China Bowl

I fear I may have already bored you with the saga of my search for a new toilet.  I probably have not yet discussed my longing for a remodeled bathroom with a new shower and bathtub.  And I still want another new toilet because the one we bought, sight unseen by me, is a bit too high for me of the stubby legs.  So I lust after a new bathroom and take pictures of bathrooms in hotels to give myself ideas for that lovely day I have enough money to remodel.  I even found a website called OneWeekBath which specializes in quick bathroom remodels.  This one, for example, would be okay with me, except for brown cabinets, and possibly the darkness of the tile.

So imagine my disdain this morning when I read the LA Times article about the Chinese upsurge in spending in bathroom accoutrements, particularly toilets.  Apparently bath stores are popping up all over the place for the middle class Chinese. Here you cannot find bathroom items of any real interest anywhere other than hardware stores (big box and small shops).  We used to have an Expo Design Center in Redondo Beach but it got no business and has been replaced by a hopping cheap furniture store called Living Spaces (where I bought the young'uns a new much needed bed last week).  But not true in China.  The LA Times article annoyed me even more by saying, "To better suit the Chinese market, some Kohler toilets are made a few inches shorter than in the U.S."  Apparently I need to move to China to get the right sized bowl.

Chien-min Chung / For The Times / October 2, 2010