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What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?

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Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?

#121

Post by Crisco »

pwython wrote: post #108
lainga wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the 6th post I have seen this week along the formula (1) I am from Europe and I went to America. (2) Americans do things in a way I find unusual and/or distressing. (3) The cause must be a character flaw shared by all Americans (security and puritanical reasons...?).

Eh, when someone says "it sure feels strange, and very difficult to get used," it doesn't have to be negative. You can take it as a "character flaw" jibe, but it's really just an observation. source: American that is still in shock by septic tank users that have to throw their feces-paper in the trashcan.

I lived in the Dominican Republic for a few years, and it was a little weird to me at first, but after a while you get used to putting dirty paper in the trash. I never once had to deal with a clogged toilet.

After moving back to the USA it was just as weird to put paper in the toilets (though drinking the same water you bathe in was the weirdest part).

I think people exaggerate the weirdness and difficulty of adjustment, because in both instances it took me a week at most to get used to either way.

Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?

#122

Post by viksit »

kragen wrote: post #24

When I moved to Argentina, it took me a while to get used to bidets. But now that I'm used to them, I never use toilet paper voluntarily. It leaves your butt still dirty! As someone said, if you got poop on your arm, maybe while changing a diaper, would you wipe it off with a piece of paper and consider it clean? No, not if you're from the mainstream of any developed country. You would use water, soap, and maybe more…

I think your point is also valid in countries that are still developing - and more so, if you consider those cultures have never used tp and likely never will.

Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?

#123

Post by eevilspock »

kragen wrote: post #24

When I moved to Argentina, it took me a while to get used to bidets. But now that I'm used to them, I never use toilet paper voluntarily. It leaves your butt still dirty! As someone said, if you got poop on your arm, maybe while changing a diaper, would you wipe it off with a piece of paper and consider it clean? No, not if you're from the mainstream of any developed country. You would use water, soap, and maybe more…

Toilet paper is gross. The notion that toilet paper is the best much less the only means of toilet hygiene is pretty ignorant.

For an educational laugh: https://youtu.be/dKkryfdtMNQ

By the way, the simplest solution, for people who are regular, is simply to do your business before your shower.

Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?

#124

Post by krrrh »

bambax wrote: post #54

> To ancient Romans, the practice of sitting on a shared toilet in an open room full of people was entirely ordinary. That's a funny thing to say for an American, because, to Europeans, American toilets are much too public: doors don't go to the floor or ceiling, and even "walls" are thin sheets of wood/plastic loosely joined together with huge spaces between them. It seems, Americans don't trust one another to sit a…

On the other hand, I could never get over how many German washrooms I have see that had urinals in a corner such that they couldn’t both be used comfortably. I have never seen anything like it in the states.

Far from the most extreme example:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8329oawvs9utt4n/german_urinals.jpg...

Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?

#125

Post by bambax »

DanAndersen wrote: post #94
bambax wrote: post #54

> To ancient Romans, the practice of sitting on a shared toilet in an open room full of people was entirely ordinary. That's a funny thing to say for an American, because, to Europeans, American toilets are much too public: doors don't go to the floor or ceiling, and even "walls" are thin sheets of wood/plastic loosely joined together with huge spaces between them. It seems, Americans don't trust one another to sit a…

As an American, I'm curious what the typical practice is elsewhere for determining if a stall is occupied. I know the little colored marker on the outside of the door is common, but sadly I don't imagine all of our own population being careful enough to notice it. The doors not going all the way down in the US may serve as a more visible indicator of which stalls are occupied without having to bang on the door and ge…

Well, for one thing, it's not a "stall", it's a (very small) room. With a door. You can either look at the marker, or try to open the door. If the door is locked, it won't open. That's it. No need to bang or yell?

Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?

#126

Post by legitTrolling »

lainga wrote: post #99
bambax wrote: post #54

> To ancient Romans, the practice of sitting on a shared toilet in an open room full of people was entirely ordinary. That's a funny thing to say for an American, because, to Europeans, American toilets are much too public: doors don't go to the floor or ceiling, and even "walls" are thin sheets of wood/plastic loosely joined together with huge spaces between them. It seems, Americans don't trust one another to sit a…

This is the 6th post I have seen this week along the formula (1) I am from Europe and I went to America. (2) Americans do things in a way I find unusual and/or distressing. (3) The cause must be a character flaw shared by all Americans (security and puritanical reasons...?).

[flagged]

Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?

#127

Post by jklinger410 »

legitTrolling wrote: post #126
lainga wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the 6th post I have seen this week along the formula (1) I am from Europe and I went to America. (2) Americans do things in a way I find unusual and/or distressing. (3) The cause must be a character flaw shared by all Americans (security and puritanical reasons...?).

[flagged]

>Pretty sure HN is suffering from serious forum sliding, and it's just time to move on to some other aggregator.

Has to be a better solution than this imo.

Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?

#128

Post by JohnDotAwesome »

kragen wrote: post #24

When I moved to Argentina, it took me a while to get used to bidets. But now that I'm used to them, I never use toilet paper voluntarily. It leaves your butt still dirty! As someone said, if you got poop on your arm, maybe while changing a diaper, would you wipe it off with a piece of paper and consider it clean? No, not if you're from the mainstream of any developed country. You would use water, soap, and maybe more…

Bidets are pretty weird, but I totally recognize their superiority to plain ol' toilet paper.

+1 for wet wipes.

Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?

#129

Post by bambax »

lainga wrote: post #99
bambax wrote: post #54

> To ancient Romans, the practice of sitting on a shared toilet in an open room full of people was entirely ordinary. That's a funny thing to say for an American, because, to Europeans, American toilets are much too public: doors don't go to the floor or ceiling, and even "walls" are thin sheets of wood/plastic loosely joined together with huge spaces between them. It seems, Americans don't trust one another to sit a…

This is the 6th post I have seen this week along the formula (1) I am from Europe and I went to America. (2) Americans do things in a way I find unusual and/or distressing. (3) The cause must be a character flaw shared by all Americans (security and puritanical reasons...?).

Puritanical reasons would be a character flaw, maybe, but not security. From the other comments it seems the main reason is easiness to clean.

But my point was about the fact that the author of the article was shocked that latrines in Pompei were public and shared, while in the US toilets are almost as public as in Pompei (not exactly as much, but still too much for someone from a different culture).

Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?

#130

Post by DonHopkins »

Baeocystin wrote: post #47
sneak wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People who mock you for having a cleaner butthole than them are strange people indeed.

::shrug:: Can't say I disagree. People have surprisingly strong feelings about getting their butts splashed with water.

They're afraid they'll enjoy it, and it will undermine their fragile macho manhood.
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