McGuest

Hello all. Well, today, I, Josh, will be sitting in for EggRoll Mama. I did have to get special permission, not for the content per se, but simply to invade her personal communication space. But I digress. I hope it's enjoyable, informative, and entertaining...

Oh, McDonalds. After our second or third trip back home from this Asian country, Rachel and I were driving through our small college town, and suddently we came upon the Golden Arches; oh yes, the Golden Arches. We began talking about how it's funny that we rarely go to McDs while in the states (except for some breakfast), but also how, when we live in this Asia country, it is a regular stop that is a safe haven for decent burgers, good Coke, and guaranteed air conditioning when it's 100 degress F and 90% humidity, and at a reasonable price. (Big Macs are about $1.50). Talk about globalization and the ability to reproduce exactly items the world over...the burgers, fries, and even the apple pies taste exactly the same; it's weird, a little weird I guess, how we are 7000 miles away from home, and yet so close to what we consider a reminder of 'western' life. Also, at the McDs here in this Asian country, there are small play areas for the kidos with a slide and place to climb around, etc. Emma has been particularly interested in climbing and exploring these past few weeks, and so we would take her to McDs (or KFC) to eat and play.

One of the interesting parts of this culture, or customs I should say, is that this Asian country's people have quite a different view of cleaniless and what it means for things to be sanitary. When western-style sit-down toilets were introduced in the 1990s in hotels, restaurants, and homes, the immediate response was, "how do we stand on top of it without falling?" Yes, this Asian country's people, their toilets, in the past and more rural areas of today, are level with the ground and are just a porcelain pan with a hole in it that you squat on top of to relieve one's self. That's easy for an adult, but what about the kids?

Well, not only were western-style sit-down toilets a new thing difficult to except, but diapers, or these wrap-around-keep-the-poo-n-pee-inside-until-you-change-it things were particularly difficult because, for one reason, the cost of buying them was too expensive. Diapers, were not and continue to be expensive here in this Asian country. So, with the toilets, this country's people have started and continue to make the change to western-style sit-down toilets, and they use them while sitting on them, not standing so much anymore. But the transition to diapers, although not a higher form of culture but what most people consider to be a sanitary way of managing and maintaining the body functions of an infant or small child, continue to be more difficult to except.

So, this country's people continue to use their timeless and age old practice of the "Kai Dang Ku." Kai means open, Dang, well let's just translate it as split, and Ku means pants; so literally 'open split pants.' In the crotch area, their is a split, front to back. Why a split? Well, so that when the child has to relieve themselves, then they won't go inside their pants, thereby making the pants unusable until being washed. And we all know how often small children relieve themselves. So, the child goes to the bathroom outside his/her pants, which inevitably because of gravity and such natural laws means that their poo and pee end up on the ground. Now, granted, there are some adults supervising the kids who, try as they may, make an effort for their children to go on the side of the side walk rather than in the middle, but sometimes, the poo or pee ends up in the middle. (Now you know why most Asian countries have you take off your shoes at the door and use inside-the-house-sandals.) There are some other parents who find some newspaper or the like to put underneath for easy clean up; that's thinking ahead.

Children as old as three or four wear the KaiDangKu. Obviously children this old make an obvious choice of when to go the bathroom and when to not, and yes, even some of them still use the side of the sidewalk or nearby tree to relieve themselves.

So, the other day, my friend JJ, a westerner who also finds safe haven in McDs, was out and about and decided to stop at McDs for a burger. JJ also has some small children, but was alone this day. He got his food, and sat in the back near the play area. For some time, Rachel and I had been wondering how the KaiDangKu and play areas worked together. Do parents really let the children's open private area slide down the slide and play in the ball pit; surely not? Oh, this day, my friend JJ was going to see first hand. Not only do the parents allow their KaiDangKu kids to play in the area and slide down the slide, but my friend JJ had sat down just in time to see a kid squat and lay a McPoo right their in the McDs McPlay area; the McWorkers took their sweet McTime cleaning it up, with a McTowel, but no McSpray as that would kill the McGerms.

Emma loves to climb and play, and I want to encourage her to climb and play, but alas, she will not be a McKid, not when her Bu KaiDangKu (bu meaning not, so "not open split pants") are sliding down the same McSlide as the split pants dirty bum kids, at least not when Mama Eggroll is around. :)