Excerpts from the Peanut Gallery

Indelible Proof that America is More Civilised in One Way than the Rest of the World.

know i risk many an angry letters-to-the-editor and other such truly canadian reproofs to the title assertion of this post. In fact, if you have found the opposite, please advise. However, I would like to tip my hat to our southern neighbours for having a mark of refinement that we citizens of just about any other country lack. I can say that on this one account the United States in almost 99% of American restrooms they provide toilet seat covers. Yes, thats right, toilet seat covers. Notwithstanding the one fine unnamed eating establishment which proffers electronically changable plastic seat covers, I can say that this is one simple courtesy that I have rarely- nay, EVER, seen in Canada.

Furthermore, I do make the assertion that this is one thing that the good ole' US of A has on the rest of the world. I have only visited a handful of toilets in Central America relatively speaking compared to the number that exist there. Yet I can firmly say that not once was I ever afforded such a luxury. Indeed, instead I was met with precious little toilet paper at all, which I may have even been charged for, and a garbage can that usually took up more space than was allotted for me and the toilet combined. I have also been to a particular asian country which one could say is perhaps only second to Japan in its development stage, and thus, very modern. Notwithstanding the one particular airport loo which offered a similar set-up to the above mentioned eatery, I was once again hard-pressed to find any sort of covering for the lavatory. Considering that, I am told, conditions in the remainder of Asian countries when it comes to toilets are descending in quality, i think it is safe to say that American style toilet-seat covers are also hard to find outside of my experience.

Now there are continents in which i have not had the delight of visiting a single watercloset: Africa, Australia and Europe. I think it likely that since we canadians often align ourselves more with the smaller euro and oceanic countries can i dare hope that our cousins across the sea would be much better?

Now don't get me wrong. I am sure there are a plethora of quite acceptably sanitary conditions in public restrooms across the world if one is willing to look for them and perhaps buy a coffee or two at their espresso bar. Nevertheless, I would simply like to take this opportunity to commend our southern neighbours on this particular instance of gentility. We might all learn a lesson in etiquette and refinement from this and I for one would love to see the trend become a global phenomenon.

More thoughts and rants from my trip to Oregon to come this week.

posted by Kiki @ 7:59 p.m.