NASA asked me to create meals
for the space shuttle. Thai chicken was the favorite. I flew in a fake space
shuttle, but I have no desire to go into space after seeing the toilet.
Rachael Ray
Toilets are things we
take for granted (unless they stop working). They’re also the subject of a lot
of frat-boy humour. No one needs instructions on how to operate a flush toilet;
the process is simple. We go into a cubicle (some are tiny and some are spacious),
lock the door, hope for toilet paper (preferably 2-ply), flush, wash our hands
and exit.
Quite frankly I haven’t
given the flush toilet a second thought since the last time I encountered a
squatter in Turkey (not a happy day). I recently spent a joyful trip sailing in
the Bahamas with friends who are the proud owners of a 43-foot Jeanneau. Everything
on a boat is very compact including the bathroom which makes airplane bathrooms
seem spacious by comparison. A toilet on a boat is called a head because back in the day of sailing ships the toilet area for the regular sailors was placed at the head or bow of the ship. Flushing a toilet on a boat is an
interesting process and George was kind enough to give me my training. It’s not
just flush and walk away because a head on a boat doesn’t just flush; it
macerates. It involves a minimum of 10 plunges in one direction, flipping a
lever and another 10 plunges in the other direction. I’ll spare you the details
about maceration but in case you’re really interested here’s a YouTube video that shows
how it’s done. Never-the-less there is work involved with this humble process.
I was thrilled to
find that at the marinas there are spacious washrooms with flush toilets! I availed
myself of these modern gifts of technology at every possible occasion and never
ceased to revel in the sound of whoosh, as I effortlessly flushed.
Now that I’m a land
lubber again, I’m sure the joy of flushing will wear off soon, but in the
meantime I have developed a new respect for the flush toilet.
The flush toilet, more than any single invention, has 'civilized' us in
a way that religion and law could never accomplish.
Thomas Lynch
Thomas Lynch
Make someone smile today.
