Yes, this is a graffiti of... toilet paper! When I saw it (by the Centre Culturel Suisse, off rue des Francs Bourgeois), I could not help taking a photo thinking of how many times foreign visitors mentioned to me that they were surprised to see pink toilet paper... For yes, ladies and gentleman, in France pink toilet paper is the norm (well, almost). Also, for those of you who are currently learning French, the "PQ" is not the artist's signature (at least I don't think so!), but stands for Papier Q (Q sounding like Cul in French, which means "butt"), pronounced "Pay-Kew".
I love it!
ReplyDeleteYes, toilet paper varies depending on where in the world you are... I found out the hard way when I went to Jersey Island, off the coast of Britany (or is it Normandy?) the first time. They had some kind of waxed toilet paper (well, waxed on one side only, but for the unprepapred kid that I was, it was a bit of a surprise ) ahem. Just let your imagination fill in the blanks. :-)
Oh, and in the States we have Dubya toilet paper: I had a couple of rolls but they are kind of expensive to use every day. They are great for parties, however. They looked kind of like this one:
http://www.demstore.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/scstore/DemStore/bush-toilet.html?E+scstore
PQ could also be a commentary on the sad state of affairs of the Parti Quebecois... After the latest Quebec provincial elections, some say they are going down the toilet...
ReplyDeleteHow very unsavoury... lol! I won't have anything but white in my bathroom though of course you can buy all colours. For virtually everything, for me, white is king. lol. I do love this idea though. Cul always makes me laugh, it just sounds naughty doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteThat waxed stuff, Tomate, used to be found in public loos in the UK too. Ouch! Who on earth invented it? Presumably someone without a bottom.
ReplyDeleteThe US used to have colored paper. Perfumed, printed with flowers, etc. I wonder where it all went?
ReplyDeleteHa! I heard you say "down the toilet." Very funny.
le bon vieux PQ de dériere les fageaux...
ReplyDeleteha la classe à l'etat pure...
mais moi j'adore...
On my daughter's first trip to France in 2002 (she was 7), we went to the restroom in CDG. She knew she loved France when she saw the PINK toilet paper. She still has the bit of extra she took as a souvenir in a scrapbook!
ReplyDeleteWow, informative post.
ReplyDeleteAnd then there's this link to a large company called PQ Corporation.
http://www.pqcorp.com/
Do they even know?
Love your "pay-kew" prononciation advise ;-)
ReplyDeletePQ sur les murs de Paris, Sarcozy... aucun rapport?
ReplyDeletevoila un graffiti original et tres reussit.
ReplyDeleteun moment de douceur dans ce monde de brute ;o) (cela me rappelle cette ancienne publicite avec cet enfant qui courrait voir ces parents avec du papier PQ).
Bien vu, Eric
We have some colored toilet papers here too, and some perfumed. But none pink!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see the pink one, I'm a big fan of the color pink... it's childish I know... but I love it!
I will do anything in the course of a day not to use a public toilet, so to find out there is pink toilet paper in France is quite a surprise. It will be my next purchase at Monoprix to bring back home to the States! (Lynn, I brought back Fairy Liquid from the UK as a gag gift to the delight of a dear male friend of mine) Does that translate into Brit speak?.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the French lesson, Eric, but apparently my American accent already has them rolling in the aisles. I have been told the "kew" at the end of my "Merci beaucoup" sounds like I'm saying.........well,..... you get the embarassing PICTURE!
P.S. anonyme, it's not too late to get your students to pronounce it with a better accent!
ReplyDeleteA great piece of graffiti Eric. And I do wonder if the person who painted it wasn't named "PQ" as well!
ReplyDeleteTomate, I love the dubya paper. But when I wasn't using it, I'm not sure that I could stand to look at it.
Here's a photo of what some of the pink toilet paper in France looks like. Looks gentle doesn't it?!
And for a little bit of toilet paper history, see this. Direct from the World Toilet Organisation.
I just read the title of your post Eric. "Life in the Pink"...is this your impression of "La vie en rose?" LOL!
ReplyDeletePink is my favorite color - I heard the reason they don't make colored toilet paper here anymore is because the dye can be harmful to one's privates... Don't know if that's true.
ReplyDeleteIs there any significance to the dancing people underneath the t.p.?
omg Michael you can't be serious! Is that really what the pink loo paper is like? You must all be walking around with red bottoms. How horribly scratchy. Ours here is soft and delicate of course, sometimes even perfumed.... sigh...
ReplyDeleteThis bit of graffiti is great fun. I think gentlemen prefer white. Pink is too femme for my personal taste. We are starting a trend in bathroom basics. We have the standard soft rolls and we keep "baby butt wipes", our brand "Huggies", in the plastic boxes provided by the company in both bathrooms. They add the final touch to butt hygiene...makes you feel fresh. We buy them in the big box size at "Sam's". Monoprix carries them, so we have them in France when we visit. This is more info than you want, I am sure. However, we want to be trendsetters in the butt department. LOL
ReplyDeletehttp://pqcollect.free.fr/anglais/collection.php
ReplyDeleteenjoy French pink shades!
Too funny Johnny. You're right...maybe a little TMI (too much information)... LOL
ReplyDeleteGosh yes i'm reeling from that, Johnny! The pink pound goes far on loo roll then.
ReplyDeleteLOL trendsetters in the butt department!!!!
ReplyDeleteMichael the pink toilet paper seems a bit rough... ok, now that I've seen it here I don't think I need to see one of these in France anymore...
Pont Girl, I hadn't even noticed the dancing people below the pink paper. Are they happy people celebrating life in the pink?
I guess french people DOES take that la vie en rose thing very serious!
Monica: Be sure to pack your own soft stuff! What with the roughness and the dye... goodness knows the damage it could do to a lady. I imagine French women carry their own little pack of discreet, skin-soft loo paper in their chique designer bags when they venture out.
ReplyDeleteI remember staying in the worst place ever (my apologies anyone who lives there) - Dreux. Even the sound of it; drab, dull, ugh! It was years ago. Anyway my ex-husband didn't want us to spend too much (what was new?) and insisted we stop at this place, opposite the station it was. What a dive. I am sure, to this day, it was a brothel. I asked for clean sheets as they were ... soiled (eating lunch? sorry). The Madame opened the door and literally threw them at me. I changed them. We had an ensuite loo without a door but with a bidet, no sink and the PAPER! Yes this is why i started this ramble; it was a pile of shredded, coarse sheets of what looked like kitchen towel on top of sheets of torn... newspaper! Yes oh yes. I asked for proper toilet paper and was thrown (again) a box of the waxed truc that Tomate complained of, above. It WAS a long time ago, but it really was the worst overnight stay, not least because of the paper.
Just looked for a website about Dreux. As the first one loaded, the music of John Lennon started playing - "imagine there's no heaven..."
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, there, i did.
Lynn: LOOOOOOOOOOOL!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you had to experience a lesser glamorous part of France...
After viewing Michael's link to what the pink toilet paper really looks like,I think I will pass on my purchase. Bring on the Charmin!
ReplyDeleteI never heard of this pink paper before! You always bring us a different perspective on Paris. I really like this photo! For some reason I usually like pictures of graffiti. Very well done!
ReplyDeleteLOL Lynn! I feel your pain! Better luck next time.
ReplyDeleteI´m like PHX-CDG, I will do anything not to use a public toilet, that includes NOT drinking too much water when I´m out!!!
One thing is sure: this graffiti wouldn't be the same if the paper weren't pink! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI see someone beat me to PQ - the usual name for le Parti québécois...
ReplyDeleteYes, pink toilet paper is very typically French... I do wish it were easier to find paper that wasn't bleached or coloured at all, considering its use...
Actually, the pronunciation Pay-Kew would convey a very strong anglophone accent in French. Pay isn't too bad, though the vowel a must be a lot shorter in French, but you need to make a French u sound to pronounce "cul" properly. Il faut mettre la bouche en ... cul de poule!
Glad you can all appreciate the photo of the real thing and understand why the French are now offering more of a selection. Of course Johnny, you'll still need to bring your special stash with you when you come.
ReplyDeleteI have another question that I'd like to verify (could be a good idea for one of Eric's fancy polls!).
An English guy told me once (yes, he was drunk) that Americans visiting England always stop up the toilet because we "bunch up" the toilet paper. Apparently in England, the tendancy is to "fold".
Now Eric, don't you think that would be an interesting poll?
LOL Michael, I'm not sure this poll idea is appropriate for PDP, although I've heard about this too.
ReplyDeleteActually in France we tend to fold too...
So, this is how you can tell what country people come from? Well, in case you were wondering, I bunch, too.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I think the word "ass" is the translation of "cul" rather than "butt" (in the US, at least). "Butt" is closer to "fesses" and "rear end" might be "derrière" (in case anyone is really curious).
Of course, this was just my half-ass translation... I'm really not an expert ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great picture! Gone one week and Eric, Michael, Tomate and Lynn the Ranting Baroness are loose about butts and toilet paper. What is next on your list Eric?
ReplyDeleteActually, the hotel we stayed in two yeras ago had only white soft paper Lynn. No pink derrieres and no rough rolls.
ahhh, nothing like one big family... I feel like we´re all much closer now that we know these details about each other...!
ReplyDeleteWell it's all getting rather technical isn't it. Now let's see, i kind of do an in-between thing, never wanting to fully conform, it's really a scrunchy sort of consatina effort (thereby qualifying for a 'fold' i feel), with a final flourish of a bunch screwed up in quite a ladylike manner you understand.
ReplyDeleteOoh yes Monica; public loos i'm afraid are for dire emergencies only such as an unfortunately-timed upset tummy (employing the fully mastered 'hover' technique of course; one must NOT touch), or suddenly spotting your ex coming your way and there you are, hair a mess and absolutely no make-up on. Avoid them otherwise at all costs, of course.
Eric, most visits to France have been just delightful i hasten to add. Just imagine if we'd had all this technology then, i could have sneaked outside the brothel, escaped my then husband, called you on the phone in a "rescue me, do Eric! frantic tone" and you may have driven to Dreux, handed me some soft tissues and whisked me away to Paree. Ahh... how history would have changed... sigh.
great photo! I was always curious why the French chose pink for their pq and also glad that they now come in rolls not just squares!
ReplyDeleteWell, lucky you then Clo. Good to see you back! You've so much catching up to do you can't leave us for two days.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the funniest things I have ever seen!!! It's hilarious!! You just made my day with that... I'm not even kidding.
ReplyDeleteSquares, Rickemmanuel? How utterly useless. Dear God. Wet hands, even... no i can't go there. The mind is quite upset at the thought. Ugh. I'm feeling an attack of biliousness coming on...
ReplyDeleteHuh? FOLD TOILET paper???? That is way too anal retentive for me!
ReplyDeleteLagatta a montreal: You confirm my French pronounciation problem!
ReplyDeleteWhat's your technique Phx, roll? tear? bunch? shred? It's on a need to know basis and we all need to know.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, that reminds me... If any of you good people happen to use one of these delightful ahem.. "toilettes à la Turque" (those are the one where you have to squat down on the ground directly over the hole - well preferably) never EVER, EVER, under ANY circumstances, and I repeat DO NOT forget to get your feet out of there BEFORE you flush! That's one piece of excellent advice if I may say so myself. Otherwise ... ahem... well, find out for yourself! :)
ReplyDelete(Ben quoi, un peu d'humour scatologique n'a jamais fait de mal à personne, allez!)
Squat down over a hole, Tomate? I don't think so. Thanks for the advice though. Are these holes now positioned in the centre of Paris, on the streets?... it's so long since i've been...
ReplyDeleteOK, Lynn, you asked for it... lol.
ReplyDeleteHere is one link:
http://www.be-noot.com/blog/index.php/2007/03/19/295-toilettes-a-la-turque
and here is another one:
http://www.hurktoilet.nl/chiottes.htm
I have never heard of folding toilet paper - sounds time consuming! Apparently, I am an American buncher - who knew? Although in my defense, I have seriously never backed up a toilet at home or abroad!
ReplyDeleteJohnny P - you are hilarious!!!
Monica & Lynn: I'm with you two - just say no to public toilets! I once had to use one of those giant green things on the streets in Paris, and thought I was going to get sucked in! Then I started freaking out that I was trapped in there!
"The mind is quite upset at the thought. Ugh. I'm feeling an attack of biliousness coming on..."
ReplyDelete"What's your technique Phx, roll? tear? bunch? shred? It's on a need to know basis and we all need to know."
"Squat down over a hole, Tomate? I don't think so. Thanks for the advice though. Are these holes now positioned in the centre of Paris, on the streets?... it's so long since i've been..."
Oh Lynn, Lynn, Lynn. You seem to want to know too much about this subject despite the fact that it is making you sick. We do not need whether one folds, shreds or crumples a toilet paper, nor the importance of squatting over a Turkish...Tomate. Anyway, thank you for ruinning my lunch. I should mail it to Tomate he lives closer to me.
Eric this is unforgivable. A picture inside one of Paris' fabulous Museums, or anything but toilets, toilet papers, or anything related to this subject, should bring us back to interesting debate. Well, unless you have a picture of Sarko sitting on a toilet, with him holding...the pink PQ, now that will raise the discussion to new heights. I am sure Michael, Lynn, Monica, and of course TOMATE will be game.
On the contrary, Clo., I think it is a morbid fascination i now have with the subject. Clo you did not mention your own method. I feel that you are a folder and that you would prefer a white. What were you having for lunch anyway? I do hope it wasn't sausages.
ReplyDeleteTomate: Thank you for the links. Not. How absolutely disgusting those pictures were, i mean the 'before' ones of course, but also the 'afters'. Who wants one of these toilets, if you can call them a toilet. It looks like a shower with a ghastly, unfinished floor. I started to read the blurb on one of the sites but stopped at "you don't want it on your trousers or your shoes" my GOD and this is sales talk? Merde.
Hahhaa lynn, the Turkish toilets are really NOT that bad... if you think about it they are more sanitary as... well your bare skin never touches anything...
ReplyDeletePLUS it's good exercise!!
On the subject of PUBLIC TOILETS... wow... I would rather my bladder exploded than use one in France. Now NO OFFENCE to French people... BUT I once TRIED to use a public toilet in Annecy. As I walked underground towards the door of the WC... the stench of (well you can imagine) was so strong... that the thought of using the loo flew out of my head and I just wanted to get away from the SMELL!!
I think we should exchange French toilet experiences.
You see...the drunk English guy wasn't completely crazy!
ReplyDeleteWell... once... Olive, i was staying at the Boule d'Or in Chinon, had a wonderful stay and even the bathroom, though tiny, was, well it was acceptable. However, during the night there was a bubbling. No not my ex husband's bottom burps as usual, but yes you guessed it, the collective poos of the hotel backing up in our room, it seemed. I instructed my ex, who always seemed to need it, to pack our clothes quickly whilst i went down with my best French to the night porter who didn't have best French let alone best English. Explained as well as i could and went upstairs. Found ex husband holding all our worldly belongings in one arm whilst pushing hotel towels onto the sludge which was now on the floor. Ugh. We were eventually re-roomed and were given a free petit dejeuner for our troubles. Lovely hotel anyway. No, really!
ReplyDeleteAlso, hold your breath, Olive, thanks all the same, you will not persuade me to use one of those. Ever. Exercise means swimming, cycling, fresh outdoor things, not ... well not that.
ReplyDeleteOooh, very pretty.
ReplyDeleteQuite, Michael, the drunk English guy has a lot to answer for on here today! Michael; any toilet tales?
ReplyDeleteWell, that's what I was saying, Lynn, you need to get your feet out of the area BEFORE you pull the chain! :-) (I should know, I learned the hard way, and with sandals, too!! Enuf said).
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the Musée des Aromes et du Parfum en Provence (shows you how they make perfume and soaps [savon de Marseille], definitely worth a look, by the way) has a row of toilets just like these outside the facility.
Cost of visit to the Museum: [? ] Euros.
To see the face of the tourists when they look at the toilets: priceless!
That is GROSE lynn!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing... not.
I agree with tomate. As long as you get your feet away... Not so bad. One day, you will be somewhere and that will be your only choice... just prepare yourself, that's all I'm saying.
They still have a lot of these turkish toilets in France... Particularily in the smaller towns. Never been to Paris though, so I couldn't say. Eric?
ERIC!!!!! Please post and end this bloody madness. Lynn is just having a day talking about toilets and toilet paper.
ReplyDeleteLynn, I did not have sausage for lunch. Never again.
Well well well - you have no idea how often the topic of bunching versus folding comes up here (usually very late at night, maybe around a fire, perhaps after a drink or two). So I was quite amused (to say the least) to find that it was now being discussed on PDP. South Africans seem to fall equally into both camps - I used to think everyone bunched, but life has taught me otherwise. And my education continues... :D
ReplyDeleteAh you see, Clo; it's not just me. Kerry-Anne, Olive, Tomate, we're all up for this intellectual discussion. I think you secretly like it too. You're DEFINITELY a folder. I've decided. Oh, poor you and your sausage :( he he i have a wicked smile on right now ;) it's really quite amusing. You don't think? Eric will not come to your rescue dear Clo. No, no, not until midnight will he wipe the proverbial collage from the bottom of PDP.
ReplyDeleteSo, Kerry-Anne. Come and sit over here. So; SA both bunch AND fold. Interesting. Interesting. I can imagine the conversation around the fire, with bangers & beans, a shovel and some pink rough paper. A perfect evening.
Hey did you notice how poor Soosh came in, obviously in a hurry putting her lovely son to bed or something, saw the beautiful collage and commented just on that, saying 'how pretty' then went! Pretty this conversation is not. Little did she know all this was being excreted. She will, though, she will, when she catches up on more time. he he.
I thought pink toilet paper was interesting, I think the folding of toilet paper by certain countries was interesting ( backed up by Michael's article about it),and ANYTHING I do, ahem, is interesting! I crunch, so there!
ReplyDeleteOh and my feet will not be going IN, so i have no need to remember to get them OUT in time. In time, indeed! Imagine. Looking at your watch, waiting for the flush and in your haste, you slip.... eeeueuuuuuwwww! No. No. No. Never. No.
ReplyDeleteCRUNCH, Phx. You are indeed interesting. You crunch? Hmm, is this not fascinating, everyone; we have a new verb. Gather round. Let's contemplate crunching, the merits, the design faults. Anyone else a cruncher?
ReplyDeleteWell, since this thread has definitely gone down the toilet, guess you better check out this video (needs sound)
ReplyDeleteOh god, Expat, dare i? Who's going first? Oh.. i can't not look...
ReplyDeleteYuk.
ReplyDeleteWHY?? WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS??
ReplyDeleteI watched the first two seconds and had to turn it off... no. not happening. no. no. no. not happening. no.
Eric! It is after midnight in Paris. Please post and end the poop talk.
ReplyDeleteLynn. That is nasty what you said, but at least you said the word "dear" with it how lucky I must be to be called "dear" by you Baroness; despite the subject matter.
Ah, Clo... never nasty, dear Clo; simply mischievous. This, i admit. Baroness xx
ReplyDeleteI think actually, Eric is out partying tonight and will not be home until 2 am.... sigh....;)
ReplyDeleteI think he's waiting to see where this all goes.
ReplyDeletePHX-CDG's words just reminded me of airplanes toilets. Now THAT could be dangerous!!!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, you've got to deal with the non exisiting space inside it. And have you seen how powerful the flush is? I say be extra careful when dealing with it.
I wonder how are the toilets in the first class area. They probably even have a LCD TV in it to distract first class passangers...
lol Monica! Yes airplane toilets are frightening. I do have a story about them... but it's not for here. lol ;)
ReplyDeleteThat flush is powering the engine, i reckon.
Yes Eric's probably sitting on the throne right now, laptop on his lap, laughing his socks off. Or - horror of horrors... maybe he's cross! EEK. Oh no. It wasn't me, Eric, it was all them. They made me do it.
Eric! It is after midnight in Paris. Please post and end the poop talk.
ReplyDeleteAre you, by any chance, a party pooper? :-D
(just messing with you)
lol Tomate! Poor Clo, he's tired, just pooped I suppose. I don't know sometimes he likes our jokes, sometimes he doesn't; he's so fe-cal.
ReplyDeleteCome on Clo, chill out, have a giggle, come over here, pull up a stool.
oops spelling: fae-cal. What an arse i am.
ReplyDeleteLOLLLLLLLLLL I did not have the time to look at all the latest 50 comments but I will tomorrow (they look very fun!).
ReplyDeleteRight now it's 1:30 and I have to SLEEP!
PS: and NO, I was not on the throne!!
Yeah, Lynn, this was fun but some people may not appreciate the humor. Better be careful, now, we wouldn't want our #1 blog to become #2 blog...
ReplyDeleteVery good, Anonyme. I'm off to sleep too.
ReplyDeleteAnonyme. Baroness has very good humour. She is witty and funny like the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteHave you noticed that "Our Gang" on Eric's PdP gets inspired by most any subject that is located below the waist -above the knees? Hmmmmm!
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, there was a big to-do over a special brand of PQ in the States. It was super super soft and became a huge cotton ball when it contacted the water in the toilet. Problems of clogging always resulted. It was such a popular controversy it made a topic for the Oprah show. It was such a lovely feeling but resulted in toilet tragedy. Quelle Domage!
From such a derrier-papier connoisseur such as yourself, Johnny, this is NEW INFORMATION. Very interesting indeed. It must have felt wonderful to be so soft but the clogging oh the clogging. Chinon is back in my mind (see above). Such a terrible design fault. Obviously never got to the testing stage. Well. Er. Perhaps on the designers' bottoms but not at flushing stage.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious too as to how foldable, bunchable, rollable it was. Perhaps you can enlighten us as to the technique?
Below the waist and above the knees huh. What a filthy lot we are. Fun though isn't it Johnny.
I found this on CNN.com today proving that this IS a serious subject!
ReplyDelete(you may have to accept to view the video player)
Ohhh my funny little laptop won't accept it. I pressed the button but nothing happened. Tell me about it Michael?
ReplyDeleteIt's probably just as easy to go to CNN.com and look for the video story about Sheryl Crowe and the story about how people should be able to get away with just one square of toilet paper...a funny report.
ReplyDeleteohh it still didn't work for me but i take your word it was good. One square is quite disgusting i hasten to add. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteOne square?!!! Pulleeeezzzz!!! (rolling eyes) That's a little excessive!
ReplyDeleteAn American joke:
ReplyDeleteIf you're American when you go into the bathroom and American when you come out of the bathroom what are you while you're in the bathroom?
European!
(Sorry, couldn't resist. These posts made me laugh my cul off.)
lol Anonyme.
ReplyDeleteTomate i know! One square, i couldn't even dab my lipstick properly with it. What's a girl to do.
Hey, today Eric's on a trip to Chenonceau; i wonder how he's going to manage with toilets 'on the hoof'?
Will it be pink, rough, will he fold or will he be in a hurry, bunch and clog? The mind boggles. Imagine clogging a loo of a beautiful castle, how terribly embarrassing. You'd be as pink as its paper! Eric we demand details. Do you know he still hasn't read and commented on all this loo stuff?
PINK LAVATORY PAPER? Never shall i buy anything else.Rough it shall not be but.
ReplyDeleteA view from Australia (look away Clo)
ReplyDeleteOuch!!! LOL Lynn!!! That's gotta hurt
ReplyDeleteI know, Monica. Definitely not for our lady parts.
ReplyDelete