French Toilets

If you go into any French home and ask to use the bathroom, you will be directed to a little room with only a toilet. Why? The French keep the toilette and salle de bains separate. The American notion of having the toilet, bathtub/shower, and sink in the same place is a completely foreign idea here!

At school a couple of days ago we were learning the vocabulary associated with houses and apartments. One of the students asked why in France the toilet was not in the bathroom with the sink and bathtub. Our professor simply pinched her nose, indicating that the French prefer to keep the toilet and its, uh, unpleasant odors, separate from the rest of the house. Très intéressant and it makes a lot of sense.