# Things you've seen abroad you wish were adopted world wide **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 28, 2021, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094 "2021-05-28T14:31:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/223 "2021-06-08T21:06:40Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Again, do you expect most Americans to know how to do this? Any idiot can, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/224 "2021-06-08T21:07:58Z")
I have been a high school math teacher for over a decade so I beg to disagree with you. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/225 "2021-06-08T21:10:55Z")
Even idiots have phones with calculators. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/226 "2021-06-08T21:16:25Z")
Which is helpful IF you know how to set up the problem. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/227 "2021-06-08T21:30:51Z")
When I was in France, the showers had the mixing valves out in the open rather than behind the walls. I thought that was a good idea since it would be easier to swap them out if there was any problem. When they are behind the wall, you have to tear up the wall if they need to be fixed. Something like this: > **[MODONA European Style Shower Mixer with Hand Held Shower Set – Single Handle -...](https://www.amazon.com/MODONA-European-Style-Shower-Mixer/dp/B00ZLIEEV2)** > > MODONA European Style Shower Mixer with Hand Held Shower Set – Single Handle - Oval Series - - Amazon.com ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/228 "2021-06-08T22:45:26Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > > > Here’s the problem. This product has 40 calories per 100g and it is 250g total. Your average American would have no clue how to figure out how many total calories are in the product.  > > The labels generally have two columns of info, per 100g and per serving (along with the number of grams in a serving), so you don’t need to do the arithmetic yourself. Why not just a label that says 800 calories; 1 bagel is 200 calories? Or 1200 calories;1 piece of candy is 50 calories? So much easier. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/229 "2021-06-08T22:59:34Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > Why not just a label that says 800 calories; 1 bagel is 200 calories? Or 1200 calories;1 piece of candy is 50 calories? So much easier. Because that’s not where we started > [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > They don’t allow manufacturers to decide the serving sizes so there’s no bogus _ **Plain Bagel – Serving Size: 1/4 bagel** _ . The labels show each nutrient’s value per 100 grams so you can easily compare between different brands and products. ILMV1 posited that the label should be based on a standard 100g NOT per serving size. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/230 "2021-06-08T23:04:26Z")
Ah. I find that idea silly because most people aren’t eating by weight. I don’t know anyone who weighs out breakfast cereal, or canned corn or peanut butter, for example. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/231 "2021-06-08T23:15:01Z")
You don’t really need to work out the whole calorific intake though, in most circumstances. Generally you’d be choosing between two items, so you’d just compare the calories per 100g between the two items. That especially applies for products like cereal where you’ll eat about the same amount of cereal one or cereal two. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/232 "2021-06-08T23:15:26Z")
I just saw a picture of a Japanese toilet that has a sink situated over the tank. You wash your hands and the water accumulates to flush. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/233 "2021-06-08T23:34:37Z")
Yes, my friend in Tokyo has a toilet like that in the guest bath. It’s not clear to me if the hand wash water actually flows back into the tank though. I think the idea is having a sink/toilet in a very small space where both wouldn’t fit. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/234 "2021-06-08T23:56:03Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > We have had two toilets like this for at least 5 years. Although, the light duty button is _almost_ useless. Presumably it works well for flushing liquid waste only? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/235 "2021-06-08T23:57:45Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Presumably it works well for flushing liquid waste only? Not really. It just dilutes it a bit. (which is fine, I guess, but I’ve just stopped using that button) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/236 "2021-06-08T23:58:42Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > It’s not clear to me if the hand wash water actually flows back into the tank though. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/nveq8d/on\_many\_japanese\_toilets\_the\_sink\_is\_attached\_to/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=ios\_app&utm\_name=iossm](https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/nveq8d/on_many_japanese_toilets_the_sink_is_attached_to/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossm) According to this, it saves millions of liters of water yearly. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/237 "2021-06-09T00:00:46Z")
I’m not sure where you’re supposed to stand while washing your hands. In that photo, you’d be squeezed between the toilet bowl and the sink cabinet to the right. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/238 "2021-06-09T00:02:30Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > , is most definitely the pre-tax price you pay (or at least the maximum price you pay), by law. Right, it most definitely is not the price you actually pay. The post you are replying to asked why the shelf price was not the same as the register price. Also, you seem to be unaware that, in most of the world, most prices vary store-to-store: it is is only the nationally advertised prices that have nationally advertised prices. The stores and the customers don’t have a problem with the fact that if they go into a different McDonald’s, they get the same price only on nationally advertised items, but if they go into a different Burger King they get the same price nationally on every item. It’s not a constitutional or business issue: it’s a cultural and marketing issue. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/239 "2021-06-09T00:06:18Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > You don’t really need to work out the whole calorific intake though, in most circumstances. Generally you’d be choosing between two items, so you’d just compare the calories per 100g between the two items. Yes. The system I noted is most useful for comparing different brands/varieties (Cocoa Puffs vs Corn Flakes) or different foodstuffs (beef vs tofu). This is the primary advantage over the US system, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/240 "2021-06-09T00:09:04Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I’m not sure where you’re supposed to stand while washing your hands. I’d straddle the bowl. But I’m like that. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/241 "2021-06-09T00:16:43Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I just saw a picture of a Japanese toilet that has a sink situated over the tank. You wash your hands and the water accumulates to flush [![](https://i.redd.it/ko6jtcq122u01.jpg) ](https://i.redd.it/ko6jtcq122u01.jpg) Oh damn! You sooo ninja’d me. This is so practical and green. Americans wouldn’t go for it though because the water is ultimately for flushing a toilet so it isn’t heated. The water could be heated but I always considered that to cancel out any benefit since the point is to save natural resources. But I just thought about it some more… If a toilet user is going to use some hot water to wash their hands anyway then this system\* would still save a lot of water—even though some heated water would be used to flush. \*A hot water version would be slightly different from the current Japanese sink/toilet. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/242 "2021-06-09T00:17:05Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > According to this, it saves millions of liters of water yearly. I didn’t say the water does _not_ flow into the tank, I said it wasn’t clear to me if it did or didn’t. Here’s a version close to my friends toilet. It’s one of those fancy-pants ones with a heated seat and a butt sprayer and I think it even talks (in words I don’t understand): [![](https://i.redd.it/s5z9f6yh3cu11.jpg) ](https://i.redd.it/s5z9f6yh3cu11.jpg) And yes, you just close the lid and lean over the bowl to wash hands in the little sink. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094.md?page=13)