Shoe-sing names – a foot-long lexicon

 

[two foot soles*]

Many years ago, I translated a lease agreement between French and Israeli opera companies involving the performance of a certain opera in Tel Aviv. The contract part was quite standard but the appendix at the end was a killer: a list of the clothing, some of it typical of the 17-18th century, to be included in the lease, including a list of shoes, specifying their style type. That was my introduction to the complexity of shoe names. For those that may have thought that, to paraphrase Gertrude Stein, a shoe is a shoe is a shoe, the reality is far more complex. from minimalist to maximalist, shoes take on many different forms, use many different materials, serve many different purposes, have many different origins and thus have many different names.

Sandals

[flip-flops on beach]

are the simplest and most ancient of all footwear, dating back at least to Persian times and existing in one form or another in all cultures. Originally made of wood (sandal wood), often constructing from leather, even rope and more currently from plastic, sandals cover the sole of the foot and contain enough over-foot blinding to keep the sole attached. Country-specific versions include opanci and opinga (Balkans), huarche (ancient Mexico), zori (Japan) and bast shoes (Finland). Beachgoers can put on thongs, bangers, flip-flops and jandals, depending on where you are from. All these shoes protect your sole.

[slippers]

For those that also worry about their toes, the major option is a slipper, which is open-healed in order to allow you to “slip in” to it easier. My wife enjoys hers fur-filled in the winter, which keeps her toes nice and warm. Local versions include Peranakan beaded slippers (Malaysia), galesh and kiveh (Iran) and Cantabrian albarkas (northern Spain), to name a few. Clogs and sabots are made of wood and are solid if noisy. These shoes are home comfort and convenient.

[pair of canvas shoes]

There are many varieties of light full shoes. Espadrilles, made of rope, originated in the Pyrenees but now can be found everywhere. Jelly shoes are plastic, far more modern obviously. Likewise, people can purchase moccasins worldwide. Boat shoes, made from canvas or leather, are also prevalent. Some more local versions are Peshawri chappal (Himalayas) and tiger shoes (China). Sneakers (or trainers in the UK) are omnipresent and received their name because they allowed to children to sneak, i.e., make no noise, as compared to leather shoes. These are perfect for warm weather.

[pair of hiking boots]

For reasons of length, ignorance and discretion, I will slip the seeming endless list of types of standard shoes and boots for men and women. The nomenclature is simply far too long and dynamic, almost to the level of the pain they may cause us when we wear them. Instead, it is more interesting to consider the number of vocation-specific shoes. For example, boating shoes have features that allow them to grip and repel water. Steel tip and pointe shoes have reinforced tips, albeit for different reasons. Rock climbing shoes remove all reinforcement and feature sticky soles. Jazz shoes are lighter but have a small heal in order to facilitate dance. Sea boots are waterproof, a very useful property at sea, while snow boots have a similar feature but more appropriate for walking. Hiking boots are strong all over and protect the foot from the punishment of rocks and long days on one's feet. To get exotic, Chinese women with bound feet wore lotus shoes while, in more modern times, diabetic shoes can help with food circulation. On the field, players can wear football-style or soccer-style shoes, depending on the length of the cleats with cross country and tennis players each having their own forms. Running shoes are for runners, obviously, with extra reinforcement in the appropriate areas. Today, every activity has its shoe.

As I discovered then, the sheer variety of shoe types is enough to drive any person crazy, aside possibly from late Imelda Marcos. If the significance of an object to society can be measured in the number of words to describe it, apparently shoes are of great importance in most societies. Walking into a shoe store is confusing not only due to the rainbow of colors and shapes but also for the plethora of styles. The lexicon of shoes styles is far longer than a foot. I only wish that the number of comfortable options was as long. People can be quite shoe-sy.

* Picture captions allow the blind to fully access the Internet.

Picture credits - Pixabay

Passion fruit, gender wise

A passion is like first love, undeniable and unexplainable. It is something whose mere mention lights up the eyes and ignites a wide smile. A child without a passion is emotionally unhealthy while an unhealthy adult needs to find one. Objects of passion can be largely gender driven, for whatever reason, in the sense that 950 out of a thousand people of that gender and 50 people of the opposite gender share it, more or less. Clearly, there are special items of passion, small in numbers of passionatos but great in terms of their intensively, like those who love restoring windmills (yes, such groups exist) and collectors of specific animal figurines.  At the same time, there are universal items that mainly light up either men or women.

For example, most women love desserts with cream.  Men do enjoy such desserts but they don’t go starry eyed. It appears that women get adrenalin rushes just from seeing them. Whether a mille feuilles or cheese cake, the more cream, whipped or not, the better. Big boned or petite, there is always room in the heart of a woman, not to mention her stomach, for a tasty creamy patisserie. It is unclear why a dainty slice of cake is irresistible but a no less creamy ice cream is not but the latter can be ignored while for the former must be worshipped, at least as far as I have observed. Call it hypnotic or whatever you like.

The male equivalent of love at first sight is the simple ball.  Even before there is peer or parental example or pressure, upon seeing a ball of any size, 98% of boys react by wanting to interact with it in some way, kicking, holding or hitting it to the best of their ability. Tellingly, this instinct never dies.  80-year-old men, encountering a stray ball rolling in their direction, immediately line by their body for a proper corner kick even if, alas, the body (and kick) are suffering from not a little rust. No matter, no male can ignore a ball even if the fact that he is wearing a suit and tie prevents him from acting on the urge. I can’t think of any evolutionary benefit to this instinct but not everything has to have a purpose, right?

In terms of transportation or fascination, shoes seem to have a hypnotic effect on women.  Regardless of the number of shoes they may or may not have, almost no woman can resist looking at the shoes displayed in a store window. Since I cannot read minds especially those of the opposite sex, I have no idea what exactly they are thinking as they examine the pairs.  However, it cannot be denied Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Johnny Debb together on their best days are no competition for a pair of leather boots. I imagine that there are women that are apathic to footwear, but I have not met any.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT4jGJdAf6s

By contrast, men, especially American men, have had a long romance with cars. I don’t know how they reacted to their horses before automobiles were invented but I do know how most men (not me in this case) relate to their car: they anthropophyte it. Specifically, they select their vehicle with great care, comparing all relevant and irrelevant features. This is contrast with most women, who primarily care about its color, safety and gas efficiency. They maintain, clean and protect it religiously and are personally wounded if the love of their life is scratched at a parking lot. In secret, they look at advertisements and videos of coming models and dream of owning a Ferrari or Lamborghini. That such diamonds are far beyond their means does not reduce their pleasure as the mere thought of driving one is a high while an actual chance to drive one of those gods is better than sex. This love of cars, the more powerful the better (it takes a bit of effort to get excited by a Fiat Uno), could be just part of a power addiction but what difference does it make.

Please do not misunderstand me.  I am not mocking the human species. As I wrote above, it is far better to have a passion, no matter how ridiculous, than to lead a humdrum life without sparkle.  My personal passion, I confess, is Balkan dancing. The sound of a triti piti or kopenica make me forget any worry that I have. However, I also admit to enjoy playing tennis maybe because there is, yes, a ball involved and trying to sound more knowledgeable about cars than I really am because I am supposed to be. However, cakes and shoes are fine but no more than that. In any case, vive la passion.