Coffee, toilet habits and the European mentality

[flimbag]

For some time, I've been intrigued by an odd correlation. At the risk of being told by Phil (yet again) that I'm lowering the tone of the place, I thought I'd bring it up here to seek any insights or thoughts.

It seems to me that the two European nations most obsessed with coffee (other than the Italians) are the Dutch and the Germans.

Coincidentally, both countries appear to go in for building lavatories, the bowls of which are equipped with inspection shelves that appear to serve the purpose of allowing the user to inspect their own waste product. (Correct me if I'm wrong about this -- I've never found anyone who would explain the design to me, so it may serve some other purpose all together.)

I wonder, does this obsession with one's bowel movements account for the high levels of coffee consumption in these two countries?

For additional credit, what possible light does this thread cast on the topic?

[Joey]

And I thought the Norwegens pee the most caffeine, as they found out by testing the seawater:

Caffeine level in sea causes concern!
Researchers the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) have spent three years looking for trace remains of pharmaceuticals in drainage water and the sea near Tromsoe in northern Norway. The project has focused on 16 substances and a high concentration of caffeine was one of the surprising finds.


The sea area around Trondheim, Oslo and Bergen will now also be studied, in order to map the presence of caffeine in the water. The study also focuses on seeking traces of certain pain-killing and anti-depressive substances.

Each liter of water discharged from Tromsoe contained up to 100 micrograms of caffeine. In the sea the concentration was measured at 100 nanograms per liter.

"The concentration is high. We are surprised that caffeine is not more diluted by the high volume of water," said NILU researcher Roland Kallenborn. "Caffeine is not caught by purification plants and there is a high and continuous supply entering the sea."

Caffeine is found in coffee and cola as well as some medicines. Researchers believe that about 80 percent of the emissions are from ordinary households, offices and cafés, with pharmaceuticals accounting for the rest.

"We have almost no information about what kind of problems caffeine can cause in nature. It is a poison and at very high concentrations it can affect the nervous system. We don't know the kind of environmental effect caffeine can have on the ecosystem and this is something that should be thoroughly investigated," Kallenborn said.

The universities of Tromsoe and Hamburg are also taking part in measuring trace levels of medicines in the ocean.
http://www.detonate.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=355

Sorry, mate, can't help you with the design-question...
joey

[Steve]

Who let Flimbag in !!! sort out our FAQ phil will you ........ to let more in like him

Eeffoc
(whos wife keeps looking at him strangley as he islaughing at his laptop again, wondering if I've gone on to my coffee porn sites of which I'm forbiden by the court restraining order)

[MKSwing]

And I thought the Norwegens pee the most caffeine, as they found out by testing the seawater:

[color=#004040][i]Caffeine level in sea causes concern!...

Uhuhuhuh. It's completly off topic but this makes me think about a study made not so long ago in Paris, where they found that fishes in the Seine tend to be more and more females. They found that the concentration of oestrogen is very high and explained that by the big concentration of woman in Paris using the pill (don't know how it is called in english). The concentration of the oestrogen hormon is so high that most of it will be rejected in the pee. And one factor that determines the sex of the fishes is that hormon.
So to get back on topic, here is a possible conclusion to this...
After the Kopi Luwak, the coffee pooped out of an animal, we now have the Seine fish, determined by woman's pee...
Hope you're not going to eat soon

[MKSwing]

And I thought the Norwegens pee the most caffeine, as they found out by testing the seawater:

[color=#004040][i]Caffeine level in sea causes concern!...

Uhuhuhuh. It's completly off topic but this makes me think about a study made not so long ago in Paris, where they found that fishes in the Seine tend to be more and more females. They found that the concentration of oestrogen is very high and explained that by the big concentration of woman in Paris using the pill (don't know how it is called in english). The concentration of the oestrogen hormon is so high that most of it will be rejected in the pee. And one factor that determines the sex of the fishes is that hormon.
So to get back on topic, here is a possible conclusion to this...
After the Kopi Luwak, the coffee pooped out of an animal, we now have the Seine fish, determined by woman's pee...
Hope you're not going to eat soon

[Danny]

appear to serve the purpose of allowing the user to inspect their own waste product.

Ahhh yes, I like to call it the "Pedestool Poo". I didnt know it was a german thing though. I've only ever seen it in NL.

When choosing a new toilet for our recently redone bathroom we pondered on of these.... For about 1/10th of a second.

Somebody once told me it was a health thing of centuries past. To make sure you did not have any critters, but I dont know how true that is.

In short, I've no idea... But then again, I'm an Aussie and we have a hard time understanding the bidet as well

-D

[Joey]

appear to serve the purpose of allowing the user to inspect their own waste product.

But then again, I'm an Aussie and we have a hard time understanding the bidet as well

-D

Ähhh, now I'm confused, I thought Flimbag was talking about the pissoirs (the bowl on the wall...) So, a bidet is what you are talking about! Well, that's to wash your tush after using it.... What was the question again?

[Danny]

No he's not talking about the pissoirs... And he's not talking about a bidet, I included that as a joke..

He is talking about a standard toilet with a shelf that holds your "deposit" until you flush....
I have always wondered why it's like that here.

Flimbag you are a bad influence!!!
Anyway, hope the picture makes sense.

Like this:

[michel]

Used to Pedestools all my life I have to admit I don't know te why and the how about it... One practical issue I can talk of out of experience though, is that the Pedestool doesn't: PLOENK! So when your turd leaves your body... it doesn't make any water splashing up against your...

[quink]

OK, I dont think that I can lower this thread any more, so I'm just going to come out with this.
My wife, if she ever has to use the toilet after I've gone, swears blind that it reaks of coffee. I'll probably kick my self for asking but anyone else find this? ot have a posible reason? She could just be mad for all I know.

[Joey]

Oh, I got the picture now. The positive side with the english toilets is that it doesn't smell that much, but I have to agree with michel - the "ploenk" and splashing of cold water against the cheeks is nasty.
And quink - I also think that drinking a lot of coffee has the same olfactory effect like eating asparagus (or Kellogs Smacks - but here it's the vitaminB that effects the odour. Does coffee have vitaminB, too?)
I could lower the thread here a bit by telling you how I got a bruse on my forehead once by the toilet seat..but as it was not the affect of drinking too much *coffee* - the story doesn't belong here
the austrian outpost

[MKSwing]

OK, I dont think that I can lower this thread any more, so I'm just going to come out with this.
My wife, if she ever has to use the toilet after I've gone, swears blind that it reaks of coffee. I'll probably kick my self for asking but anyone else find this? ot have a posible reason? She could just be mad for all I know.

I don't know which molecule is doing that but your wife is right, there's a coffee smell in the pee after you drank some. If you need to cover this, you can always try sprinkles (not sure about the translation, in french they're called asperges).

[Danny]

OK, I dont think that I can lower this thread any more

Oh I *know* I could... I am just not brave enough

[alans]

And then there's the beloved squat toilets which I was surprised to find still in use in Trieste and the Italians are the guys who invented Espresso!

(Now that's how you lower an already low thread!)

[moccafaux]

Eeffoc: which porn sites, please?
Mr. Follies. its to wash the potatoes in!
Joey: hugging the bowl once too often, back in the wild years?