What a Difference a Bidet Makes!
I recall my first encounter with the stubby little "water fountain" that shared close proximity to the toilet in my hotel room.
Fascinated that one would have to kneel to take a sip of water, I still found it curious and unabashedly bold to place something intended to refresh so close to something that was destined to be flushed.
Fresh from my high school in Hooterville, I concluded that I was staying in a fancy hotel, and that's what fancy hotels do.
Lucky for me, my more sophisticated field trip roommate (his family summered in Paris, France, Europe) spared me the public humiliation of being outed as a bona fide bumpkin. "Hey you guys, Tom thought the bidet was a water fountain." (As if the rest of them knew what a bidet was.)
I was even more grateful that he did not entertain himself by encouraging me to satisfy my thirst with the gentle spray of this knee-high quencher. I think he explained it a total of three times. Each explanation was chased by my need to scream "no way!"
Oddly, I repeated that same shrill cry of disbelief when I read that the bidet will reach new heights in cleaning one's posterior when JAL and ANA have some of the little creature comforts installed on their fleets of new Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Talk about in-flight amenities!
In a travel world consumed with delays, security issues, and overcrowding, I took the liberty of taking a detour down under this week to share a story off the beaten path.
The Wall Street Journal flushes out the detail in Two Airlines to Add Bidet on New Boeing.
What in-flight amenity would like to see made available to travelers? Comment below!
Comments
The eww factor on sharing a bidet is just too high for me. I particularly like the irony that most of Japan uses hole-in-the-floor toilets but the term "Japanese style" toilet now refers to a whole new level of toilet experience.
Check out this article on the latest Japanese toilet trends. It really is mind-blowing:
http://www.theplumber.com/japan.html
My favorite button? The noise-maker to hide your actions in the john!
Posted by: Eric | July 30, 2007 11:38 AM
I would like the airlines to add back an amenity that they appear to be phasing out on wide-body aircraft: the individual air nozzle. Some people are always cold (wear a sweater!), but I'm usually warm. I always have the air vent above open. However, I've noticed that newer widebodies no longer have these, and I wake up in the middle of the night sweating. Please bring back my air nozzle and let me control how warm or cold I want to be!
Posted by: B. McCallister | August 2, 2007 4:43 PM
Oh yeah right... a bidget on a plane!!!! How bout using that space in the cabin for our legs instead!!? LOL Oh wait a min.. how bout using that water for the faucets in the restroom sinks... gosh, past two times I've flown they didn't work!
Posted by: Karen | August 3, 2007 5:08 AM
Of all the unnecessary amenities! Why wouldn't airlines spend money on things that really matter to customers? Like more personal space for travelers! What's worse than being wedged between total strangers for hours on end?
Posted by: Renee Rhoades | August 3, 2007 6:31 AM
Rather than spending on that time and brain power on developing a bidet that works on planes, how about putting some time and energy on keeping flights on schedule..
Posted by: sharon | August 6, 2007 6:54 AM
You have got to be kidding. Because, this is REALLY beyond (way, way) belief. Amenities? How about some leg room? or wider seats? or (sigh) being on-time? or not being treated like cattle? I cannot imagine the person who would use a public bidet... let alone be that person! Mercy!!
Posted by: Alice Smith | August 6, 2007 10:03 AM