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October 30, 2003
International Bathroom Musuem
I would like to visit a museum that had bathrooms from around the world. I don't just mean a toilet museum -- I would want to see showers, and sinks, and bidets, and everything. I thought of it because of the comment I got from the UK saying they have full body blow driers already and there is of course the long-standing fascination with Japanese toilets. I think there is a broad audience for an international bathroom museum.
And the bathroom is a pretty revealing place for cultural differences -- almost as much (maybe more?) as the kitchen. It would have been funny if the Nixon/Khrushchev kitchen debate had taken place in a bathroom.
Posted by mary at October 30, 2003 2:13 PM
Comments
I would just like to highlight a couple of quotes from the kitchen debate:
Khrushchev to Nixon: You’re a lawyer of Capitalism, I’m a lawyer for Communism. Let’s kiss.
and "we don’t beat flies with our nostrils!"
SO TRUE!
Posted by: Mary at October 30, 2003 2:18 PM
"Streamlines & Breadlines", Volume 6 of the PBS video series "American Visions" by Robert Hughes contextualizes this debate nicely. The series should be readily available at your public library.
Posted by: Strawberry Mustard at October 31, 2003 4:19 AM
In high school I had a vision. What if you designed a house that had a big room in it with six or eight toilets arrayed in a circle and a variety of stands for toilet paper and other traditional bathroom ammenities? And what if, at six or so, the family gathered there together? What if there was another room, a smallish room kind of tucked away below the stairs that had a sink, small fridge, and a microwave? And when we needed to eat we'd kind of excuse ourselves and slink away to the little room and take care of these base bodily needs? That would really show the man!
xjon
Posted by: Jon at October 31, 2003 10:05 AM
Gunter Grass has a whole section in "The Flounder" that talks about a scenerio like this -- only it's set in like pre-historic times or something, and everyone inspects each other's poo and stuff. It's the ONLY part of that book that I remember. I read it when I was 15 and thought I loved German literature. Of course, what I really loved was bathrooms.
Posted by: Mary at October 31, 2003 10:42 AM
It occurs to me that this could fit right in with HGTV lineup, or one of those other channels with a home improvement theme.
Posted by: Mary at October 31, 2003 12:22 PM
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