Dear John

John, loo, WC, powder room…no matter how you say it, it’s still the bathroom. We all use it. It’s a fact of life. Some of us use it more than others. Some of us spend extraordinary amounts of time in there which result in shouting through the closed door, are you alright in there?

Let’s talk about the T word. Here in the USA most are the same. With a little flusher handle on the side. There are designer toilets, toilets in vivid hues, raised toilets. But in the end….they all do the same thing. In Italy, things are a bit different. The flusher isn’t a handle at all. It’s more like a button. In fact, there are usually two. One for a long flush and one for a shorter flush. Nice way to save on water bills. And then there’s the bidet. I SO want one of these in my home. I’m not going to explain how to use this porcelain delight because it is rather intimate. I can tell you that if you ever have the opportunity…try one.

The toilets in Japan are a multi sensory experience. Toilet and bidet in one unit along with music settings. I thought I would need a PhD to figure out how to use it. Fortunately there were instructions above the toilet paper roller in Japanese AND English. Obviously others have been stymied as well by this high tech device. Needless to say, I was fascinated by the music choices in the public restrooms. Imagine listening to pop, rock, classical or jazz while you do your thing.

Speaking of public restrooms…

I have been in some real doozies as I imagine most of you have as well. At the airport where I work, the ladies room is maintained really well. I also love the fact that you don’t need to flush. It’s automatic. Nice.

In the USA, public toilets are pretty consistent. In Italy, there’s a 50/50 chance that public toilet is in the floor. Yes, really. It’s built into the floor. I was so horrified the first time I saw one of those. For a guy…easy. Facile. For a woman…not so easy. It’s basically a porcelain hole in the floor that you straddle. The end result for women is wet pants or shoes. When I need to go to a restroom in say, a restaurant or pub I will always ask someone if it’s a real toilet. If not, I usually pass on that after meal coffee. The moral of that story is to make sure you go before you leave the house.

Yes, the bathroom is a fact of life. And happiness is having a fully stocked cabinet of toilet paper. 

Happy flushing!