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There's no middle ground, people are either totally
fascinated or totally repulsed by bathrooms.
There's a lot to be said about Squat Toilets, both for and
against. From my vantage point, most of it is against.
You may have noticed that my trips to Taiwan seem almost
obsessed by bathroom stories. I think this is because bathroom visits are a
universally shared experience and yet never more did I experience "culture
shock" that observing the bathroom conditions and how different they were from
the US.
Chu-Wan insists that squat toilets are far superior to
western toilets in public places. She points out that, with a squat toilet, you
never have to worry about some pig that previously crapped on the seat, then
smeared it around for good measure. (I must admit, I've rarely seen outside of
California, but I have seen it.)
My objection stems from the following:
- Squatting is not a common practice. Squatting while
partially disrobed even more awkward. The results are either:
- Altitude too great
- Legs able to be far enough apart
- Pants in the line of "fire"
- Totally unsustainable acrobatic position
- All this could be resolved by simply disrobing that part
of the body, except that the floors are always awash in urine, thus presenting
a new problem
I'm thinking of getting a collapsible camp toilet - the kind
that sits over an open hole you dig in the ground - and carry that with me in
the future.
Actually, my squat toilet experience this time was about as
benign as possible. It was a rainy day and the park was deserted which means,
thankfully, that the bathroom hadn't yet been used that day and wasn't yet
awash. All told, it was a good as it gets.
However, if you think I'm exaggerating, here are some
various Squat Toilet Links:
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