Slipper Stories

...there is a gentle nudge on my shoulder and a faint spell of beef tenderloin throughout the cabin.

I had fallen asleep while all the meals had been served. How can this be?

Then I noticed a strange phenomonon. Of course we all had our slippers on, but certain patterns were emerging. Red slippers for beef and noodles, yellow for chicken and rice and green for vegetarian.

Yep--I was wearing the green ones and all my meals had been vegetarian.

Before the next meal, I managed to stuff my green slippers under the seats and wiggle my toes into the Red slippers of the Japanese next to me who was dead asleep and you guessed it, my next meal was Marinated flank steak, sauted mushrooms, baked potato, Ceasar salad while the guy next to me wearing my green slippers, was slurping udon and miso. I had cracked the code of the colored slippers.

The point of this absurdity as described above is to point out and elucidate the fact that in Japan colored slippers are very very important. One color is worn outside and left at the door as you enter. Another color is slipped on after entering and yet another pair is offerred as one enters the bathroom and so forth in reverse order. Sometimes one doesnt know if he/she is coming or going!

Anybody our there with slipper stories?