The first experience of the public bathroom in the USA can be quite a surprise. Generally speaking, they score on cleanliness, but totally lose on intimacy... As shown in this photo taken at work: one foot of clearance between the ground and the bottom of the partition on every side. For people often so individualists and puritans, it can be disconcerting.
And there is that thing that I had never seen in Europe: the toilet seat with a whole in the front... Why isn't the toilet seat a full round?!
The answer to this existential question: Of course, the hole is here for sanitary purposes. In sitting position, the full oval lid sometimes has spatters underneath and forms a nest of germs much more concentrated than with the slit version.
I'll let you look into that situation next time you cross the Atlantic...
To wrap up on the fascinating differences we find in public bathrooms:
- The disposable oval paper lid sheets, with a hole in the middle, to cover the toilet seat and sit ones butt on a clean surface.
- The automatic soap dispensers where you don't push on anything for the soap to get out.
- In the same category, the automatic tap so you don't have to touch the tap after you washed your hands.
- And the automatic flush that is supposed to sense when you are done doing your business so you don't have to flush manually... This one has left me perplex more than one time. At first because of wondering where the hell they hid the flush handle or button, or for not getting up quickly enough... Even passed this stage, i found myself several times looking down and waiting for the flush to do its job and trying to find a way to wake up the sensor that hadn't sensed anything in the first place!! Sometimes technology just doesn't measure up...
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