Toilet habits are difficult to break. And it does not just refer to the time a person empties his colon’s contents in the toilet bowl.
It also refers to a person’s position when answering the call of nature of the posterior kind. The rule is most Asians and Middle Easterners prefer to squat when defecating, while many non-Asians sit.
The difference in how one relieves becomes a problem when westerners visit China and see for the first time squat toilet bowls. But it is more than just the position that is the issue, according to foreigners. Some cite the lack of privacy since many toilets in old cities do not have doors or dividers. Others complain of the stench, reported Global Times.
Western men solve the problem by just holding their bowels and just using the urinals to release the liquid in their kidneys. The contents of their colons they just empty on their hotel rooms where sit toilets are available.
On the other hand, Chinese tourists who visit western countries cite hygiene issues as their reason why they prefer squat toilets. They point to the seat having been used by others before them and may contain germs as it gets in touch with their naked behinds. Others cite the seat having urine droplets or foot markings of previous user who squatted on it.
Those issues would not surface in a squat toilet setting as the butt touches the legs and the derriere is inches away from the bowl, no body part touches the bowl.
However, a growing number of Chinese are also beginning to appreciate sit toilets, especially those who had traveled to Japan and saw Tokyo’s hi-tech commodes that in 2015, the Japanese toilet seat was the top souvenir item they brought back home.
As for the foreigners who suffer from culture shock upon seeing squat toilets and the lack of alternative options, the China National Tourism Administration launched a three-year toilet reform campaign that builds 47,000 western toilets in tourist destinations.
The culture shock is being repeated in Europe as Muslim refugees, like Chinese, are used to squat toilets, while Europeans use sit toilets, reported Deutsche Welle. It has also caused some sanitation problems because some refugees defecate in shower stalls and leave behind their mess.