A Stupid, Patronizing and Probably Offensive Article about Czechs

Prague Post: Worst foot forward

This peculiar shoe-removing custom catches newcomers by surprise: You are finally invited for dinner at the home of your Czech boss, colleague or friend. You wash and shave meticulously, wear a nice suit and bring an impressive bouquet of flowers or a good bottle of wine. You join Czech friends also attending the dinner and ring the bell. Then, as the door opens, something surreal happens: Your Czech friends hand over the flowers and wine, and then, without any prompt from the host or other apparent reason, they proceed to take off their shoes, leave them at the entrance and accept, with gratitude, shoes from their host. Old, frayed, stained and smelly home-shoes quickly replace the dress or high-heeled shoes under the suits and evening dresses.


Thankfully, a number of the comments recognise the stupidity of this article.