VERY disgusting and appalled about what I saw...

[luvmy3]

What if this situation were reversed?

What if I was in a foreign country and either didn't know how their restrooms worked or didn't want to do it so I relieved myself in something that their culture washes themselves in?

I can't even imagine what would those people would be saying and thinking about me! I could see myself getting stoned for peeing in their wash pot!

And more importantly - Would you be as forgiving to me? Or would you just chalk it up to me being one of those "self-riteous, stupid Americans"

Just curious if those would be as quick to defend me as they are this woman....

Personally for me its about not having such a narrow minded view of the world, and I'm pretty sure I'd feel the same way about the situation whether I was an American or not.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Give me a break with all this culture nonsense. Does anyone really think that this woman didn't know how to use the toilet? Seriously? Did she wear a blindfold in every bathroom? Did she have an outhouse at her hotel? Really? Sorry but I think she was just another obnoxious guest who was being gross. I don't care where she is from, going to the bathroom is not rocket science. I have managed to go in other countries and even figured it out when I didn't speak the language. What she did was disgusting. The same goes for the animal parents that let their kids just pee in the bushes while waiting on line. We hear about that all the time. Why not just say they have a cultural difference? I am sorry for ranting but I am so tired of every poor behavior being explained away as a cultural difference.

Peeing in the sink....gross.

 

[JUJU814]

Just wanted to say that in China when we went there was squat toilets too and people do think toilet seats are disgusting there.

In my dad's office building, there are several young asian ladies who are office temps and they are appalled at the idea of a toilet seat. They stand on the seat to go, and use their foot to flush the toilet. Broken many handles!

Before you ask me how my dad knows, LOL, he doesn't. His secretary told me.

 

[ZeroToHero]

Some cultures do stone people as a punishment (not for going to the bathroom wrong but for other things) they also cane people, put women to death for adultry and for being raped. So she isn't that far off.

I know they do. But really, "those people?" we're all the same species, even if we do have different norms and values.

By the way, your 2 year old has a nice name.

-Danica

Nice way to not answer my questions....

I didn't think I would need to, considering I would forgive you, just as I had this woman.

But it seems like, according to your logic earlier, you wouldn't forgive an American who did that, since they should have read up on it, right?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Laudable sentiment.. but how many of you would use a hole in the ground to pee or poop in if you were in Qatar.. or Tokyo..or wherever? Goes Both ways. I have lived Abroad..and we Americans are the WORST egocentric bloody minded self delusioned and sooo sure that our way is the only way. No wonder we are universally loathed....

Just because it's the American way does not mean it s the best way or that allowances shouldn't be made for other cultures..

what if this was this persons first trip to America? what if they were completely shell shocked by the vast differences in cultures between theirs and ours?

took me six months of living in Japan before I even TRIED to use their public restrooms.. and they don't come with TP.. you have to bring your own into the stall with you.

Your sentiment is rather harsh. You should always follow the custom of the country in which you visit and if it is too difficult for you, then you avoid the scenario.

It is rather simple actually.

This has nothing to do with selfish egocentric unworldy Americans, but everything to do with what is considered an extremely unhygenic and immodest manner of relieving one self when one has to urinate in the United States of America.

I'm sure in Japan, you didn't insult the Japanese by peeing in a manner that would have been inappropriate over there.

 

[kevschickee]

I love that name lol

 

[Mrsjvb]

I can see people getting very angry at you for saying that you're going to get stoned, thus connotating a less advanced culture.

Also, I thought you said you would read up on the culture before you went, so it shouldn't be a problem for you, right?

I would hardly consider Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE a less advanced culture. in fact they were around long before 'Western Civilization" managed to claw themselves out of the Middle Ages.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

I agree. Different isn't always bad. They did freak me out when I first encountered one. It improves one's balance!

In public restrooms, squat toilets can be much more sanitary - I wish they had them on the Jersey Turnpike! But a squat toilet has a place for your feet (there are two types - one is a regular toilet with "wings' to put your feet and the other is basically a hole in the ground) even someone who had never seen a regular toilet before (hard to believe) would know how to use it. They also would recognize a sink, as those look the same everywhere. There is no reason for ANYONE to think it is ok to pee in the sink. I lived in India and Sri Lanka and I can assure you that people with enough money to travel to Disney World (it's a heck of a lot more expensive from people traveling internationally!) would know better.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Makes one wonder what they do in the hotel rooms! Wonder what the germ count in on a hotel bathroom counter!

 

[AntePrincess]

That has to be one of the best and most entertaining threads I've read through in a long time!

I guess running into that scenario would give me pause and I'd offer a pretty dirty look if they seemed American, but I'm sure I'd shrug it off when I worked out they were foreign, and ultimately it doesn't bother me nearly as much as hoverers who really do know better, people who go out in public when sick, and people that don't wash their hands when they go to a buffet. It's a sink, the pipe goes to the same place, and it's designed to be readily cleaned.

I would definitely crack a joke or two about it, just as I would about an American doing something silly by local standards in another place, especially if I were the American in question. Now, if the mother in the story were being snobby or snarking about the low level of hygiene of the locals, I'd label her an obnoxious, self-righteous foreigner, just as surely as we tourists get labeled so in other places. I still wouldn't say anything, but I might inadvertently bump her into the faucet's automatic on...

 

[kevschickee]

That has to be one of the best and most entertaining threads I've read through in a long time!

I guess running into that scenario would give me pause and I'd offer a pretty dirty look if they seemed American, but I'm sure I'd shrug it off when I worked out they were foreign, and ultimately it doesn't bother me nearly as much as hoverers who really do know better, people who go out in public when sick, and people that don't wash their hands when they go to a buffet. It's a sink, the pipe goes to the same place, and it's designed to be readily cleaned.

I would definitely crack a joke or two about it, just as I would about an American doing something silly by local standards in another place, especially if I were the American in question. Now, if the mother in the story were being snobby or snarking about the low level of hygiene of the locals, I'd label her an obnoxious, self-righteous foreigner, just as surely as we tourists get labeled so in other places. I still wouldn't say anything, but I might inadvertently bump her into the faucet's automatic on...

 

[chonga]

whose side you choose to defend, I'm stocking up on anti-bacterial wipes and hand sanitizer for the trip. My kids won't be washing their hands in any WDW public sink. I will hand them a wipe upon exiting the bathroom, followed by a dollop of hand sanitizer.

 

[maxiesmom]

whose side you choose to defend, I'm stocking up on anti-bacterial wipes and hand sanitizer for the trip. My kids won't be washing their hands in any WDW public sink. I will hand them a wipe upon exiting the bathroom, followed by a dollop of hand sanitizer.

Any doctor will tell you that washing your hands with soap and water is the best thing to do. Using hand sanitizer is ok, but not a perfect substitute.


If you think too much about germs and grossness, you won't want to touch or eat anything at Disney World. You don't know if the last person to touch that bar on Big Thunder Mountain just got done picking their nose or not. You don't know if the worker flipping your burger didn't just get done sneezing into their hand our not. Relax people and don't panic. Icky stuff happens all over the place. Just wash your hands, and use sanatizer if there is not soap and water available.

 

[NotUrsula]

I just wanted to add - someone asked if you'd use the hole in the ground, I wouldn't. LOL. Not unless it was an emergency. Not because I think it's gross though - but because I just CAN'T. Using those is like going potty outside while camping or whatever. I have never been able to get my clothes out of the way enough not to pee on them so I have to strip from the waist down!!

The trick with the method is to put all your clothes as close to your knees as possible if you're not wearing a skirt. Undies go right at the knees, and pant legs should be pulled up to your knees while the remainder of the trousers get bunched there, too. Obviously, if you wear undies without much stretch you can have some difficulty.

If you've got the privacy of a stall you can use one of those girl funnels at least part of the time. (Technically you could use one without the privacy, but I'm just imagining the tittering that you would hear all around you.) I've known a few older ladies who made funnels themselves out of butcher paper, because the commercially-available ones are expensive.

As for reversing the situation and asking how people in other countries would react, I think that for the most part they would just be pointing and snickering at you and making it a point to use a different sink. As long as they are strangers that's not so much of a problem, though of course one would try to only make a mistake like that once.

Another thing I think would make a difference is whether the person "mis-using" the facilties was an adult or a young child. A lot may be forgiven when it is a child; they sometimes catch you unprepared and you have to improvise, and most Moms know that this happens sometimes in a new environment.

To address the culture issue -- I think that any time you see someone make this kind of faux-pas, the first thing that you do is listen for a foreign language. Most of us try to be kind and give foreign visitors the benefit of the doubt in situations like these, something that we normally would not do if the person spoke unaccented English.

Plumbing quirks exist in every country, and the facilities in private homes often work differently than those in hotels and public buildings. Here's an example: One of the things that I always make a point to warn first-time US travelers to Ireland about are the toilets in private homes and small B&B's. They look very like US toilets, but the way that they are plumbed is sometimes very different. With older models, if you try to flush them more than once in quick succession you will stop them up VERY easily. Most of the time they need about 30 minutes between flushes to completely re-fill the water tank to full flushing strength. Many is the time I've seen a newly arrived guest couple apologetically approach the hostess and tell her that the toilet seems to be backed up. What happened is obvious if you know Irish plumbing; having just driven some distance they both urgently needed to use the toilet, but the toilet couldn't handle two uses in under 10 minutes's time, so it apparently got stopped up after the second use. The answer is not to rush to try to open it up, but to leave it alone for an hour or so, when it will probably flush just fine. (And the corollary tip to avoid the problem entirely, for multiple travellers, is if there is someone else with you who needs to use the facilities right after you do, try not to flush after the first use.)

 

[waltskids]

whose side you choose to defend, I'm stocking up on anti-bacterial wipes and hand sanitizer for the trip. My kids won't be washing their hands in any WDW public sink. I will hand them a wipe upon exiting the bathroom, followed by a dollop of hand sanitizer.

Hand washing is the single most effective method we have to prevent the spread of germs. Hand sanitizers do not work as well as hand washing and our own doctor has said while they are great at killing bacteria (hence the name anti-bacterial), they may not kill all viruses. Disney is full of germs and trust me, if you have children who will touch anything like hand rails, door knobs, ride equipment, etc., the germs from other people will already be with them.

 

[chonga]

Any doctor will tell you that washing your hands with soap and water is the best thing to do. Using hand sanitizer is ok, but not a perfect substitute.

True, and why I'm also packing anti-bacterial wipes in addition to the hand sanitizer, as stated in my previous post.

If you think too much about germs and grossness, you won't want to touch or eat anything at Disney World. You don't know if the last person to touch that bar on Big Thunder Mountain just got done picking their nose or not. You don't know if the worker flipping your burger didn't just get done sneezing into their hand our not.

And I couldn't agree with you more- I know the world is covered in germs, most of which I do not want to know from where they originated. I put myself through college and grad school working at restaurants, and am fully aware of the antics that go on in the kitchen. Which is why I've been carrying anti-bacterial wipes with me ever since my first child was a baby up till now. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[NotUrsula]

Yep, I say wash your hands with soap and water. Sometimes the simplest things are still the most effective.

Besides, how many people touch the porcelain of the sink when washing their hands, anyway? I doubt that anyone who tinkled in the sink would have tinkled on the faucet or handles, and that is the only part of a sink that I normally touch unless I'm in the process of cleaning it. (Not because I'm squeamish, but because I just don't have any reason to. You get soap and put your handles under the water to rinse them -- there isn't any reason to touch the bowl.)

 

[chonga]

Besides, how many people touch the porcelain of the sink when washing their hands, anyway? I doubt that anyone who tinkled in the sink would have tinkled on the faucet or handles, and that is the only part of a sink that I normally touch unless I'm in the process of cleaning it. (Not because I'm squeamish, but because I just don't have any reason to. You get soap and put your handles under the water to rinse them -- there isn't any reason to touch the bowl.)

Kids touch the porcelain, as well as all parts of the sink. Don't know about your kids, but mine (esp. youngest DD) is still short enough that she brushes up against counter/pedestal part of sink. Thanks.

 

[hsmamato2]

this isn't a family living in a hut somewhere in another part of the world who didn;t know that Americans use toilets,these were obviously people who had the MONEY and intelligence to get to DISNEYWORLD! therefore one has to assume that they would know that sinks are for hand washing,not a toilet. It's obvious. You don't need a sign to understand that. It's nasty,what those people did. I've met people from various countries who find our American toilets.....different and somewhat strange,but peeing in a place where you wash your hands? I would also assume since these folks had the money to get to another country for vacation,they own a tv and know at least a little about other cultures. there is no excusing this stuff. yuck. in any country.nas-ty!

 

[hsmamato2]

HAHA...maybe...comparing a squat toilet in another country to a place where people run water over their hands to clean with soap....that's quite a stretch...in one instance,say Tokyo(yup know what they use) it's obviuosly a private place to 'go' not a place where foreigner like myself would stand wondering"hmmm,I wonder if these little stalls with a place to pee behind a door are for washing my hands in...."duh.......
Our Japanese exchange students are horrified by our bathrooms in American homes,much less in public. But they do know what to use and where. So does anyone from anywhere basically. Unless there's some unknown country of this world where the inhabitants must learn from an early age about the peeing sinks vs. the washing sinks...and those funky contraptions that flush are used for laundry..... it's not culture,it's gross.