Q: Dear Auntie Wang: I am a foreigner dating a Chinese woman from Beijing. Our relationship is proceeding along swimmingly and we have few major disagreements. The one thing we butt heads on, however, is regarding clean feet.
My girlfriend insists I rinse my feet with hot water every night. She thinks it's gross that I do not, as she and all her friends all have this tradition. I consider myself pretty clean, so I find this practice unnecessary. I keep my feet covered throughout winter and shower every morning.
Why should I bother sanitizing my feet before I go to sleep? Is this my girlfriend's own personal obsessive compulsive disorder, or can I just attribute this to one of those weird cultural differences?
A: I'm glad that your girlfriend insists on being clean. It may just be her personal habit to clean her feet before going to sleep, with some cultural differences thrown in.
You're right in that your feet are covered during winter and may not be visibly dirty in the way that wearing flip flops in Beijing during the summer manifests grimy, dirt-ridden trotters. But feet do tend to sweat throughout the day especially under thick socks, so your feet aren't as untainted as you may think. Beijing is also, for the most part, a dirty, dusty city, so your girlfriend's seemingly compulsive habit may just be one that manifested from living in a metropolitan area.
Practical reasoning aside, there could be something else involved here. I smell, foot odor aside, something relating to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
In TCM, the foot has long been thought of as one of the most important body parts, and your girlfriend's habit of rinsing with hot water may be derived from the belief that soaking the feet with hot water increases blood circulation.
If you've ever gone to get a foot massage at a specialized parlor, a well-practiced masseuse will be able to give you a complete physical. They can tell you everything from what state your kidneys are in to how much you've had to drink over the weekend - and how your liver is consequently suffering.
Some TCM enthusiasts believe that soaking the feet is a way to prevent sickness, particularly during the cold winter months, as one of the other benefits of soaking feet in hot water is increased immunity.
The Western version of this concept is taking a hot bath at night to relax or unwind after a weary day. In the modern age, easy access to various bathing choices minimizes our inclination to have a complete feet soak.
But in TCM, soaking the feet or subjecting them to a quick, hot rinse is an easier fix to achieve the desired effects.
Whether it's a personal case of neuroticism or cultural difference, you needn't be too worried about foot washing. Next time your girlfriend rags on you, just stand on your own two unwashed feet.