There are little things, that despite having lived in Germany for almost a year and being considered an "intermediate" speaker of the language, still throw me. This photo was posted in our shared bathroom at a small hotel just outside Frankfurt. It is signifies that upright peeing is VERBOTEN. Apparently this has become a point of contention in the battle of the sexes, that men should leave unwanted dribbles that usually women are left to clean up. I can see the logic. But there are many things that trump logic and one of them is machismo. One of Ryan's favorite new jokes is "I find __________ highly emasculating."
I heard of this toilet battle while listening to Michael Palin's "New Europe" in which he visits an East German toilet factory. German toilets are kind of strange to Americans. Not only is the tank stuck behind a wall (thankfully haven't had to do any repairs to ours) but instead of possessing a deep bowl of water German toilets generally have, as many expats have affectionately referred to it, a "poop shelf."
This has come up in conversation and many Germans, like their American counterparts, are quick to defend their way of doing things as the most logical, efficient, and overall "right" way of doing things. For me, its just another bizarre reminder that we're not in Kansas anymore.
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