite intimate to take off your shoes.
You can do it at friends, but certainly not by default at acquaintances (unless they ask), as it might even be a little disrespectful considering taking off your shoes could smell a bit after some hours. Like you force your bodily odours or sweaty feet on to someone’s house.
I totally get the opposite and am noticing a slow shift (also in my own house) to dropping the shoes. But it’s interesting to see that both stances are based on some form of respect, and perhaps also some pragmatism on our side.
In The Netherlands, within my social circles, it’s mostly seen as overly informal and quite intimate to take off your shoes.
You can do it at friends, but certainly not by default at acquaintances (unless they ask), as it might even be a little disrespectful considering taking off your shoes could smell a bit after some hours. Like you force your bodily odours or sweaty feet on to someone’s house.
I totally get the opposite and am noticing a slow shift (also in my own house) to dropping the shoes. But it’s interesting to see that both stances are based on some form of respect, and perhaps also some pragmatism on our side.