Down the Drain

I've mentioned before that I think Americans squander their resources. Last week I came across a particularly extreme manifestation of this:

During a visit to the "restroom" at the airport, I was amazed that the toilet seemed to flush for ever. On closer - though not too close - inspection of the bowl, I discovered that rather than being the usual 1GPF (1 gallon per flush = 3.78 litres) model or its more profligate cousin, the 1.6GPF variety, this toilet used a staggering three-and-a-half gallons of drinking water each time it was flushed. That's a jaw-dropping 13.25 litres!

What are they trying to flush away? Entire planes?

Liquid Volumes

Americans consume their fluids the same way their cars do: by the gallon.

Whether it's milk, juice or liquid soap, the standard container size seems to be 1 gallon (3.78 litres).

Coincidentally, judging by the "1gpf" markings I see everywhere, it's exactly the same volume of water that most urinals and toilets consume with each flush.

Urinals

This really surprised me - and it's not the first time I've encountered an almost floor-height urinal. You see, I'm no giant, but my midriff (to use an acceptable euphemism) is often at the upper extremity of urinals in the US.

Since I know that the average American is about 300 foot tall, I must assume that men have their micturition apparatus reattached at the knee when they have the inevitable postnatal circumcision.

This would also explain why all swimwear is knee-length.