I apologize if I haven't written in a while. You see, I've been trying to crack a case. A case where there is ample evidence, yet no viable explanation. Wandering around Morocco, and I mean anywhere in Morocco, the market, fields covered in grazing sheep, an international airport, or just in the middle of the road, there seems to be an abnormal amount of single shoes. Yes, one shoe with no pair in sight. And I'm not talking just every now and then do I come across these pairless peddlers. They are everywhere. Once I counted 36 pairs of solo soles within a 50 meter radius. Can anyone explain this phenomenon? Well, these are the theories me and my crew of outstanding detectives have come up with (and by "crew", I mean anyone willing to give me their two cents on the issue).
Theory 1
In Moroccan culture, it is impolite to eat with your left hand. And, upon entering a Sufi center of prayer, you need to step over the thresh hold with your right foot first. Well, maybe all this discrimination towards lefties, has carried over into "it is looked down upon to do anything with your left anything". So, no kicking a soccer ball with your left (or it is preferred with your right), no kicking your sheep with your left foot, no kicking wild dogs with your left foot. I apologize for all this violent talk, but those are the main things I see my left foot being used for here in Morocco. Anyway, what this translates to is that your right shoe is bound to get more worn down than your left, so there comes a time when you just have to give it up and find a new one to match your left shoe still in fairly good condition. Now, upon closer examination of this theory, and by viewing the evidence above, you'll notice that not all abandoned shoes are right footed. So, back to the drawing board.
Theory 2
Upon entering any mosque and most Moroccan households, it is custom to remove your shoes. I mean they decorate these places with the most beautiful hand-woven rugs, so any right minded person wouldn't want your sheep dung covered soles stepping foot on these colorful carpets. So, when everyone leaves their shoes at the door, and is distracted by prayer or tasty tagine, the shoe "shfar" (thief in Arabic) comes and takes one of each pair. Not to use for himself of course because what would he do with mismatching shoes of different styles and sizes, but just to make a statement. It reminds me of my time in Costa Rica where they was a man in my town by the name of Juan Tanga ("tanga" being the Spanish word for "thong"). Juan Tanga was notorious for stealing women's underwear off the line at night. He even got a hold of mine a few times. Who knows what he did with it once he got a hold of it. Who wants to know. But he made a name for himself in that small town and will be remembered for many years to come. So, maybe this was "shoe shfars" MO. But, one major detail stifles this theory. It is clearly forbidden in the Koran to steal and would be highly looked down upon in this culture, even if it was just to be infamous. So, that one goes out the window as well. Onto our last hypothesis, and the strongest yet.
Theory 3
There is a secret society composed of one-legged men and women living in the caves under Ifrane (Ifrane is "cave" in Berber). This society contains people of international importance, as well as humble locals. They leave their shoes all around the country, in city alleys, beside rural rivers, outside foreign embassies, as their form of communicating with other members of the one-legged society residing in other regions in Morocco.
Now, because this theory is so air tight, it has yet to be broken down. And that being the case, we have an even bigger puzzle to solve. What is this secret society's code of communication? Is it the direction the shoes are facing? The size of the shoe? How far apart they are? How expensive the shoe was when it was newly bought? How potent the odor is? Any ideas? My crew and I just can't seem to put our foot on it.
