Althouse: "We in Britain are rightly proud of our toilets, and the onus is on people who come to this country to appreciate them for what they are."

July 16, 2010

"We in Britain are rightly proud of our toilets, and the onus is on people who come to this country to appreciate them for what they are."

"It's absolutely ludicrous - Thomas Crapper would be turning in his grave!"

Ha. I love the way The Daily Mail — stirring the shit — illustrates this article with a photograph of a
not-clean toilet.

(Via Memeorandum.)

40 comments:

Original Mike said...: And what are old or the handicapped suppose to do?; 7/16/10, 10:15 AM
Anonymous said...: Used them, or one's like 'em, in Korea.

They say that your innards are lined up better when you squat.

But they won't work unless the stall is a floor to ceiling cabin, as in Europe, and not the American style midriff partition with its public "toe-tap-ability."; 7/16/10, 10:16 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: And what are old or the handicapped suppose to do?

Miss. Slip and fall in the shit and piss.; 7/16/10, 10:21 AM
Amexpat said...: In places where toilets aren't regularly cleaned, squat toilets are the way to go.

Japanese toilets leave the west behind.; 7/16/10, 10:22 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: In places where toilets aren't regularly cleaned, squat toilets are the way to go.

I don't go to places where toilets aren't regularly cleaned.; 7/16/10, 10:25 AM
MadisonMan said...: Why should the government care what kind of toilet a private mall installs? Conservative MP Shipley would fit right in with the nosy-parkerist of any US Representative.

I would hope there's something to hold on to as you squat, and that there are more Western type loos for people who want them. I'd use it if I had to go.; 7/16/10, 10:31 AM
lemondog said...: Oh crap, PC here we go.

With no flush mechanism, what propels the debris and where does it go?

Naturally there is a How To video for everything.

re Last frame, NEVER buy pork products from China.; 7/16/10, 10:34 AM
Amexpat said...: I don't go to places where toilets aren't regularly cleaned.

You must not get around much then.; 7/16/10, 10:34 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: But this basic form of plumbing, also known as a Turkish toilet or Nile pan, could be coming to a shopping centre near you - and all in the name of cultural sensitivity.

When Westerners visit other countries, we're supposed to acquaint ourselves with the customs and culture of the host country and act accordingly. When non-Westerners come to visit us, we're supposed to acquaint ourselves with the customs and culture of the visiting foreigner and adapt ourselves to their lifestyle.

Something doesn't fit and I just can't put my finger on it.; 7/16/10, 10:36 AM
Mary Beth said...: Mike Bone, of the British Toilet Association, warned the washing facilities associated with squat toilets could pose a hygiene hazard.

Do I want to know why?; 7/16/10, 10:46 AM
Amexpat said...: Hoosier: You can find western toilets in any country in the world. You just have to go to a place that caters to westerners.

What's wrong with shopping centers in the UK accommodating some of their "non western" customers. Isn't that how the free market is supposed to work?; 7/16/10, 10:46 AM
chuck b. said...: "a staple of horror stories about old-fashioned French service stations or the exploits of adventurous backpackers in far-flung parts of India."

Lol. Yes, squat toilets do figure commonly in those kinds of horror stories.; 7/16/10, 10:48 AM
Amexpat said...: Hoosier: You can find western toilets in any country in the world. You just have to go to a place that caters to westerners.

What's wrong with shopping centers in the UK accommodating some of their "non western" customers. Isn't that how the free market is suppose to work?; 7/16/10, 10:49 AM
The Drill SGT said...: crapping Sharia :)

seriously, those are the classic crappers of the Muslim world.

Watch out when they stop hanging toilet paper on the wall and put the bucket of water and a sponge there.

PS: That is why Muslims eat with only the right hand. :(

don't ask where the left has been.; 7/16/10, 11:04 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: That is why Muslims eat with only the right hand. :(

don't ask where the left has been.

This is why I use my elbows to open the doors in restrooms, to turn on the faucets or cover my hand with a paper towel.

Welcome to 13th century standards of hygene brought to you by Sharia law and soon to malls and restaurants everywhere!!

And yes. I have traveled and lived in other countries. When traveling, you do need to accept local customs. I don't have to accept or tolerate this crap (literally) in mine.; 7/16/10, 11:17 AM
Wince said...: Is there a rope or other device for you hold yourself up while squatting over that toilet?

Whenever I shit in the woods (not often), I bend a small tree to hang onto so I can lean my ass out further so that I don't shit on my pants between my ankles.

What? Is that "too much information"?; 7/16/10, 11:36 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: What's wrong with shopping centers in the UK accommodating some of their "non western" customers. Isn't that how the free market is suppose to work?

Yep.

The only time I squat to have a bowel movement is when I'm hunting. Otherwise I prefer the civilized method of sitting comfortably with some reading material.; 7/16/10, 11:46 AM
MadisonMan said...: Otherwise I prefer the civilized method of sitting comfortably with some reading material.

So you're the one taking so much time at this Arena. Don't you see the line out here?; 7/16/10, 12:03 PM
JAL said...: when we were planning the toilets this was something that cropped up.

Something is the matter with me. This struck me as funny.

"cropped" up, mmm?

As one Brit was quoted, Thomas Whatzizname is spinning counterclockwise.; 7/16/10, 12:23 PM
JAL said...: @ chuck b the exploits of adventurous backpackers in far-flung parts of India."

Lol. Yes, squat toilets do figure commonly in those kinds of horror stories.
---------------

Err ... in far-flung parts of India it's do as the natives do. Find an alley. (DBQ does not want to visit.); 7/16/10, 12:26 PM
JAL said...: @EDH

Yes.; 7/16/10, 12:28 PM
Jennifer said...: Why are we acting like these things are Muslim? Holes-in-the-ground are all over France and Italy. Hell, half the rest stops in France don't even have holes in the ground. Or stalls. Just piss in the wind.

I'm not a huge fan of the holes in the ground, but they are really a pain in the ass when you're carting a four year old girl around. Squatting and peeing is a learned skill, it would seem.; 7/16/10, 12:29 PM
JAL said...: @lemondog -- I thought they did flush? (at least the western versions).

Could be nasty to clean though.

(The article said they were just adding one or two ...)

But you know .. based on what I have come across in some ladies rooms from time to time, it is clear that some women with large bladders do not want to put their delicate buttoumbs on the seat, and spray all over the seat and the floor -- creating the VERY scenario they are too pristine to think they might be exposing themselves to.

Go at it. ladies. Hopefully the cleaning services can just hose out the cubicles with disinfectant like they do with portable outhouses.; 7/16/10, 12:35 PM
JAL said...: "We in Britain are rightly proud of our toilets, and the onus is on people who come to this country to appreciate them for what they are."

Heh. It's the Queen's TP at the British Museum years ago that made me take a souvenir.; 7/16/10, 12:38 PM
A.W. said...: uh, please tell me that these toilets are not set up so i will ever have to watch a person take dump. that's all i care about.

personally, as a guy, i will pee in anything if i have to, because i don't have to touch it. but i wouldn't be caught dead going #2 in any public toilet outside of my office's toilet (and that is really only semi-public). I say as long as a mall has a reasonable number of normal toilets, what do i care. that is as long as i don't have to see someone pinching a loaf.; 7/16/10, 1:05 PM
A.W. said...: btw, cultural reasons? pardon the pun, but... my ass. there is one reason and only one reason why they put in these things: because its cheaper that creating a seat as well. i cannot believe for one moment that there is anyone who would prefer not to take a load off as they, well, drop a load. yeesh.; 7/16/10, 1:08 PM
KCFleming said...: When are the UK gummint Minarets going up?; 7/16/10, 1:18 PM
TosaGuy said...: When I was deployed to Iraq, I would go on joint patrols with the Iraqi Army and we would all return to my base for a debriefing. Our base didn't have indoor plumbing so we had western-style porta-johns everywhere. When the Iraqi Army soldiers asked where they could do their business we directed them to the porta-johns next to the battalion headquarters where they would hop up and use it in the manner to which they were accustomed...with the predictable results.; 7/16/10, 1:26 PM
lemondog said...: but i wouldn't be caught dead going #2 in any public toilet

What's the prob? With a little mowing and tuck-pointing you're set to gooooo.; 7/16/10, 1:36 PM
Irene said...: @Jennifer, yes, they are all over Italy. A memorable experience for me was using one while riding a jostling train as it lumbered through the Dolomites.; 7/16/10, 1:37 PM
The Drill SGT said...: Jennifer said...
Why are we acting like these things are Muslim?

Because it's the UK the guy teaching cultural values isn't teaching French culture. He's a Pakistani Muslim, Ghulam Rasul Shahzad, and he's teaching Muslim culture.; 7/16/10, 1:43 PM
kimsch said...: The last graf says it all:

'Space for public toilets in places like shopping centres is already at a premium, and if this is meant to cater for Muslims we would point out that the vast majority use normal toilets in their own homes.'

wv: husnami; 7/16/10, 2:12 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: With no flush mechanism, what propels the debris and where does it go?

Friend visited Azerbaijan for about a month. His apartment had this type of toilet. He was to push the debris down the pipe with a stick.

Awesome. If awesome means technologically not as good.; 7/16/10, 2:44 PM
Anonymous said...: half the rest stops in France don't even have holes in the ground. Or stalls. Just piss in the wind.

Or into the bushes. At 5 p.m. On the main street in Aix-en-Provence. Le pipi rustique.

Squatting and peeing is a learned skill, it would seem.

The trick is to get your butt lower than your knees.

I used outhouses and squat toilets when I lived and traveled in South America (Peace Corps volunteer, staying at the Fs and Gs in the South American handbook). Often times, there wasn't water to wash my hands. Gross, but I have to say that since then (1995), I have not gotten sick.; 7/16/10, 2:55 PM
William said...: Any fair minded person would agree that Chinese food is superior to that dismal swill which English people put on their plates. In like way, any reasonable person would agree that the English toilet is an improvement over a hole in the ground. If someone prefers this type of toilet they are culturally bigoted and should be vetted for terrorist ties.; 7/16/10, 3:44 PM
bagoh20 said...: The modern western toilet is nearly perfect. With the addition of an optional bidet stream, it is perfect.

This squat toilet kind of change is the basic problem with progressiveness. Change for it's own sake without regard to whether it is improvement or not.

Progressive default = all change is improvement

Conservative default = if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The toilet is not broke. If it is, all you need is a plumber, not an architect.; 7/16/10, 5:14 PM
John Lawton said...: Hey Beavis! He said "onus!" (huh huh!); 7/16/10, 6:17 PM
Gwen said...: I live in Korea where it is common to see both Western and "squat" toilets in public restrooms.These toilets most certainly do have a flush mechanism, and they can accommodate the use of toilet paper. Not all squatters are holes in the ground. They are connected to the sewage system the same as regular commodes.

I'd say about 99% of all homes have Western toilets, but many people prefer the squat variety in public. They are seen as more hygienic as their is no ass to porcelain contact. I tend to agree and opt for the squatter myself when out and about. The only time they have been difficult is when I was heavily pregnant.

I'm not saying the British need to install squatters for the convenience of immigrants, but I don't think they are as gross as many people think they are.; 7/16/10, 7:08 PM
The Dude said...: Heh heh, he said "onus" heh heh...

WV: popers - make of that what you will.; 7/16/10, 7:48 PM
Jim S. said...: Really, did they have the use the words "toilet" and "onus" in the same sentence?; 7/17/10, 4:43 AM