This time last year I was relaxing in a wellness hotel in Garmisch. I felt a bit lighter and above all free. I also wanted to express that with my shoes. I slipped on my favorite pair of Jil Sander sandals and strolled into the restaurant for dinner. A member of staff looked me over at the entrance and pointed out in a friendly but very firm manner that open-toed shoes were unacceptable in the restaurant.
It raises the question of why women are sitting at the next table with open shoes – and why men have to be reprimanded for it. Where is gender equality in that?
Yes, I would like to go to work in sandals, baggy trousers and a linen shirt, why not? Setting an example of how far you can get with men’s sandals. But in wide circles the sandal is decried, even feared. Help, the sandals are coming!
In Syria, wearing sandals gave me a sense of freedom. But that feeling was stolen from me once: when I was imprisoned for an article critical of the mayor of the city of Raqqa, I couldn’t wear the shoes. My feet were too swollen from the guards’ beatings.
Time flies, but one thing remains: I don’t let anything get over my sandals. Problem: When I wear them here in Bavaria at work in the meeting room, I get strange looks. Do you express admiration? I’m afraid it’s more of a surprise.
As a Munich resident, why are you allowed to lounge around naked on the Isar but not show your toes at work or in a restaurant? Perhaps this is where the crux of the debate lies. Some people in this country wear sandals – but still cover their toes. It is a combination of a sock and a sandal. So it becomes a shoe.
Just this much: In Syria you would have to search for a very, very, very long time to find this combination. It makes relatively little sense from all scientific knowledge on my part – but the central difficulty is different: Socks and sandals are simply a serious stylistic crime – like nitro and glycerine, it can only end badly.
Despite equality, men have to admit that 99 percent of crimes involving kick kicks are committed by male representatives. Some take it to the extreme and combine Adilettes with striped socks. As if they wanted to deliberately provoke you. Why not wear traditional stockings with strappy sandals? You have to give the inhabitants of this country one thing. They’re not particularly fashion conscious, let alone stylish. But that’s exactly why they are so brave. One can certainly trust the Munich native to cross leather trousers with a Hawaiian shirt without batting an eyelid. Since the Munich knows neither mercy nor shame.
When I look at all the courageous residents of Bavaria, I can now understand the strict staff in the restaurant quite well.
Typical German
Their escape led three journalists to Munich. In a weekly column, they write about the peculiarities of their new homeland that they have adopted. All texts in this series can be found at sz.de/typical