Those of you who flush your toilet paper might want to check out this recent thread from the legal matters form http://oriented.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic&f=29&t=000455
Seems like a good reason to err on the side of caution where the pipes are concerned.
Re: squatting, I also heard that old folks in China are much less likely to bust a hip because squatting frequently helps build up the bones and keep them strong.
Really, I think the problem, Jack, is with your mom, not the custom of toilet paper here. If she is so hypersensitive, perhaps it is best not to leave the plantation and the servants back home.
quote:
Originally posted by Grizzly: While your right that squating on your toes is more precarious than a flat footed squat, the fact that your can't manage the flat footed squat doesn't mean that it's racial. It's just cultural practice...
I’m not sure how you would determine if this was a cultural difference or due to differences in body shape, or in fact whether that would matter much.
I would say squatting is much easier if you have an endomorpic body type, which is more common in E. Asia, especially the young. Flat foot squatting is certainly not easy if you are overweight (which has cultural and behavioural associations). Like most physical skills, it does of course improve with practice!
This is not the only example, if you move house you will notice most workers in Taiwan will lift boxes on their back, whereas in the west it is normal to lift in front of the body. Again, it is an observation and hard to be specific if it is due to mechanical differences (it is more comfortable) or cultural differences (one person does it, so everyone else does too).
Stan, do you really think there is a difference between US and Taiwan paper? All paper is biodegradable since it is made from wood and rags. The materials are not altered significantly in the manufacturing process, so retain their biodegradablilty.
There is one important difference however. Western tissues have what is called “high wet strength”, meaning they don’t fall apart quickly when wet. Since they are usually disposed of in the trash it does not matter. Western bathroom paper is “low wet strength”, meaning it dissolves quickly in water. In Taiwan all tissue and bathroom paper is the “low wet strength” type (cultural reasons perhaps ). This explains why the tissues disintegrate when you blow your nose and white bits remain behind if you are not quick in wiping up other things.
I can’t speak for everybody, but I’m 6’1 and a bit over 200 and I squat flat footed just. So while a massive gut may make squating (along with a lot of other motions) a problem, one needn’t be “ectomorphic.”
quote:
Originally posted by Malkie: This explains why the tissues disintegrate when you blow your nose and white bits remain behind if you are not quick in wiping up other things.
…and why white bits remain on people’s faces after a honk! Very interesting TP analysis Malkie. I didn’t know that about the low-wet/high-wet!
But I disagree about the squat thing since I know several people who’re slender and can’t flat foot it to save their ‘soles’. Maybe it’s the DNA flexibility of the Asians, you know, like those contortionist kids in China who can fold themselves up inside a suitcase…
After I installed a butt squirter hose my butt has already won the
Provincial Governor’s cleanest butt award two years in a row. Look
mom, no toilet paper!
Jeez, you people sure are dumb! This whole thing has absolutely nothing to do with the plumbing – its all about frugality and environmental awareness. The paper is placed in a bin for later re-use of course.
If you leave it for a day or two, it dries out a little bit and can easily be used two or even three times, as long as you’re careful to avoid the crunchy bits (especially important if you’re in a public toilet and don’t know who used the paper before you).
Really, I’m surprised no-one else knew that.
JackB
Buy rolls of toilet paper,( much thinner then the bag variety) and throw it in the toilet. Problem dissolved.
Malkie,
While your right that squating on your toes is more precarious than a flat footed squat, the fact that your can’t manage the flat footed squat doesn’t mean that it’s racial. It’s just cultural practice. People in the States who squat a lot (I’m thinking here of concrete workers, my former summer job) also use a flat-footed posture and stay that way on and off for hours. I’m white myself and when I was in China I had no trouble with the squatters and would eat my chao-mian squatted on the side of the road like everybody else. It’s like any physical skill.
Does nayone know why most people squat on their toes in the West? It really seems much less practical; requires more effort, more balance.
I guess squatting or not is a cultural thing, i.e. how you have been brought up. Supposingly squautting is better for “doing your business” from a biological point of view.
As well I noticed most Asians squat when e.g. waiting for the bus where as Westerners would sit on the curb or pavement (if there are no seats available).
Anyhow, I will continue to flush my paper. So far so good.
JackB - Don’t let her drop one in your buxiban’s toilet either, I’m sure when she hears the first knock on the door she’ll be thinking “what the farks going on here, couldn’t be the Avon lady could it!!”
Well, at least you guys are better off than Mr. http://www.icepick.com/
Last 5 events at the house (More)
21:41:34 Toiletflush
21:37:59 Toiletflush
21:12:54 Toiletflush
21:11:59 Toiletflush
20:36:58 Fridge opened
I swear…I learned more from this thread than I did from four years at UCLA. The practical nature of this information is astounding! A must read for all two-legged, upright primates!
Just dump in the wastepaper basket as well then, thus bypassing the sewage system altogether.
Isn’t that just SOOOOOOOOO annoying? Sorry, but once it leaves my body, I’m not leaving it to show to anyone. Luckily, my building is modern and handles the stuff well, but I’ve heard other places don’t…
In the squatters it’s such a pain, 'cuz all of that stinky paper and those smelly other things are right under your nose… eeeeewwwww…
The way I deal with it is as follows: if the suppliers of the toilet have the courtesy to provide toilet paper, it’s essentially theirs and I’ll do as THEY please and put it in the stinky bucket. If they don’t supply it, it’s mine and so I flush it, thank you very much!!!
Could somebody help me to explain this to my bf? He’s been tossing toilet paper into the toilet all the time. So now, whenever I flush the toilet, the whole house shakes. It has absolutely everything to do with him flushing those papers down the toilet. I told him a million times not to do it, but he woudn’t listen. The toilet paper here is different from what you guys had in your home. Am I being superstitious here?
Your bf is absolutely correct in his disposal of toilet paper. There is no better, cleaner, more hygenic way to dispose of feces-smeared paper than by flushing it. I’m assuming that your bf has the sense not to use great clumps of wadded-up paper, but is prudent in the amount he flushes. It is possible that your pipes have developed a separate problem. I’d encourage you to call a plumber and have him take a look at the pipes. Maybe this problem can be nipped in the bud without having to revert to some primitive, filthy, toilet customs.
BTW, you might consider a change to a western brand/style of toilet paper. The large sheets used by many Taiwanese families are too big even for generous western butts, never mind the less ample Taiwanese ones. Just a thought.
Maoman- are you serious? I thought the Taiwanese sewage system wasn’t designed to handle toilet paper, which causes clogging problems. Hence, the reason people throw it away separately.
Not saying I think it’s a good sewage system, just commenting on its capabilities and limits
Yeah, lots of people believe that, but it’s a myth. I’ve never had a shit-paper basket in my entire time in Taiwan (since the 80s), and have also never had a clogged toilet or pipes. I’ve lived in a wide variety of buildings too, old and new, so I believe that it works ok. Anyway, the prospect of smelling shit (one’s own or even worse that of others) every time one enters the bathroom is an appalling prospect. Over my dead body! This is pretty much the only non-negotiable thing thing my gf (now my wife) and I ever argued about when we first started living together. I told her that we could not live together if she insisted on placing one of those horrendous items in my bathroom. She thought I was joking! Well, it worked out fine - no clogged pipes. And our relationship is intact, so maybe “Sheknows” can defer to her bf’s preferences on this one…
Nonsense on stilts.