Posted on 03/19/2008 9:09:14 AM PDT by cowtowney
BEIJING - Among all the protests, pollution concerns and talk of boycotts surrounding the Beijing Olympics, a more basic problem has arisen for organizers: the toilets.
At the more than 30 test events held by organizers, the presence of squat toilets at many of the new and renovated venues has drawn frequent complaints.
"We have asked the venues to improve on this, to increase the number to sit-down toilets," Yao Hui, deputy director of venue management for the Beijing organizers, said Wednesday. "Many people have raised the question of toilets."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Half the time you’re in a place using this type of ‘facility’, you’re not as solidly grounded as you might like.
It can be a colorful experience. You’ll always remember it.
Depends upon how badly ya gotta go.
“that all of the toilets at McDonalds (regular toilets) had footprints all over the seats”
We have that same problem today in the USA where I work.
I wonder what kind of insects inhabit Beijing? Of course, to them a few cockroaches will be an extra protein snack.
Well that never happens in China, as they all know Kung Fu.
Having lived in Japan where there are a lot of these toilets, I can tell you from experience...
The safest route is to close the stall door and strip from the waste down. Otherwise, the slightest loss of balance can lead to a bad situation.
I don’t think China has ADA laws;-)
The bad news is my Japanese father-in-law fell and broke his hip last month (he had surgery and is recovering well). The good news is this finally got him to replace the squat toilet in his house with a western style toilet.
I vacationed in Japan last fall. First thing I figured out was the sign on the stalls for “western” versus pit style toilet. Most of the places I visited has half the stalls one way and half the other. Our hotel room had a real toilet of course.
I did notice how many women wore skirts over there and I bet that helps. Of course Japanese restrooms are insanely clean and well stocked with toilet paper so I didn’t encounter any other horrors that some mention.
This is why I don’t go camping, LOL.
I know a fellow who got an engineering job with Freeport-McMoRan, which included an overseas rotation to one of the company's copper mines in Indonesia. He reported that the locals thought that all Americans must have very good balance in order to squat so far above the ground.
When I was in Vietnam, it was usual to see the locals squat and take a dump along the roadside. They could squat and keep their feet flat on the ground thereby keeping their pants forward of the droppings. Oh, forget toilet paper, you had better make a clean purge. The locals were thin as rails and had no belly to get in their way. They also had spent many years conditioning their ankles to flex comfortably. Most westerners won’t be able to match the locals in a squat contest. Expect some poop in the pants. Better wonder about wiping. Better off just not going the the Olympics.
The dropzone is about 14 " long 10" wide. Get your clothes up and out of the way, especially if you're a man, that takes some finagling. Non-solid thoughts are actually easier unless accompanied by hugh gas. Then it is a helluva thing.
Also FWIW : Supposedly, the most commonly shoplifted item in the USA is Preparation H . No one wants to have the cashier see them purchase *that* item.
Actually it is easier out in the woods sometimes, and cleaner than a few places I have used. Our bath facilities, even the worst, are still much better than a vast majority of the people in the world use.
“How big is the hole? What if you miss? You just kick it in? What if that Peking Duck comes back to haunt you and you are not thinking “solid thoughts”?”
Valid questions all, but oh, so funny!
When our daughter and I were visiting friends in Japan, I just held it, if confronted with a squat toilet. Fortunately, most of the places we went had at least 1 ‘Western’ toilet. The other thing you had to look out for were the toilets for which you had to bring your own T.P. I wondered why, when we were walking around Tokyo, folks would hand out little packets of tissues, as advertising. Then my friend told me about the bring your own toilets, and I made sure to have a couple of packets with me at all times. ;o)
I can only imagine China’s response - You mean you allow your handicapped people to live?
I know a fellow who got an engineering job with Freeport-McMoRan, which included an overseas rotation to one of the company’s copper mines in Indonesia. He reported that the locals thought that all Americans must have very good balance in order to squat so far above the ground.
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