I'd add Germany to the anglophone world but yeah, definitely more uptight than France, Italy or anywhere I've been in Africa. Max Weber would probably say it's somewhat linked to the protestant ethic.
This shoe sole thing by the way I've heard a lot of times but I've never experienced back home or anywhere else in that part of the world. To be fair it sounds a little difficult to me to get into a position where I'm talking to you and you're facing my shoes instead of my face π