Restaurant Bathrooms

Blog posts like this one in the San Francisco Chronicle are all about why the Toilet Paper blog got started in the first place. Okay, well, sort of. Maybe it got started because I was blogging about toilet paper in France. Hey, I'm not the only person who noticed that the French like pink toilet paper! (If you click the link and watch the video, skip to minute 1:40, and note that pink TP is at the top of his list)

But before there was French toilet paper, there were many, many experiences in restaurants, bars, etc., both foreign and domestic, and what this Chronicle writer says is true; whether or not the status of the bathroom is an actual indicator of the kitchen's cleanliness, it certainly does say something about the level of respect the restaurant owner has for his or her patrons.

On the other hand, if the wrap stand in a back alley in Germany has awesome doeners and the staff are friendly, I'm happy if they have a bathroom AT ALL. Then again, it being Germany, that bathroom was pretty clean, even if it was a closet. So that's a bad example. But you get the idea. Point made, I guess.

Boston's Other Big Dig

We all know that Boston is the city that likes to spend exhorbitant amounts of time and money making it look like it's doing something to improve the city. Excuse me, I meant, create beautiful and advanced urban design. And public toilets are no exception.

Reportedly, Boston Mayor Tom Menino was inspired by San Francisco's public toilets when he visited back in 1997. Twelve years ago. And he planned to install 10 public toilets in Boston. So far they have six. And there's been a bit of a snafu with the seventh.

Installation began on that one in March 2008, in Boston's North End (not the South End). It has yet to open.

First, it was installed a few inches above sidewalk level. No good for wheelchairs. And, oops, sewage lines not where they are supposed to be, according to the map. And now, let's dig it up and add another pump. You know, standard, run-of-the-mill New England craziness.

More entertaining commentary can be read on the Bostonist. But I guess $300,000 isn't a whole lot more than was paid for any of Boston's other public toilets. And none of it was paid for by the city itself, but by Wall Decaux, an advertising company that pays for the facilities in exchange for the right to sell advertisements. Good deal, no? And you thought it was just a public service.

I'm thinking maybe Boston should look into the company that installed these toilets in Japan.

But what I love is that Boston has a director of Street Furniture. And that that includes toilets. But I am still wondering, who is going to use these public facilities? I pass by them in San Francisco all the time. And if I have to pee, that's exactly what I do - I pass by them. Because I am not above buying a cup of coffee so that I can use the loo if it means I have a reasonable chance at privacy. That, and the kiosks tend to smell pretty nasty when they are open. I guess people do use them. I am just not one of those people.

Thanks to Agent J in DC, for the Boston info.

Over or Under

So, I guess I am an "over" person. I didn't realize this to full effect until this year, though, when I was living with a person who habitually loaded the roll of toilet paper so that it fed out from the bottom. I can't tell you how much it irked my sensibilities. Okay, not that much. But it still prompted me to unload and then re-load the paper in the "over" position every time. I just felt better.

And I think about this when I go into public restrooms, too. There is nothing worse than having a full roll of toilet paper, fully visible through some plastic container, but having to dig around inside to find the end of it, shredding little bits of it in the process. No, actually, what's worse than that is getting in, and realizing only too late that there is no toilet paper. We've all had that experience. But in some ways its worse to have toilet paper you can't access.

And so with my toilet paper at home. I don't want to have to wonder where the end of my toilet paper is. If I can't see it, it's a problem. Plus, as I was explaining to someone recently, to me it just makes sense to have it coming out the top. The use of gravity makes the whole thing easier to deal with. Not that it matters, but really, the amount of time I save in the long run will probably add up to hours by the end of my life. That's hours that I didn't spend fishing for the end of my toilet paper. Time well saved, in my book.

So anyway, you probably have your own personal habits and customs when it comes to toilet paper.

I like the way this guy wrote about it here, and he also goes on to tell the history of toilet paper. Interesting stuff!