Brushing & Bidets

It's Judy! From an international standard I think Americans are total slobs. As I've mentioned earlier we don't typically shower when we come home from work, we don't typically take our shoes off in our homes, we don't typically have bidets in our bathrooms, and we don't typically brush our teeth at work. Apparently this is unlike much of the world.

A recent article newspaper article explained that Koreans are taught in school to brush 3x daily just like Americans were taught. But they took it further by having communal sinks where the youngsters practice in all their foaming and spitting glory. Yes, we had dental hygiene lessons but they mainly involved those little red tablets we'd chew to display placque build up on our teeth. I don't recall ever brushing communally with my classmates. So it's no big surprise that Americans don't typically keep a toothbrush at their workplace for after lunch brushing. In fact, brushing, spitting, gargling, and foaming up your mouth is considered somewhat private in America.

And don't get me started on bidets! I luckily discovered Japanese style toilets years ago and have welcomed them into my home. In fact, I'm not really sure I know how to use a true bidet! (Our European followers are scoffing at this confession I'm sure.)

Cleanliness standards are certainly interesting. I notice that Koreans seem to wear fragrance whereas most Americans I know shun that custom. I also recall reading in Shogun how the Asians were so taken aback by the smell of Europeans in past centuries. I hope that my cleanliness (or lack there-of!) is not keeping me from a meaningful relationship with any gorgeous Korean men.