Warning – This Article Is Graphic and Contains Language Unsuitable For Most Americans.
I am not an expert on toilet architecture, although I have some understanding, and I get that the US is supposed to be the land of freedom but I really think such large gaps in toilet stalls are a bit much. In Europe, and the Rest of The developed World toilet stalls go down to the floor and there aren’t letter box sized holes in the door so the UPS person can deliver my packages or that Pizza Hut can shove a slice through.
In a survey by the World Toilet Organization in 2007, it was concluded that 100% of people would prefer complete privacy and isolation when dropping their kids off at the pool.
Instead of a large gap how difficult would it be to put a sign on the door maybe that shows whether it’s occupied or not. Of the few of these I have seen Stateside they don’t seem to prevent those desperate myopic folks that still rattle the door to see if it is really locked.
The 10 inch gap
Why is there a 10 inch gap between the bottom of the door and the floor? It’s big enough for Tillerson and Kim Jong to negotiate a peace deal through. So why is the gap there? Well firstly so you can escape if the massively complicated door lock fails, secondly, it prevents certain nefarious goings on in said stall and finally there is plenty of room for a gigantic American sized mop. NO, all these reasons are unacceptable, I much prefer to be in complete isolation and willingly take the risk of being trapped. I also like the sound deadening characteristics of a perfectly sealed stall so I don’t have the hear the noises of “I just sunk your battleship” echoing around the room.
The German Toilet
Having visited Germany on a number of occasions I have to say I am always surprised by German toilets. They are quite simply the most ludicrous piece of design imaginable. Other European toilets work much like their North American counterparts, obviously without the aforementioned stall gaps. The the basic principle of the toilet is the same: the deposit either lands directly in the water or it slides down a steep slippery slope into the water, before being flushed away. Why is there water in a toilet? Well it is excellent at covering up odors. Simple.
The German toilet, however, was designed by a person with Anosmia. Your deposit lands on a dry horizontal shelf, a few inches from you. This is not hygienic – the smell is terrible, hellish….. and it stares up at up at you like an alien being. Many flushings are required to slide the offensive turd off the shelf into a small water-filled hole at the front!
It’s hard to understand the purpose of this toilet design as it requires repeated flushes. One possible reason is that, like the Victorians, the Germans love to inspect their stools, so the feature of the stool shelf is very important. The user can then report back to their parents the consistency and color, which one would hope is brown and turd like. Green and shaped like a donut would be cause for concern.
I’m sure this worked very well in the 1900s but it’s really not necessary in this day and age and no one wants to visit a German toilet with low water pressure and have to push their log off the shelf with toilet paper……