Its been a while since I posted so I figured I’d get back in the habit with this off-topic rant…
When I first moved to Asia, I was flabbergasted and even disgusted to learn that most people do not use toilet paper!!! Instead, they use a bidet to spray their butt or in most cases, just a bucket of water and a ladle that is almost always found next to the toilet. Furthermore, most bathrooms don’t even have a toilet seat and in some Asian countries, the toilet consist of a porcelain hole in the floor in which to squat over.
The squatting part is tough for a Westerner but as it turns out, its actually a much healthier way to make bowel movements according to many studies conducted worldwide and you don’t have to touch a dirty seat.
That being said, getting past the toilet paper part was not as easy!
One day, I was talking to some locals in the Philippines; I brought up the topic of why there’s no damn toilet paper in this country and voiced my opinion on how nasty I thought that was. Then someone proposed this analogy in opposition, “Imagine if you had to pick up some dog shit with your hands, are you just going to wipe your hand with tissue or would you rather wash it with soap and water?” Then I heard someone say something along the lines of “ewww all these nasty foreigners are walking around here with dirty butts.” It was then that I realized how closed minded I had been on this issue because washing is clearly better than wiping!
Nowadays, when I take care of my business, I wash rather than wipe. I can’t stand to not wash now and I am proud to say that after all these years of living in Asia, I finally walk around with a clean butt! And yes mom, I always wear clean underwear too, just in case hahahaha