They wiped with their left hand, which is why it was called the sinister hand (manu sinistra).
What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?
241–250 of 557 posts
Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?
#242Earlier quoted context omitted.
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No doubt diversion of purpose clashes as well. I don’t particularly care what the owners thought HN would be or how they think it should be run. I found a better reddit (because tech and politics was already most of what I was interested in) and so I stayed here doing what I did on Reddit. The whole ‘SV startup’ thing is just an annoying undertone I have to filter out (yes I know what ycombinator does) as I navigate…
Thank you for your comment! It confirms so much of what I've been thinking for the past few years that someone with your stated interest in politics and disinterest in "The whole ‘SV startup’ thing" would see this site as a "better reddit".
The HN I once loved is well and truly dead. May this site serve its current demographic well.
Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?
#243Earlier quoted context omitted.
Perhaps NSFW, but being frank so it's clear what I'm saying. There's cultural differences the other direction. German toilets catch feces on what we called a "shit shelf" instead letting it fall and submerge in water. Which, of course, made for a pretty bad odor situation. And in Turkey, the "toilet" was a hole in the ground. Even in the Hilton, it was a fancy carved marble and gold leaf "4 inch diameter hole in the…
Only premium toilets have this shit shelf here in Germany. The advantage is to prevent a big splash making your butt wet ;)
Perhaps, maybe you can also explain "Dusch Das, das dusch, ass...ahh" to me :)
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1481387945255625...
Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?
#244Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've always found the shit shelf so bizarre, but they seem to be on their way out. On recent trips to Germany it was quite uncommon to see one-- in fact, I don't think I saw one last time at all; I think the last time I saw one was in Vienna.
Was it maybe a water conservation thing? That was always my best guess. Did seem bizarre. Happy to hear perhaps they've been phased out.
I think I remember reading somewhere that it was for self-inspection. E.g. after your paperwork you can ensure you have a healthy colon, no blood, half digested food, etc.
Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?
#245> 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…
Perhaps NSFW, but being frank so it's clear what I'm saying. There's cultural differences the other direction. German toilets catch feces on what we called a "shit shelf" instead letting it fall and submerge in water. Which, of course, made for a pretty bad odor situation. And in Turkey, the "toilet" was a hole in the ground. Even in the Hilton, it was a fancy carved marble and gold leaf "4 inch diameter hole in the…
> There's cultural differences the other direction. German toilets catch feces on what we called a "shit shelf" instead letting it fall and submerge in water. Which, of course, made for a pretty bad odor situation.
You get the odor anyway, that difference is quite negligible, but the "shit shelf" also serves a purpose: It "breaks up" the log by curling it and thus prevents clogging the toilet/the log getting stuck. Which, depending on the size and consistency of it, can happen quite often.
These toilets also ain't universal in Germany, the one in my flat sadly doesn't have a "shit shelf", which leads to the situation that I sometimes (after eating too much for a while) have to flush several times until it's gone. That's not just a waste of water, it's a rather nasty process having to go through.
Squatting toilets also ain't reserved to Turkey, many Asian countries have them. Using them depends a lot on technique, here's a rather humorous tutorial [0].
I can see the advantage of them as minimizing skin contact with the toilet's surface, which depending on the hygienic state of the toilet might be quite preferable.
Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?
#246> 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…
I've heard (but not confirmed) that it is expense related. If you wholly enclose the toilet in a room, now that little room needs its own fire extinguisher nozzle (and maybe other regs?) but if it's mostly open, you only have to make the overall room safe.
I seriously doubt that - sprinkler heads are under $5/each.
https://www.supplyhouse.com/Fire-Sprinkler-Heads-Hangers-100...
Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?
#247> 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…
> or puritanical reasons (make sure people aren't having sex?) I hardly think deterring people from having sex in a public restroom (if that's even actually the case) so that everyone - young and old - can go to the bathroom without having to be privy to people screwing around, and not wanting to risk exposure to yet another bodily fluid in addition to all the others that public restrooms have way too many of, is "pu…
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Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?
#248Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
That's only if your septic tank is improperly sized or otherwise malfunctioning. Around 20% of homes in America have their own septic tank. And essentially all of them flush their toilet paper like everyone else.
My home is on a septic tank. We flush TP. No problem so far (18 years).
Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?
#249> 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…
The Puritans had outhouses.
Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?
#250> 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…
You all don't have 'trough' urinals either. The US and Australia both use them frequently in high traffic areas, but the Aussie floor-to-wall version is a lot 'easier' to use and clean.
I feel like these have gone out of style in the US and most stadium renovations are removing them.
It's been a long time since I've seen one - but they used to be everywhere! Years ago I went on a tour at the University of Nebraska and one of the "highlights" was telling us about a building with the world's longest trough urinal. Unfortunately the building was closed that day and I didn't get to see it.