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Thursday, December 11, 2008

Going in Style

The other day I heard someone ask why some outhouses of old had two, ah, holes. The first answer I heard was "a male and female side". A practical answer was that in the winter time when one side "filled up" you would start on the other side. My dad's answer was the best, I thought. He said, "companionship". In a previous time people were not as crazy rushed as we are today, and a visit to the outhouse could and should take a good, leisurely while. You might read a magazine, a few chapters of the Bible, or just sit and think. How much nicer then if you could share that experience. The above photo exemplifies such sharing in the best possible light.

3 comments:

Brenda said...

I wonder where that photo was taken. China, maybe?????

Aaron said...

I Agree. Why is stuff so rushed. And why is it so awkward in the bathroom with someone else! It's just the bits and pieces that everyone else has!

Ed said...

Brenda, I checked and checked but I can't find any reference to where the photo was taken. I found the photo at two websites; neither give credit nor description.

My sense is that it's not China given that the photo shows "western style" toilet seats. My experience in "every day China" was entirely different. Even on the trains a toilet was simply a hole in the floor over which male and female would "squat 'n go".

But it might be an interesting exercise trying to locate the origin of the photo.

I found it buried here: http://nynerd.com/
and referenced here by Huy Nguyen and Hoa Dam (a Vietnamese couple?) http://pix81.blogspot.com/ look in their archive of 2006 (viewer warning though)

So who took it and where?