Expats who have moved to Australia often face unexpected cultural differences, but many of them seem to have the same complaint.
May, from Thailand, recently moved to Queensland and struggles to go to the toilet without a bidet.
The woman claimed that while she “loved” the change of scenery and seeing all of Australia’s hidden travel gems, she often found herself daydreaming about the nifty bathroom vanity.
“I love living in Australia, but sometimes all I think about is my bidet,” she said in a video.
Another Australian woman, Hannah, also revealed her discomfort after returning to Melbourne after three years in Japan: “I couldn’t even look at the toilet.”
Hundreds of Australians recently discussed the controversial topic on Reddit.
“I’m a new citizen here and I have to ask you born and bred Australians why you don’t use bidets,” one man said.
“Please, if you step on dog poop with your bare feet or if a bird sits on your arm, wash it off with soap and scrub hard. You don’t just wipe it off with some toilet paper. So why?’
A plumber revealed the real reason why bidets are struggling to go mainstream in Australia.
‘The original plumbing technology came from Britain. Full sewerage is still not available countrywide here – many regional and remote areas rely on septic tanks.
“My friend who literally lives just outside Sydney still has a septic tank. Bidets would not be an option in some regions for water reasons because in some regional areas people don’t flush until they do a number two.”
Another added: ‘To emphasize the regional/remote point even further, I grew up in a house just outside the city that used canal water to flush the toilet – you don’t want that anywhere on your skin.’
Foreigners who have moved to Australia often face many cultural differences Down Under, but a large proportion of them seem to have the same complaint
Dozens of others shared how the use of bidets in other countries “changed” them.
“When I took my husband to the Philippines (and also to Vietnam), he came back demanding a bidet,” one woman said.
“People think it’s super weird and gross until they try one and then it’s the best thing ever. “I have three toilets in my house and only one has a bidet so that’s the only one we use,” another added.
“I bought a bidet from Bunnings, it works great,” said a third. “I don’t know where I would be without it.”