Why I Wear Motorcycle Boots in the Kitchen
I wasn’t even aware that I wore my motorcycle boots in the kitchen until my boyfriend mentioned it. We were drinking coffee and eating breakfast — pancakes, probably, or biscuits, or French toast. He pointed at my boot-clad feet and asked, “Do you think it’s weird that you wear your motorcycle boots in the kitchen?”
I took a bite of butter-slathered biscuit (or fluffy pancake or egg-batter toast) and pondered. Was it unusual? Perhaps. But I absolutely stand by my quirky habit. Here’s why.
Why I Wear Shoes in the Kitchen
The reason I wear shoes in the kitchen isn’t for safety reasons. I’m not sure how well my battered and beaten boots would protect my toes if I were to drop my chef’s knife, which I like to keep super-sharp. They’re definitely better than nothing.
Instead, it’s because the idea of walking around barefoot inside — especially in the kitchen — makes me feel, well, kind of icky. This is a bit weird because I have no problem going barefoot outside. As a kid, I ran around sans shoes all the time; as an adult, there have been many occasions when my shoes gave me blisters, so I just took them off and walked the rest of the way like Joe Jackson. (And if you live in New York or have visited, you know how dirty the sidewalks are here.)
But there’s something about outside dirt vs. inside dirt. I think it’s sort of like peeing in the woods versus peeing in a public bathroom. (I much prefer the former.) And even though I keep my kitchen fairly spotless, dirt happens — and grease splatter and spilled flour and dog hair. You get the idea.
Why I Wear Motorcycle Boots in the Kitchen
I should note that I don’t always wear motorcycle boots. In the summer, I’m more likely to wear sandals (which are definitely not any safer than going barefoot). But for the rest of the year, it’s my motos for the simple reason that they’re easy to pull on, regardless of what I’m wearing (often just the t-shirt I slept in). They keep the soles of my feet protected from whatever is on my kitchen floors (I have a don’t-ask, don’t-tell policy).
Where do you stand in the great debate? To wear shoes or not to wear shoes?