Khrushchev's words and his shoe banging

[Yelena]

I believe that this is an accidental similarity in another culture. Russians
have plenty of supersitions, customs and believes connected with shoes but
not so obvious as you have mentioned. And of couse it is extremely rude to
bang the table with a shoe, because the table is associated with the altar -
stol-prestol. Thank you, yours Yelena Minyonok


----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul B. Gallagher" <paulbg at PBG-TRANSLATIONS.COM>
To: <SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
Sent: Friday, May 02, 2003 9:13 PM
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Khrushchev's words and his shoe banging


> Ruth Kreuzer wrote:
>
> > Side light on the "shoe-banging incident"...Many years ago my
> > dissertation advisor (Dr. Nicholas Pervushin, now deceased) was
> > working as interpretor at the UN that day. He told me the "shoe" was
> > really a sandal.  (I've always wanted to share that bit of
information!).
>
> I'd be interested to know whether there's any relationship between the
> shoe/sandal-banging and what we saw in Iraq after the American troops
> came through: local citizens banging shoes on statues of Saddam Hussein
> to demean him. Or was that just an accidental similarity in another
> culture?
>
> The NY Times had a sidebar explaining that the bottom of the shoe is
> considered dirty in Arab culture, so it is rude to show someone the
> bottom of your shoes, to wear your outdoor shoes inside a house or
> mosque, or to touch or strike someone with the bottom of your shoe...
>
> --
> War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
> --
> Paul B. Gallagher
> pbg translations, inc.
> "Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
> http://pbg-translations.com
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
>   options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
>                   http://home.attbi.com/~lists/seelangs/
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                  http://home.attbi.com/~lists/seelangs/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------