bidet | schwingeninswitzerland

Since everyone seems to come out with a Best of 2012 list at the end of the year, I thought I would list my top 10 most viewed posts this year.

Everything You Don’t Need And Can’t Live Without – I don’t like to sit still, don’t nap and hate to be bored. I realize that it doesn’t always make me the most relaxing person to be around, but it’s generally pretty entertaining. When we had a free Sunday, I decided to go check out a little shindig they had going on in the cool Carouge neighborhood. Unexpectedly, this post was selected for Freshly Pressed.
Tschäggättä Parade To Celebrate Carnival In The Lötschental Valley – One of the best things about Switzerland is its festivals. This one was unlike anything I’d ever seen. This was my first post to be Freshly Pressed.
More Pictures of the Versoix, Switzerland Ice Storm – Remember the picture of the frozen car? Well, since it was taken in a suburb of Geneva, I couldn’t help myself. I went to get the shot. On a side note, it would have been smart of me not to wear high heals when doing so. A couple of nice Swiss gentlemen helped me off the ice. Yep, I’m an idiot, but the pictures are great.
Our Basement Bomb Shelter, Otherwise Known As Our Storage Unit – I’m glad other people are as intrigued by this phenomenon as I am.
Mt. Blanc, The Tallest Mountain In The Alps – I am profoundly grateful to have seen such beauty.
The Spaghetti Tree Hoax, Aka Happy April Fool’s Day From Switzerland – Hilarious. Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself.
My Introduction to French Cinema, A List of Great, Entertaining and Fun French Films – While I posted this before Jean Dujardin won the Oscar, some of his comedies made the list.
Why Didn’t Hitler Invade Switzerland? – This was a hard one to write as it’s a difficult question. I hope I didn’t screw it up too badly.
Another Cultural Difference…Men In Spandex – Sometimes, it’s the little things…
What The Heck Is A Bidet? – Please feel free to comment with any additional uses you can think up for a bidet.

Although we (unfortunately for our visitors who want to take one for a test drive) don’t have a bidet in our apartment here in Switzerland, we had one at our hotel in Prague. It occurred to me that are unfamiliar with bidets and it’s probably about time to for Bidet 101.

Until I came to Europe for the first time, I’d never heard of a bidet. I saw this perplexing contraption between the toilet and the shower and couldn’t understand why you just wouldn’t use one or the other.

A bidet (pronounced bid-day) is a low-mounted plumbing fixture, similar in size to a toilet, or type of sink intended for washing the bits that rub together when you walk. In other words, it’s a mini-shower for your undercarriage.

Theories about as to why Americans don’t have or use bidets:

They don’t come standard and cost extra money.
Saving water and energy (which is expensive here) isn’t as much of a priority for Americans.
Americans shower more frequently.
We don’t know how to use them. Wikipedia says that bidet is an old French world for pony and that helps you imagine how you would use one. Without go-go gadget legs, it’s next to impossible.
When the Ritz Carlton hotel in New York installed bidets, the puritanical League of Decency immediately compelled their removal. Perhaps bidets are still morally objectionable?

Now that you know how to use a bidet, it’s time to get creative. Possible other uses for your hotel room’s bidet include:

Baby Bath
Storage – It’s useful for storing things, kind of like a medicine cabinet. You could also store your reading material or extra toilet paper in one.
Wet bar – Filled with ice, it makes a great ice bucket.

Doggie water bowl

Water fountain
Vomitoir – It is handy for throwing up in the case of flu or food poisoning.
Foot bath – Soak your feet after a long day of walking
I’m sure Cosmo Kramer could find another use. How do you follow up installing a disposer in the shower? Just imagine what Kramer could do with a bidet…
Children’s toy? Fishing Pond? Barbie bathtub?