Tricky Wondalund…

Of all the random things that one can do in Toronto, none is more random than sitting down at the Letteri cafe, drinking a cappacino vigourously in order to fight the cold winds that beat down round the corner, thumbing through the latest David Sedaris book, and then deciding that what I really needed to visit was the Bata Shoe Museum.

At first glance, i was faintly amused and excited and thought that the entire museum housed Bata shoes throughout the ages. For sure, who would not want to know where Bata really is from? And no, it’s not from Malaysia for those lesser intellectuals out there! Bata is erh hem…a Czech brand, with a full 110 years of history. That’s almost rivalling Lehman Brothers — i wonder if those dudes ever wore Bata.  And yes, ah nostalgia! The Bata 2000 series of white school shoes, I wore to shreds and still, i put them on again, till it stank, chased away the boys and yes…still i wore them. the good years.

But this post is not about Bata (slogan time: One Bata, One World - classik!), but rather…shoes. As a rather well-heeled individual, the shoe museuem had a good collection of footwear from North American indigineous tribes, Chinese/ Manchurian booties, Indian padukas, a collection on ballet pointe shoes, Victorian heels, african beaded boots and any other random queries you may have had about shoes, why shoes, what sort of shoes for types of activities, and clasps and detailings for shoes. all very random. What was even more interesting was the finding of the first Ice Man (Some 5000 years back), frozen and….wearing one shoe. Our friend was indeed well-heeled, with sandals made out of string, a flat panel and grass stuffings to keep the feet warm.

Ice-man shoes, filled with grass

There was a large indication of shoes addressing status, of which, height was the main enforcer of such opinion. The higher your heels, the more elegant and “above others” one was. I guess Buddha must have had 20 inch stilettos then. And that reminds me that i ought to go out and get those 7 inch vivian westwood clogs, cos that would put me right on royalty’s tracklist.

Well-heeled heels…

Such are the joys of adult learning. As one ages, it’s always exciting (if not neurotic) to learn that there is still so much that we don’t know or comprehend and if the Matrix technology of “jacking in” ever took off, I would be the first to sign on to fight the war. In the meantime, i will settle for marvelling at man’s greatness, at least with respect to shoe lace technology and how ballet shoes are straight, without a left or right foot shape.
Dutch roller-clogs…nice