Hello and welcome.
Oops. Your culture's showing.
We're here today to talk about culture to
you and hopefully to make it
pretty interesting. My name is Tom Peterson, and
I'm the host, and I'm sitting here with
Dean Foster. Hi, Dean. Good morning, Tom.
And, what are we doing with this culture
stuff? I mean, it sound honestly, it sounds
really dry. You know, here you and I,
here we are. Just think about what you
even did this morning, which is like the
most What did I do this morning? I'm
I'm being It's what you didn't do. I
think I know. I'm personally attacking me here.
I I noticed that you did not shave
this morning. I did not shave this morning,
and and I I did not and why
why is that culture? I don't get that.
It is. There's a cultural piece to that.
Yeah. Culture
is in everything. Everything we do, everything that
people do to with to and with us
Okay. Has a culture. Okay. Okay. Okay. So
you sound sort of like you know what
you're talking about?
You done this before?
About thirty years. Oh. About a hundred plus
countries. Oh oh oh, okay. Really? Yeah. Oh,
okay.
Alright. Fortune 500 companies. Oh, yeah. Okay. A
few books. So so you dabble?
Yeah. I dabble. Yeah. Okay. Alright. I'm very
lucky because I'm dabbling in something that's really,
really fun. I've I've had the perfect job.
Well, if you dabble in it, you clean
it up. Alright?
I hope hopefully, I don't make a mess.
I think
probably we've already made a mess, but that's
not going to stop us. We're going to
keep right on with it anyhow. So So
I'm thinking you didn't shave in this a
whole cultural discussion around that. Yeah.
Well, let me put it this way. I'm
not real concerned about being attractive to you,
so,
I'm not,
I didn't I didn't worry about it a
whole lot when I got up and looked
in the mirror this morning and said, do
I need to, you know, do I need
to really go through the whole shaving routine
for Dean? You you just brought me so
far down.
I'm so disappointed. I'm so disappointed. Well, you
know, my my goal is not to bring
you down, but but my goal is to
be honest and straightforward. I would expect that
if we're gonna get together and bring something
here, I mean, you'd have a little respect.
And Oh, well, then we got a real
big problem if I have to have respect.
Shave. You know, but I don't need to
shave. I didn't need to shave. The truth
is I didn't shave this morning. Well, see.
There you go. There you go. Now listen.
It it's so so That's not because I
didn't wanna look good for you.
And by the way, the the the laughter
that you're hearing that isn't either one of
us is our producer, Torin.
Hello.
Hello, Torin. Hello.
He's brilliant. He's always there. He's he's he's
always jumping in with with wonderful pieces of
information. No. It's a matter of respect.
Right? It it is? Yeah. And and if
I really respected you, I would have shaved
this morning. There
you go. Now it's out. You see?
Okay. Fair enough. However, there are there are
places on the planet,
groups of people on the planet who who
shaving becomes some sort of ritual. Right? I
mean, there or am I just making this
stuff up? Oh, I think so. I mean,
I think, you know, the facial hair,
fashions of the day Yeah. Are kind of
rituals. Right? Okay. Yeah.
And and it's isn't it interesting, like, today
I'll be the judge of that. But go
ahead. Men can wear facial hair like it's
required now on TV. You know? Every commentator's
got some level of, like, hip facial hair.
Right? Yeah. Like partial growth. Yeah. And and
some groups of people, like, facial hair has
incredible meaning and and significance,
even religious significance. Right? So Sure.
Name three. Right? I mean, orthodox Jews. Okay.
The men. I'm talking about the men. Okay.
And and also many Muslim sects. By the
way, you're walking by yourself through Williamsburg the
next time. Okay? The men are wearing long
beards, and it has religious significance. Right? So
facial hair
is it tells a lot. You know what
else? No. I don't. Head coverings.
Have you noticed
the coverings of the hair on the top
of the head?
What oh, you mean not like a hat,
but like but but like hair?
Hair you can have hair covering hair. I'm
guessing that hair on many parts of the
body means something throughout the world. I think
yeah. And whether you shave it or not
Yeah. It has a social and cultural significance.
So so we're starting off with our our
our our lead in subject here for today
is is hair on the body.
What does that mean? Or not. Or not.
Or not. Absolutely.
So okay. I mean, there could be practical
purposes. Like, I understand bikers, and I'm not
a real biker, but I understand bikers. Men
Are we talking vroom vroom biker? Are we
talking
biker? Yeah. No. The the the physical pedaling
bikers. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. They
the men the the competitive bikers, they shave
the hair from their legs because it's supposed
to speed them up.
Swimmers do that too. Alright. See? There you
go. Yeah. So is that a culture?
Oh, no. Okay. It's not a culture thing
at all. But you hear that term. It's
a practical term. You hear that term, though.
I mean, you hear, like, the culture of
you know, in the swimming culture and the
in the biking culture. So is that inappropriate,
or is that just kind of a loose
use of the, terminology? I do think it's
appropriate. Okay. We've gone over to terminology now,
which actually makes it even more boring. I
I think we've actually managed to get to
that level. Well, you used the word. I
didn't. Well, I'll climb out of dust. I'm
trying hard here. We'll we'll try. Let's go
look at people's bodies and and see what
that's doing.
Bodies around the world, a hair or a
no? I think it's fascinating that in some
cultures, you actually have
hair
replacing hair.
Okay. I have no idea what you're talking
about. And I don't quite understand the background,
so I I say this respectfully, but the
but Orthodox Jewish women
shave their hair when they get married. Okay.
But but to go out in public, they
wear a wig,
which is a very interesting phenomenon. Yes. Right?
Yes. And I understand the reason for it
because out in public, you I guess you
want to look like the rest of the
people on the street. Uh-huh.
And if you have You don't wanna draw
attention to yourself. That you shade your hair.
Sure. Okay. So you're putting hair on top
of hair that isn't there that would be
there. There's a so there's a cultural slash
religious
aspect to the shaving of it. There's a
religious piece to the cultural behavior. Yes. Sure.
Okay. Alright. Well, okay. Yeah. That's kind of
interesting.
Now, shaving hair off the body is not
like it's not new
and and it's done in many different parts
of the world. And in fact In many
different parts of the body too. In many
different parts of the body, which is I'm
kind of going to actually.
That's that's
go ahead. If you choose to have your
imagination run wild, please feel free. Speaking of
running wild, some of the hair that is,
is I mean, like, hair is removed. In
the in The United States, the at least
the younger culture
doesn't look at
the hairy bodies as being a positive thing.
Well, you know, it's
interesting to see these trends. Right? Yeah.
There were times
where,
facial hair on men was like something you
didn't have. Like, in the 1950s.
Well, the the business, the whole business thing
was you couldn't have facial hair. They didn't
shave it. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Yep. And then
it became fashionable. Now it's very fashionable. Well,
also in the sixties in the counterculture,
it was almost a mandatory thing. If you
could grow hair on your face at all,
you were growing hair on your face. Well,
hence the name of the show, you know,
the Broadway show. Yes. Also long hair off
of the show. It was a celebration of
long hair on on men. It wasn't a
feminine look at all. No. But women also
had long hair at that time. So they
were and and
and I and other things, but we will
just kinda slide right on by that.
Okay?
And but they also in the like, in
that time period now I realize that we're
talking fifty years ago, but at that in
that time period in The United States, that
there was no big deal. In fact, there
was actually a masculinity
to the to the idea of body hair
on men. And that, you know, the peacock
phenomenon. Right? That is Yeah. That in the
natural world,
the the male of the species is usually
the one that's Typically, the gaudy and dressed
up Bigger plumage. Right.
Right. My, yeah, my plumage is bigger than
your plumage. So that's the idea. Yeah. It
is.
It's like, well, the the female, you know,
peacock is looking around and she's saying,
he he's got bigger plumage than the other
guy. That's that's what I want. Now it
but you take other cultures, other parts of
the world, we're actually I'm sorry. I said
female peacock, that's like an oxymoron. What do
they call? Pehens? Pehens. Pehens. Pehens. Right. Yes.
Yes. Because that's our expertise, both of us.
We're The swaviar.
Biological naturalists, right, of course. And in other
parts of the world, the
body hair, facial hair, it's just not as
prevalent because of who they are. I mean,
the the genetic background
that but it it in some ways, it's
there, but you don't get the the big
Paul Bunyan type of growth on the face
in men
in other parts of the world.
Yeah. I mean, I think that's
different
biological
aspects of of ethnicity.
Right. So but but my question then is
so so is a culture going to say
this is preferred because that's the biological
reason behind it and therefore it becomes preferred,
or is it just being preferred because it's
preferred?
Or or do I have no idea what
I'm saying? So when you shave,
do you shave in front of a mirror
in the bathroom?
Yes. Okay.
By the way, I'm not answering your question
because I noticed that. Yes.
So I remember one time I was thinking
in that, those moments in your life where
you think, like, it doesn't really matter what
I do, right, because nobody's noticing me anyway.
Right. Right. So I'm gonna shave, like, just
half my face Yeah. On one side And
leave it. And leave it. And then I'm
gonna shave where my mustache should be, just
the other side. Right. And then I'm gonna
shave one eyebrow. Okay. Right? And then I'm
gonna leave the other eyebrow. Okay. And
then you have a choice. And this this
is probably why I I never did this.
I was Although I've thought about it, and
those moments in my life looking back where
I felt like it didn't matter what I
did. Stepping out of the house, nobody's gonna
notice anyway. So
but here's the dilemma I had.
Not that way. Wait. There's a dilemma that
goes on top of this? I remember this.
I can recall this. Okay. The dilemma was,
do I shave all one side so that
it's
symmetrical
so that my
eyebrow and my half mustache and my half
beard is all on one side and the
other side isn't? So you have symmetry in
the asymmetry? Are. Okay. Oh oh,
there's more. Do I go from side to
side?
Like, leave the right eyebrow,
but then take off the right mustache,
leaves the left Alternating sides. Alternating sides. Right?
Yeah. And because I had that decision, guess
what I did? Nothing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because
that would have been weird. I it's that
I'm taking that as the only culture that
actually exists in is Johnny Depp in the
Pirates of the Caribbean, movies. Does he do
that? Well, he does freakish stuff. So
it's a very small culture,
that
It's a, like, it's a petri dish culture,
I believe.
Anyway, okay.
Well, that's interesting. Now here's a cultural thing.
Thank you for sharing the time in your
life when you were heavy into drugs.
I don't recall what the motivation was. Uh-huh.
I'm not gonna say that that's what the
motivation was. Okay. Well, fair enough. You don't
have to to say anything about it. You've
already thrown you under the bus on that,
I think. So I would say this sounds
like a good time for a break.
We'll be right back.
Got any questions for us? Well, if you
do, there's a couple of ways to get
hold of us. First of all, on email,
our email address is
oopscultureshow@gmail.com.
And our handle on Twitter is oops culture
show. Pretty clever,
So talk to us.
We're in the bathroom. We're shaving. We're in
front of a mirror.
Bathrooms around the world are different. Let's talk
about it because
there's a real cultural piece in there.
Okay. Are there bathrooms around the world that
do not traditionally
have mirrors in them? Now the whole thing
about a mirror is interesting. Oh, God. He's
not gonna answer. He's just gonna go asunder.
I I don't
I'm not gonna I'm not gonna say
Yeah. You don't have mirrors Yeah. In the
bathroom because I think that's where you need
a mirror. Right? Well, that's kinda where I'm
going. No matter what you're doing. Right? Yeah.
You you
I think I mean, if you're gonna be
doing these kind of things, if I'm taking
a very sharp instrument
and I'm bringing it up to my face
and neck Or elsewhere.
Or especially elsewhere.
I am
I am Why is this just called elsewhere?
Okay. Now well, that to be
well, some people it's elsewhere, and some people
it may not be elsewhere.
Some people it's nowhere. If you understand that,
you're
more in need of help than I am.
But let's look at the mirror thing. Oh,
okay. Go ahead. Go ahead. Do your mirror
thing. Now mirrors were can reflect,
in Chinese culture, for example. Uh-huh.
You wanna place mirrors carefully because they can
reflect
bad forces
away,
and they can attract good forces in. For
example
Yeah. You know if you're going into a
Cantonese restaurant as opposed to, let's say, a
Zichuan restaurant or a Mandarin
restaurant. You have different cuisines of China. If
you if you walk down the street in
a Chinese neighborhood Uh-huh. You'll know if you
can expect Cantonese food if you see a
mirror
on the back wall of the Chinese restaurant.
Okay.
Associated with that often is a a tank
of water or live fish in a tank
of water up at the front of the
entrance of the restaurant. And and okay. And
the reason for this is because
in Southern China, Canton
region,
where Cantonese food is. Right? Yeah. Yeah. There's
a traditional belief that there are good forces
and bad forces. That's that's pretty ubiquitous throughout
all of Chinese culture. Yeah. But that the
good forces can be attracted into the restaurant
by water, and the bad forces
can be deflected out
by a mirror. Okay. So you put the
mirror at the back of the restaurant, so
it pushes all the bad forces out. And
you put the tank of water in the
front to attract all the good forces in.
Good luck. Good fortune. I've seen this. I've
seen it. That's right. So if you walk
past a restaurant and you see that kind
of architectural
arrangement Uh-huh. Chances are it's going to be
a Cantonese menu. Is is this feng shui?
This is related to feng shui. Okay. Yes.
Yes. And and we should, you know, mention
to the listeners that feng shui is is
this ancient Chinese belief that there are forces,
good and evil, out there and that the
placement of objects,
not just mirrors, but the placement of objects.
Plants and and the the fish tank that
you were talking about, water Right. Things like
that. Right? Will either attract or deflect. Right.
So where you place something is very important.
We always tell, for example, Western business people
when they go to China, if you're invited
into somebody's office and you see a lovely
jade object on the desk Yeah.
You don't pick it up and admire it
and then put it back down. Right. Because
you may have put it back down in
such a way where it's it's different from
the way it was placed. And and the
way it was originally placed was
very thoughtful Uh-huh. And and it was done
according to Feng Shui practices.
Oh. So you may have just deflected all
that person's good fortune out the
out the proverbial window. If you so if
you in other words, if you're trying
if you're trying to do business with this
person in some form that you're it's probably
not a good thing. Not a good thing
to Or even just personal relationship with the
person, they're probably not happy about that. No.
No. No. No. Okay. Then well, that would
be a pretty good reason to know that,
I would say. Yeah. Or at the very
least, you know what kind of menu to
expect when you walk into the highest restaurant.
Absolutely.
A large one.
Okay.
That's good. Now if the if the mirror
is on the back wall of an Italian
restaurant, what does that tell us?
They're sit they're serving Cantonese food. I don't
think it's an issue. You know, I don't
think there's a cultural piece to that. They
may have just enjoyed the fact that they
wanted a mirror up there. Okay. There you
go. It doesn't have the cultural significance that
it has in in China. Somehow, we got
out of the bathroom and into the Italian
restaurant. How we did. But if they they
probably have a bathroom, so let's go back
in.
It's Well, you know, and if you do
that in the in the in the in
the bathroom at the Chinese restaurant, it doesn't
matter how you do it. Right? It it's
kind of a it's a western.
And if you're western, you're you're you're familiar
with it. But just look at the difference.
For example, if you went into a Japanese
bathroom Yeah. It would be a whole other
Now you're talking about one in in a
residence or you're talking about one in a
at a business?
In a residence. In a residence. I think
in a residence. Okay. Probably you'd see this
more frequently. It's not that you wouldn't see
it elsewhere as well. Okay. So the Japanese
because I have a certain familiarity with the
Japanese toilet, and and it's different. You do?
I do. Do you have one at home?
Well, it was a long night. There was
a lot of sake.
There was in The United States, we think
of the Japanese as very Western
in their and and I mean, I and
I know we're really wrong with that, but
what we think of them in in a
Western way, so our first not being That's
oops your culture show. Oops your culture show.
Absolutely.
It's if you
are if you're going there and you go
in to use a toilet,
you you may encounter
what would be something far beyond what we
would have here in The United States. You
have to know how to manage
this nuclear device. Yes. Yes. With all these
big buttons and noise making machines.
I believe I believe it's actually equipped to
defend you in court if you need it
to. You just press the attorney button. That's
right. Right. And
and which one?
It's but it heats. It heats itself. It
heats your bottom. Yeah. It makes noises to
cover up the noises that are causing be
making. Uh-huh. Associated with bathroom use. Yes.
It has deodorizers
of different
aromas that you can press the buttons for.
What else does it do? It shoots up
water. It's like it's like it's like the
Bellagio Waterworks
in in in Vegas.
I think it actually has a slot machine
involved also. It's got
synchronized
fountains
coming up at different times in different directions.
I think. And and I'm already feeling very
good about that. It's Oh, you're having a
great time.
It's it's it's why people just don't ever
come out. You want to stay in there
if you really Right. After after the fountain
show, you're expecting, you know,
the the media. Come out. And it's warm.
It's it's like, this is great.
And yet, it it the interesting thing to
me too is that it it's so culturally
specific to Japan.
Overall, it it hasn't spread. Well, I was
I saw one. I actually actually used one
where you choose the music that you wanted.
Yeah. Okay. To cover the sound. Oh, I've
heard that too. Yeah. And it wide range.
Well, then you had a whole choice. Yeah.
I mean, there was It's like iTunes. It
was classical.
It was there was it was
it was Asian pop.
What are you doing? So what what am
I about to do is you're going to
choose,
based on that? So the first Is that
you did the
first criteria that
I had was how long am I going
to be in here?
Well, depends. Did you stop
for the Cantonese food Well, it before you
came there.
It immediately reduced my choices because Beethoven's fifth
was out. You know, I'm not
I think the eighteen twelve overture would be
a good one,
mainly with the cannons on. If I if
I
if I'd had the
the choice.
You do have a choice.
I would've I would've gone straight to the
end of the eighteen twelve. Right at the
end. You just go straight to the end
with the cannons and be out of there.
They just or the bells. The bells might
help too.
Do you know that when Tchaikovsky wrote that,
he actually wrote in his score. Toilet at
the time. Maybe he was or standing in
the middle of the river in Moscow.
Yeah. I think in the score, he actually
says that there should be bells being rung
by cherubs from the heavens. Is that right?
Yeah. So you couldn't pay them anybody in
the musicians union. No. But Yeah. But you
had to pay the cherubs. How can you
get cherubs in the there's no cherubs in
the union. Not the last time I looked.
It
well, somebody has to get cherubs to work.
You know? I mean, come on. They it's
been slow. Skipped the 1812, and I think
I I think I chose, given the fact
that I wasn't planning to be in there
for a very long time I see. Yes.
I think I chose some interesting,
Asian pop. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I figured I
was in Japan learning. We kind of get
that that that name for it goes along
with the entire experience, I would say. Asian
pop. Yep.
When,
I was, would be hoping Inigada DaVita was
in there, actually. That well,
again,
how long you did it? Well, there you
go. That's Wasn't that the longest popular song
ever
written there? There may be longer now, but
it's but it's for a long
something like twenty two minutes. Yeah.
Yeah. What what how long was it, Torin?
You how long was In A Gada de
Vita? I will take a look. Not the
Simpsons version. Or how long have you been
in the A Gada de Gada.
Vita's Gaden. They I think they just pulled
the plug on those guys anyhow. They were
pretty stoned when they recorded that. So there
you go. So, anyhow, I'm still in the
bathroom in Japan. Alright. Alright. Okay. I'm seeing
seventeen minutes. Seven. A little over seventeen minutes.
Seventeen minutes. Okay. I thought it was longer
than that, but alright. Well, depending on the
Cantonese food you had the night before, you
might have to run it up again. Yeah.
You might have to go on a second
version of that. Again.
Right? Loop
looping in a got at the Vita is
not pretty. Not at all.
Okay. But now everybody wants to buy a
jacket and toilet, by the way.
Let's take a break.
While listening to this, you may think,
hey, You know, I wonder well, if you
have a question like that you wanna ask
us, there's a couple ways you can do
it. One would be through email, which is
oopscultureshow@gmail.com.
That's 00pscultureshow@gmail.com.
And then there's also our handle on Twitter,
which is oops culture show.
That's
o o p s culture show.
I know. I know. It's not original, but
but it works. Okay?
Everyone wants to buy a Japanese toilet now.
Well, I would I mean, that's the thing.
That's the thing. I can't imagine because we're
just we're just beginning
with Japanese bathrooms.
The the the toilet aspect of it is
just the beginning. We were renovating one of
our bathrooms a few years ago, and I
toyed with the idea of just
Of going Japanese
culture No. I didn't want a Japanese culture
bathroom. I just wanted a Japanese toilet because
it was fun. Picking a fight here or
what?
So I went online Okay. To see. And
you could,
you know, you can get them no matter
where. You don't have to be in Japan.
Right.
Relative to a western toilet, they they're very
expensive. But fair enough, they have all these
bells and whistles that are just so much
fun. I just would think on on anything
from, like, middle top end
up,
you would start seeing so many more of
them, and I don't know that that's happening
in this country in The United States. I
think it may be in other parts of
the world it is, but I don't I
don't see it happening in The United States.
Think it it should because it you think
it would because it's just great. Yeah. Right?
Yeah. Yeah. Here's another thing. And there there
are probably so many aspects of Japanese culture
that I wonder, you know, you would have
you would have expected them to have caught
on
elsewhere. Yeah. But but they didn't, you know,
like the the hot towel that you get
at the beginning of the meal, of a
Japanese meal. Oh, right. For sure.
It is a wonderful, wonderful thing. Right? Yeah.
It it soothes you. You get this hot
towel. You can
pat your you know, wash off your hands.
It's it's clean.
You can't guarantee that everybody who walks into
your restaurant is gonna use the bathroom to
clean their hands. Right. Many people don't. I
mean, I go into I do. If I'm
taking this I live in New York City.
If I take the subway somewhere, the first
thing I do after I get out of
the subway is use a hand sanitizer or
wash my hands, but maybe not everybody does.
Right?
So the hot towel comes, and it's it's
wonderful.
It it just soothes you. It cleans you.
It's why didn't that catch on
everywhere else?
Wouldn't you love that if you walked into
a French restaurant
to sit down and just I would think
that would be great for something. Get a
nice hot towel. Yeah. I would absolutely.
I think And a shave.
And a shave and a body shave, perhaps.
Yeah.
Well, in the right French restaurant, I think
that would work well.
Or an Italian restaurant. Or an Italian
yeah. We probably shouldn't do that.
So we started to talk about this, but
what I don't understand is I don't I
don't see how the
especially the Western world, which would seem meaning
The United States, but Canada and and Australia
through Western Europe. Western Europe. I I don't
know why they haven't leaped
to the Japanese bathroom style. It seems to
me to be I mean, and maybe in
some
little ways they have in some few little
pockets. It is available, and I'm sure people
buy it. But but why hasn't it been
like this is great. Where Why hasn't it
replaced the current
toilet? Like, why can't I go to Home
Depot
and,
and just order my my Japanese style toilet
with all the bells and whistles? I know
you can get one that has certain things
that will that will work with it. But
mainly, they're all special orders, and
I just don't think it's happening. And to
me, it would sound like it should be
ubiquitous.
Why wouldn't you want to do this?
Yeah. You know, I I think there's lots
of reasons. Right? Okay. But I also think
there's a cultural reason. Yeah. Economics, it costs
a whole lot more. These contraptions are just
more expensive. Sure. Right? So it's only going
to appeal to a certain group who can
actually afford it. Yeah. But that is the
the supply and demand thing. So the more
the people want it, the the it would
go down. But, yeah, there's still gonna be
a certain part of that. Right? But I
think the cultural piece to this Yep. Is
that
we don't wanna hang out in the bathroom.
I think it's a Puritan thing.
I I think,
you know, we just wanna get in there,
do our business, and get out. All Puritan
influenced. I mean, I know the country as
a whole is. I get that. Yeah. But,
I mean,
because we've got the, you know, the parts
of the country that we are much much
warmer and and come from So I I
think bathroom manufacturers struggle with this problem all
the time because they really wanna make a
bathroom so that, you know, you wanna hang
out in there. Right. Right? Right. And so
there's always
new features that Is it because, like, we're
we
but this doesn't seem to fit. We don't
find our pleasure in the bathroom. We do
it. We find our pleasure. Sure we don't.
Sure we don't. Well,
then there's a whole lot of other contraptions
that we need to create.
I've got
a feeling the Japanese understand this too. Maybe
they've come up with a new version. I'm
gonna think that's possible. Yeah.
The thing the first thing that struck me
was, well, okay, but what do we do?
We we wanna we run into a bathroom.
Usually, we're late
wherever we're going, whether it's out recreationally
or business or work. We're we're probably running
a little bit late. We wanna get in
there. We wanna get whatever we have to
do done, get out of there, and move
on. Right. But that
that would only work if we if it
wasn't coming from a if it was coming
from an agriculturally
driven country. See, I don't think that's totally
it either because the Japanese, you know, you
live in Tokyo, you're living a modern rushed
life too. It's a very rushed life. So
that doesn't work. No. So
we're still going,
I mean, I get the puritanical side. Sure.
You can use it. We we will look.
We'll ditch puritanical
for this is really cool in a heartbeat.
I mean, that's what's made Silicon Valley.
And
and and there's a lot of stock and
money to be made in in in that
whole industry.
Continuing progress of of technology,
obviously, the Japanese are on the cutting edge
of that also. Maybe we're complete can only
get better. Maybe we're complete
completely wrong. Maybe you and I have been
so isolated
that we've we haven't noticed for yourself here
for a second. That we haven't noticed that
everybody Oh, it's happening? It's happening.
It's happening. Well, I don't know. Is it
happening? Well, I don't know. What do you
and I know? Well, I don't know. You're
the cultural expert.
I don't think it's happening.
Well, I don't think it's happening either there.
It's not happening then.
I think I think we're pretty safe. I
think we're pretty safe
to say that it is not happening on
any
large or medium scale. Okay? Well, you know,
the
ask the same question, like, how come
saunas haven't,
you know, become ubiquitous
as the way they are, let's say, in
Finland or or in the Baltics? Or you
you get into the Scandinavian countries and things
like that. I mean, people love
one we've we've adopted the,
the the like, a whirlpool bath
that Very much so. Cell tub. Everybody has
it, but but I've got one. The hot
tub is in a hot tub. Right? Uh-huh.
Though it so that part of our society,
we're like, okay. And so we like, we're
immediately
saying, because see, what does that do? I've
got a Whirlpool
tub
in one of my bathrooms. Nobody wants to
play music.
And well, but they do. They bring their
I their I
their iPhone in, and they play music, and
they listen to guess what? Podcasts.
Here's the difference. So Here's the difference. And
I'm guessing that somebody right now could be
sitting in a Whirlpool tub in their bathroom
listening to this podcast right now. Right. And
so why isn't it just structured
for them to be able to go in
and in a world where what are they
pushing at us? Artificial intelligence. So the Japanese
culture
is very as many Asian cultures are,
very concerned about the group,
about others Right. About my individual
activities
impact on others.
So
in a public bathroom
where
there are lots of others
Yeah. What I do on the toilet
has to be
has to be carefully controlled so that it
doesn't impact
the others. Okay. So we have music. We
have aromas. We have all sorts of things.
Right?
But what we do privately in our house
Yeah. We're not concerned about others.
Well, but And I think that's the reason
it hasn't caught on the way other,
other bathroom pleasure devices like
like warm pools. But but
but they'll sell
who knows how many cans of
air freshener that sit in people's bathrooms.
So clearly, we There's some concern. We are
concerned about what we're going to leave beyond.
To the degree that we're gonna play the
eighty twelve overture.
But I think
I think
but if I do but I do think
people are concerned about that. Sitting next to
a bathroom stall where I suddenly I heard
the cannons and the bells when the heat's
going over. So you know you know what's
going on. I'd be more freaked out. I'd
be less comfortable.
I wouldn't be more comfortable.
I try to get out of there so
fast.
Well, what are you
doing
in
there?
I'd be afraid my music would clash with
someone else's.
That
well, look. There's the courtesy flush.
Right? I mean, that's something that that some
people are nice enough to use, which which
which does a couple of things. I mean,
it it can it can cover
other sounds
and and at the same time, move the
progress of the whole process
along
at a more rapid pace
so that the
the results of the process
won't impact other people too much. Concern,
you know,
about of the for the other, sure. But
not to the degree in the West that
it is in Asia. I just think in
the And I just think fundamentally from a
cultural perspective, that's the reason why this hasn't
caught on the way it has caught on.
Well, I mean, you know,
let's let's put it this way. As we
know from the highest levels of this country,
people do a lot of things on their
phone while they're sitting in the bathroom,
in the morning or wherever. Amazed the first
time you walked into a public restroom and,
you know, from a guy's perspective, standing at
the URL and there's another guy next to
you Yes. And he's on the phone talking
to somebody?
Yes. Like, what?
Right. What? I was I was more concerned
when they were FaceTiming.
No. Actually, that would make more sense.
Wait wait a minute. What bathrooms are you
going into? Hold on here. With
like, not that it bothered me because I
was perfectly fine.
I was perfectly fine. But it was,
yeah. Yeah. That is that is strange. Yep.
So strange that it's probably time to take
one last break.
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you. What I'm what I'm getting to also
with the iPhone or the or whatever,
cellular phone you're using,
when when people are dragging them into the
bathroom, they're providing music, they're people are checking
email, they are they are tweeting, they are
Instagram facilities. We need all sorts of things.
And if so, how come that hasn't
It would seem to be It's too much.
I think it's over the top. I just
think though that that we would
how could you not want if you're living
in an area, like, we're in the Northeast
Of The United Northeastern United States. I think
if you could if there was a if
if you could plug your phone into the
maybe there are new versions of Japanese toilets.
In, you they could be wireless.
Or maybe there are new versions of Japanese
toilets now that accommodate technology.
Well, you know, we do have the things
coming along that and it it all seems
to be going this way because there's the
things happening with
with the home
that you can you can access from anywhere.
We have a Siri. We can call Siri
on our Japanese toilet. We we can talk
to the toilet. Siri. It'd be the whole
new twist on doctor Doolittle.
It'd be doctor do a lot more, actually.
Do not do not do little. Do more.
But would
seriously, it's a cold winter's day, and I
go into the bathroom and because I have
that all of these things you can do.
And I can not only that, but I
could at the very least, I have a
preset
temperature
on the toilet seat
that I can sit down and it can
make me feel wonderful. You're gonna you're gonna
wanna stay. It's it could be the warmest
part of the house. It might be. It
absolutely might be. And and then as you
talked about before, we have the, you know,
the fountain out in front of the Bellagio,
to to provide us with lights and amazing
and lights and and
and who knows,
maybe maybe Goldfish.
And and we have we have that also
just going now. Don't you feel better? And
and I think you have a business there.
I think you should.
That's the that's the amazing thing. I mean,
really, when you think about it, is this
just a cultural resistant? Is there some sort
of economic aspect to it? Yeah. I think
it's a combination. Out of the cultural realm.
But but Yeah. You have to add all
these factors in and that's the and there's
your answer. You know? Not to say and
and and again, you're the cultural expert here.
I'm just the, pretty face.
And,
so so why is that funny? Hold on.
Look in the mirror. Oh, it's deflecting
the negative. Mirror is it placed?
I always thought that was the goldfish I
was looking at. It turns out it's me.
The Koi boy. Never eat anything. The
Koi boy.
Not the boy koi. No. That's a whole
No. That's a that's a boy group, I
think. No. That's not c o y k
o y. Club, I think it was. I
think. Stay with me here. Not
Do I have to?
Coy boy is very different from coy boy.
Alright.
Coy boy George, I think, is is a
totally different things.
Or there's Toy Boy Toy also.
Right.
That's another podcast
right there. Yep. Yep. We'll get to it
though. I think it's I think it's a
new addition. It's a new feature on the
latest Japanese toilet.
Oh, I'm thinking one way or another, the
coy boy toy has already come to American
bathrooms.
Oh,
wow. Okay.
Anyway, where the hell are we?
Okay. Well, I I don't think we've solved
the problem of Did we have a problem?
I didn't know we had a problem. Not
a not a problem. It's a curiosity.
I mean, it you know, it's it's a
curiosity. How come this thing that sounds
I mean, Toron, are you on board with
this? This sounds like a really cool thing.
It sounds like it sounds like the toilet
in Japan. I very much want one. You
I'm sure. I'm sure. I want two. I'm
not getting you one for Christmas, by the
way.
But it's it's a that would be an
interesting thing to buy someone for Christmas, wouldn't
it? Here, it's a Japanese toilet. Well, you
know, maybe there's somebody who's working on this,
and what they're doing is they're having to
think about how we adapt it culturally to
to
American culture, US American culture, or or to
Western European culture. And and maybe and it'd
be it's it's an interesting exercise. What would
I have to do to a traditional Japanese
toilet
to retain
the attractive features,
but to make it more appropriate to the
culture in The US if I wanna sell
it there. Right. What do you think they
would have to do? Well, I don't know
because my reaction is the same as Torrance.
My reaction is You want everything the way
it is? Too. Yes. And and and yours.
Is is this sounds this sounds terrific. And
in a world where, I mean, people are
lining up for the newest telephone
when it comes out,
and and and they're lining up to get
it like it's gonna go bad on them
if they don't get the the first ones
that are manufactured.
And and they can't get enough of these
things, and all we can talk about is
artificial intelligence and robots.
So what do I think could do it?
I think when the Japanese make the thing
come the toilet come out of the room
Make it affordable. Bring you back into the
bathroom. So that no matter so you can
keep walking around. You could just You can
clean the house. Yes. It'll come and just
leap onto you. You can get into your
car with it. Right? Just take it anywhere
you wanna go. It's go on the go.
Go on the go.
Well
You you could drive through McDonald's with Perfect.
It's so American. Exactly. You're right. You just
You can drive through McDonald's.
That's sort of the complete loop right there.
Right. Yep. If if Attach it to your
seat. They're gonna have little clip ons like
like baby seats in cars. Yeah. They're gonna
clip the Japanese toilet clip on in the
car. You when you're driving
as well.
It comes with an airbag.
No more.
As long as it's in the right spot.
No more no more rest stops.
You're in a permanent rest stop. Anything. You're
never getting out of your car. You're in
a mobile rest stop. So American.
We finally made America great again, I believe.
We did. I think we did. Greater than
ever. Ever and ever.
And and and how much can you tell
about a Japanese culture by looking in their
toilet? I mean, it's just incredible.
Look, there's another aspect to it that is
that that really does reflect with us. I
mean, the the you've got a a country
that is is,
you said before, the Asian,
countries
have been,
developed in culture with the idea that the
group
is at least as important as the individual
in a many cases. More so. More so.
So it's it's it's vital. So you've got
a a group of people and especially in
Japan, which is a series of islands
and and,
isolated, and for many, many years was literally
isolated from the rest of the world. And
and they will go along and do things
and adjust and adapt to something even though
they're that
that that
much faster
than they'll adapt much faster
than than The United States will because we're
always you know, we're independent and individual, so
our our overall attitude towards things is prove
it to me, show me, something like that
until we do, and then we line up
for the next,
next iPhone that they're gonna overcharge me for.
Mhmm. Well Not that I'm bitter.
Therefore, strap on your your Japanese
toy. Go on the go. Clip it into
your car seat. Put it on.
And
and if they could make it fly
if they could make it fly, it would
be the greatest invention of all time. Wow.
Yeah. The Didn't Da Vinci design one of
those,
a flying toilet
like that? I'm sure he did. I'm sure
he did. He's those sketches that he made.
He's so far ahead of his own. Amazing.
I think yeah. Yeah. I mean, he was
Yeah. He was a computerized somewhere in there.
Somewhere in there. Sketch.
Flying toilet with an airbag. I'm pretty sure
that he designed. Yes. Yeah. He he had
Michelangelo
also. And I think if you look up
at the Sistine Chapel Yes. You'll see in
the little corner there somewhere,
there's a cherub with a Japanese toilet attached.
Right? There's the cherubs. Michelangelo's greatest work. Got
the cherubs back because they're,
they haven't been doing anything since then. We've
got Yes. You're right. It was mostly Michelangelo.
We've got we've got cherubs That's right. Twice
in one podcast.
How many times can you use a cherub?
It's not easy. It's not easy. So well
done.
I think the last time I heard cherubs,
noted was,
that was kind of a seedy movie theater
in a bad section of town. But we
anyway,
this Well, you could sit in the cherub
section. It was the yes. The cherub section
when
and there were no airbags. Believe me.
There was
I don't even know what that means.
Oh my goodness. Well,
you know what?
You know you know what time it is?
Look on your toilet. I'm sure it has
a glass somewhere. So would you like a
a digital or a Yeah. Well, we can
do it. Yeah. You can You can look
at the digital part. You can look at
the Yeah. Yeah. A countdown would be interesting.
Again. We're so digital we forget the term
for non digital. What's the when you're sitting
on the toilet, the term digital could mean
a whole lot.
What's the what is Torin, what's look it
up for us, please. What you know, you
have an you have a digital clock and
you have a
Analog. Oh, well, well We're so digital, I
can't think of the term. Thank you. Oh,
oh, oh, yes. Analog. Yes. Analog. Right. Thank
you. Right. Which is
being able to read the hands on a
clock is a of this lost art
that's that's unfortunately a lost art. I guess,
do we need it for now? Like the
like the
the disappearing art of of handwriting.
Of of cursive writing. Yes. Absolutely.
Yeah.
Torren, you didn't you didn't learn cursive writing,
did you, in school? I did, but
briefly.
I think briefly in fifth grade. Torrens of
a younger generation. Yeah.
Yeah. It it's it's a it's not yes.
Torrens
much younger than the than us. We are
at at least a 83.
I have eight years old. I think.
But and
and Torrance eight,
which we wanna talk to you about the
puberty thing, Tor. That's strange that Coming up.
Going through it. Yes.
It's about the voice. It's a little weird.
Anyway, yeah. You're so you're you're minimally
cursed
Yes. If I can make that into a
Exactly. Past tense for You're cursive deficient. I
don't wanna make it negative, but But it
but it is. Most most kids today. Yeah.
Yeah. And and and and so handwriting is
is actually deteriorated immensely.
It's But because we don't need it right.
The question. So what? So what? That's the
reason. Is it important? We've we've given up
the Quill pen because so what? So you
don't need an analog toilet. Yeah. And I'm
saying no. Heat mine up, baby.
Alrighty.
On that note,
I'm Tom Peterson, and,
I'm sitting here trying to educate you with
Dean Foster, who's,
in theory anyway,
one of the great experts in culture around
the world. Is that accurate?
Sure. Okay. We'll go with it. And if
you buy that, there's this bridge we've got.
Anyway,
thanks for listening, and,
smell
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