Job Discussion Forums

[James Hetfield]

For a bunch of Latin American nations I read same thing: "Never flush toilet paper, always put used toilet paper in bin by toilet."

BUT WHY? Are we to presume advanced nations built modern plumbing that can handle flushed paper, while Latin American plumbing uses, what, old rat holes? Got any definitive answer?

In Los Angeles my Mexican roommate would always toss her used toilet paper in our bathroom bin, filling our bathroom with intolerable stench. I finally scolded her: "FLUSH YER DAM PAPER DAMIT!"

She was flabbergasted: "But why my whole life we never flush it in Mexico yet now you tell me to flush it in Los Angeles? What so different about Los Angeles plumbing?" She had a point! I couldn't answer! Can you?

[Guy Courchesne]

Mexican plumbing can't handle the load. Not sure why it's like that...some historical quirk makes it so I guess.

It doesn't stink if you keep the place clean...with a lid on the trash bin.

[naturegirl321]

Gross, why would you do that? YOu're just dirtying the water. DOn't flush it, but it in the bin

[James Hetfield]

Um, (to quote Anda) Um, so we gots 2 bizarro replies implying there is no logical reason for this bizarre cultural difference: One reply lives in Mexico for years and has no idea why they don't flush paper as they do in USA and Canada. Other reply reveals she has Gone Native.

What you mean it dirties already dirty unflushed toilet water? Were you intending to make coffee from it? Perhaps that civet cat coffee thingy in Southeast Asia, made from cat droppings? Now I really don't get this culture difference and am even more curious.

MUCH easier to flush used paper rather than keep it in your bathroom and carry it in bags to your dumpster. Now I see why they have so many maids in Latin America, to do this kind of REALLY dirty work.

Any civilized water treatment plant should be able to clean flushed paper as it cleans all the other nasty stuff from flushed toilets.
Any civil engineers out there? What is the real reason?

[MO39]

I live in an oldish building in a nice neighborhood in central Mexico City and always flush my soiled toilet paper down the toilet drain with no problems after many years.

[Guy Courchesne]

It can be done in Mexico City...in many places. I've become so Mexicanized that I won't risk it unless I'm at a swank restaurant or at MO's place.

There's a pretty simple answer to this. The US, Canada, and the UK are rich countries. We can afford the infrastructure to flush our crap at will. Mexico, China, Ghana, etc are not rich countries and can't afford to do it.

There, are we happy now? Poor countries can't use gilded faucets to get rid of the poop. Oh what a joy it is to be rich.

Any other feature of the developing world you'd like to shit on while you're here?

[naturegirl321]

[James Hetfield]

Hey Guy why didn't Dave filter *beep* that word?
Well I'm airing all my misgivings in this forum to decrease chances of having public freakouts once I'm over there. Culture Shock is very real especially for someone born a hot-tempered reactionary.

Some older slums where I lived in USA suffered clogged drains because that *beep* accumulates in the local sewer drain, and paper makes it more prone to clog. Still, I'm just guessing that reason.

Are we the only ones reading Latin America forum these days? Any civil engineers or plumbers out there with definitive answer?

[Guy Courchesne]

[JosephP]

I think Thailand has the best solution. Next to toilets are hoses with a nozzle that sprays out a nice jet of water leaving your brown-eye all shiny, happy and clean. It's also handy for cooling down that nether region after a chili-laden repast the evening before.

No need for toilet paper. Save the trees, use the bum gun and have a happy hind-end.

[naturegirl321]

I don't know if you ever recover from cover shock. There are quite a lot of things here that piss me off still.

JosephP, great post

[MO39]

[Guy Courchesne]

[naturegirl321]

No, I mean standing in line at the bank. Not stopping at red lights.

[MO39]