It was with great interest I read the Yahoo! story Another Olympic problem — squat toilets, and I have some opinions on the matter. To quickly sum the piece up; foreign athletes who will be using the aquatic center (known as the Water Cube) have asked Olympic officials to remove the currently employed squat toilets, changing them to sit-down Western-style toilets.
Most toilets in China are still of the squat rather than sit-down variety, as spectators and competitors at recent test events in otherwise state of the art venues like the “Water Cube” aquatics centre discovered.
It’s interesting that a sit down toilet is labelled state of the art, and that the squat toilets aren’t up to the “world standard.” I’m not playing naive here, I know this is the common belief.
Anyone out there ever use a squat toilet? You can still find plenty of them in Korea. I’ll admit I avoided them for the first three years I lived here, that is, until a friend recommended trying one. Guess what? They’re better than the toilet you’re using.
There are a few reasons they’re better. For one, you don’t have to sit your bare ass on a plastic seat used by hundreds of people a day. That is, if you’re lucky enough to be using a toilet that’s cleaned every day.
In western countries most public toilets have paper you can put over the seat. But not all. Sure, you can always put strips of toilet paper over the seat, but if you’re a germaphobe, and I’m guessing most people are when it comes to public toilets, you’re likely to over-cover the seat with toilet paper. Possibly with several strips of paper. Does this not become wasteful at some point? I bet you don’t even use the same paper to wipe, do you? No, you knock it in the bowl and start taking copious handfuls from the free roll.
Squat toilets are no muss no fuss. You squat down (like the animal you were) and your spine is kept straight. It makes for a very smooth transition into the toilet. You aren’t hunched over grunting and your ass isn’t touching anything. What is unhygienic about this? Nothing. Even if the bathroom is cleaned once a week you’re in fairly good shape.
But don’t take my word for it, take the word of Dr Henry L Bockus, in his book “Gastroenterology”:
“The ideal posture for (elimination) is the squatting position, with the thighs flexed upon the abdomen. In this way the capacity of the abdominal cavity is greatly diminished and intra-abdominal pressure is increased, thus encouraging expulsion.”
The problem is, someone, somewhere along the line decided it was “uncivilized” to squat. This just smacks of Victorian England, and sure enough, the invention of sitting toilets goes all the way back to the mid 19th century, during that gleeful period of civilized behavior known as the Industrial Revolution. The good ol days when boys scrambled up and down chimneys, doing the job naked lest their clothing get caught on sides and prevent them from working faster.
China is a 5,000 year old country, people. Do we not have anything to learn from them? Or are we just going to go over there and piss and moan about everything not being like it is back home? Get off your lazy ass and take a squat. It’ll be good for your knees, and your Ileocecal valve will thank you later.
12 responses so far ↓
1 Joel // Mar 20, 2008 at 11:15 pm
You make a fine point sir. I’ve used a number of these over the years and I can say with certainty that is one nice ride from your intestines into the pot.
2 Simon Currie // Mar 20, 2008 at 11:45 pm
I’m not fond of the squatters because I take my time with dear old No. 2s. And with Japan’s aging population, more and more household and public toilets are becoming Western sitting toilets, they’re gentler on the elderly and Japan’s got a rapidly aging population.
Squats are way more sanitized though, since you don’t have to touch any part of the toilet with your arse.
I found it interesting that a train station toilet I used in England was sitting stylo, but without the seat! So, this means that many English people squat anyways on sitting style toilets in public
3 Korea Beat // Mar 21, 2008 at 12:14 am
I like to take my time too, and my legs start to get tired when I’m squatting.
4 Gary Garland // Mar 21, 2008 at 3:15 am
I had to use squat toilets on occasion in Japan and Korea and I hate them. They are hard on the hips, back and knees and I think they’re kind of gross anyway.
In addition, the public toilets in China public are notoriously disgusting (the government has even launched a massive cleanup effort) and the foreign tourists they hope to attract to the olympics may associate them with latrines since they aren’t used to squatting to do their business. Not exactly great for the country’s image.
5 Matt // Mar 21, 2008 at 1:05 pm
I loathe these things. They’re always in disgusting shape. I’ve managed to avoid them during my 18 months in Korea and will continue to do so.
If someone would tell me how to use one, maybe I’d try it, but I have no idea which way to sit.
What’s more objectionable is the garbage cans that accompany said toilets. The fact that they can’t handle paper(so I’ve been told) is also a factor in my distaste for squatters.
6 Shinsano // Mar 21, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Wow, 4 nos and a yes. Matt, I recommend you just bowl in there and go for it. Sit with your back to the thing that sticks up (the fold?). Think of it as a catcher and your the pitcher. Pretend your Bobby Jenks, ready to send a heater for a game-winning strike.
Actually the article I linked to above mentions that humans have lost the ability to squat because of this “correction” in our toilet habits. Our knees and hips are weaker as a result. Sad.
7 Simon Currie // Mar 21, 2008 at 3:54 pm
A funny national myth (along with the elongated intestine, et al) is that a Japanese triple jumper won the gold (I think) in an early 20th century Olympics because he was trained on squatters
I thought you were supposed to sit facing the hood thingie (usually this makes you squat with your back to the door). Maybe things are different in Korea?
Japanese squat toilets handle toilet paper too.
Then again, with all the awesome state of the art Toto sitting toilets around, why would you want to squat?
8 Shinsano // Mar 21, 2008 at 5:23 pm
The luxury toilets, which is what I’m assuming you’re referring to when you say Toto, probably take the cake. Nothing like a soft lid, a smooth stream shooting up to clean you, and a little blowdry action. Whenever I use one of those I feel like I’ve just gone through some heavenly Jetsons-like conveyor machine.
I have to admit I’m not sure about whether you have to face the hood or not. I usually avoid it, because I don’t want anything nicking it that thing.
9 jackson // Mar 22, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I vote with a resounding NAY against squat toilets.
10 Brian // Mar 23, 2008 at 11:31 am
I vote nay for a few reasons. One is that I suck at doing the Asian squat, and I’d probably fall against the wall. Another is just that it’s unfamiliar to me, and I’d probably . . . miss or something. Guidebooks for Asian countries often point out that tourist should take off their pants when using squatters to avoid defecating on their pants.
But it also seems like cleanliness would be an issue with them. I don’t want to get into too much detail . . . well, okay, at my schools they have squatters and there’s always a huge pile of dung just sitting in them, not flushing anywhere. Do they have a weaker flushing capacity? Seems like with “our” bowls gravity helps things a bit and doesn’t allow for mounds of dung to just sit there. And another thing is that they’re, um, open air. No lid, so I guess people are kind of grossed out by it, especially if there is refuse in it.
What is kind of gross for me is that in Beijing they have squatters, but there’s no stall, only divider that’s a foot or two high. So you’re squatting there, looking at the next guy squatting there, too. No doors, either, so it’s a tough choice . . . expose the beastly western genitals or expose the ass with poop coming out.
My Taiwanese friends like squatters, though, and consider them far more sanitary than sitdown ones.
11 visitor // Mar 23, 2008 at 4:24 pm
actually, i lived the first five years of my life in Korea, and i’m living in Korea again. i find that it’s near impossible to miss, though i can see why some people who have only used western style toilets would be afraid of squat toilets.
and,,,as far as i know you’re supposed to face the hood thing, but i’m not sure because i was ‘trained’ on a western toilet. Most houses have those western toilets now, it’s just that in public places it’s more than unsanitary to sit. actually, i look for squat toilets on purpose, even though they hurt alot, because at least it’s sanitary.
12 argyle // Aug 8, 2008 at 2:20 am
Without a doubt squatting is easier on the system provided you’ve got good flow-through. Anyone who has done back woods camping can tell you that squatting in the woods is the easiest thing in the world. But you still gotta eat your fiber.
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