The Squat Pot

When you gotta go, you gotta go. Unfortunately here in China, you never know how you will do it.

There are some Western style toilets. Thank goodness it's what I have in my apartment. I never really appreciated that circular seat of plastic until I had to use a squat pot.

I know you all have vivid imaginations which I will now put to rest with a series of pictures.

This is what you will find if you venture in to a restroom at my work. I have to hover above a porcelain hole in the ground to take care of business... yes, that's #1 & 2.

You are supposed to place each foot on the side of the pot and literally squat down. I admit, it takes a little practice to get your aim correct. Let's just say I will be leaving my shoes in Beijing when I come back to the States.

I was quite surprised to find squat pots at my office, mainly because it is so modern, with lots of cubicles and fluorescent lighting. I was told somewhere in this 24 story building there is a Western toilet but I am yet to find it, not for lack of trying.

The above pictured squat pots are quite nice in comparison to what I've found in restaurants and public restrooms like this random building on the side of the road pictured below. Some places don't offer TP, some don't have doors or even a divider giving you a nice chance to bond with a stranger.

You also never really know how you are going to flush the thing. Sometimes there is a gas pedal like mechanism on the floor. Other pots make you press a button on the wall and then of course there are some that don't flush at all.

I encountered that situation in a rural Chinese village. Their squat pots were merely a hole in dug in the ground with two piece of wood on each side where you placed your feet.

The most essential detail you need to know about the squat pot, no matter what type: balance is critical.