I have so many questions… #cultureshock

[skylertate]

Alright, you got me with the poop shelf. As an American, I've watched way too many of these and never been put into a coma. This one nearly did the trick.

[AmICainpeepeepoopoo]

i inspect mine free range n floatin like the founding fathers wanted

[tonydelgado]

As a medic, I'll tell you they got this right. Your BMs tell you alot about your health. Fatty poo floats more, protein rich sinks, red indicates a possible GI bleed, Yellow can mean liver/kidney issues or celiac disease, etc...

[Lonelysappytree]

As a scottish person who calls the whole room a ‘toilet’ this really confused me for a good 20 secs on why you would have a shelf in the toilet/bathroom for inspecting it- like why would you take it out of the actual toilet in the first place

[jayzz]

it's true, although now they are just a normal toilet to us and we don't really think about. The original idea was indeed so you could look at your poop to see if you had diseases that showed in your poop.

[romeor]

Tbf poop can be a really good indicator of several health concerns.

[annielloyd]

In countries like Holland and Germany that traditionally consumed a lot of pork that shelf made it possible to check for worms which are a possibility if the meat is undercooked.

[KitTeaKat]

That would make collecting a stool sample so much easier.

[lillithblackheart]

Wait don't we get a picture of the poop shelf (preferably without poop)? I can't picture it in my head how that would work. Do you have to somehow pick up the poop and put it on the shelf to inspect it? Or does it automatically catch it, and then you have to roll it off into the water? I need answers!

[AAAforshort]

Ngl as a dutch person I was confused as heck for a sec 😂 I forgot your toilets are different I thought of a literal shelf above it or smth

[elizabethk]

I have crohns disease so this would unironically be so helpful 😭

[yeoldetort]

As an American honestly this is shocking but SO useful, your poop can say a lot about your health and for some they have to check regularly because of medical conditions this is so smart

[seonanichole]

When I studied abroad this made me SO UNCOMFORTABLE! WHO knew I would miss the splash 😢

[misterkim]

My Dutch grandparents have it and I gotta say as a shy pooper I love the lack of plopping sounds (and lack of splashing)

[sarinaschlussel]

My Aunt (who is Dutch) explained to me that you have to put a piece of toilet paper on the "shelf", so the poo does not stick to the ceramic and just slides right off when you flush. She also told me the shelf is there so you don't splash your a** when dropping a number two.

[Gerhold]

Germany too. Maybe less widespread now. It's a ledge in the pan - not a shelf in the toilet.

[amethystrain]

as someone with digestive health issues, that’s very helpful!

[foxtail]

I like those shelves because it reduces the splash

[TheGruffchickJournal]

The shelf also prevents water from splashing you while dropping logs. Americans avoid splashes by floating a few squares of TP on the water surface, especially when using public toilets.

[Varenyam]

It's more like a plateau in the middle of your "normal" toilet bowl. It lands on there and when you go to flush it just slides down into the hole you're used too. We don't take it out, come on man 😂

Why its still useful:
- If you have a resorption problem, your stool will stick to the bowl. So skid marks are helpful information: it tells you about potential vitamin deficiencies
- possibility of ulcers/cancer (blood in stool)
- color matters
- parasites like worms
- consistency: too much fat or proteine intake etc.
People with gut issues can tell a lot by looking at it.


It's especially helpful for people who care for the elderly, small children, disabled people, people with low IQ and such. Those people can have problems with letting you know what's going on with their bodies :)

I actually dislike toilets without them because the splashback and not being able to see what's going on since its under the water 😅