Grit My Teeth: May 2023

Monday, May 15, 2023

Just Show, Not To Rate

When I tell people that I have a google map that features many of the bathrooms that Allison and I have visited over the last few years, the first remark I get is "why don't you rate them?" It's a perfectly sensible question since my other interest is rating candy. One would imagine that there's a lot of difference from one bathroom to another, and rating them just makes sense. The thing is, there is a huge difference from one bathroom to another, and that's why I don't review them.

The differences in bathrooms can be attributed to many things. Some are things like cleaning, maintenance and design. These are fine things that one could easily review and make comments. There are however some things about bathrooms that are cultural or based on the available wealth. I feel like these are things that wouldn't be so fair to review. A bathroom in a developing country in the middle of the jungle will not have the amenities of a bathroom in a 5 star hotel in Dubai. Having a squat and drop is common in Japan, but not so much in Florida.

I guess I just feel weird passing judgement on bathrooms because there are many circumstances that surround the quality of a public bathroom. What I find interesting about bathrooms is their differences, even when it means that the difference is you're doing your business in a hole in the ground compared to doing it on a toilet that plays music for you.

The other reason I don't want to review bathrooms is that sometimes my experience is based on my biological issues, rather than the quality of the facilities. If there's a bathroom in a place when I absolutely need it, I feel like it's the best thing in the world. If I happened to have just eaten some disagreeable street food, this bathroom may give me memories that I'll want to forget.

Check out our complete bathroom map below.