"Gods must be crazy...with their oversized colorful feet"

I had an interesting encounter today. Generally, I blockout surrounding crowd while running by tuning into my iPod. (The plan is to minimize confrontation with other people till I convince myself that I should be running barefoot. This will last till I break any one PR I had set in shoes.) 

But someone stopped me on my track on east river side during the morning run. He was obviously very concerned about puncture risk and potentially doing major damage to my feet. He said that I look funny and asked if I noticed that everybody else wears these things called "sneakers". I clearly thought he was joking till he said that I must be new to this country and I must not "know" about running shoes!!! Now, he being serious WAS really funny since rest of me was full of technical running gadgets (GPS, HRM, ipod, technical running dress). I explained to him that I have run couple of marathons and this is a scientific training for my next one and I also run in shoes. I dont think I convinced him but he seem pleased somehow and wished me luck.

I thought other people have to be open minded about barefoot running but now I realize that I have to be open minded about me looking like a poor/dumb foreigner or plain crazy. (Did I mention about the time when I ran past the mental institution on Randall's island during morning commute time and pretty much every car would slow down to check out if I am running away from the facility. Makes laugh everytime I think about it.)

BF in NY for 297mi

PS. The title refers to the 1980's movie about African bushman who finds a coke bottle and does not "know" what it is.