介绍:
Heyang: Squatting is a familiar posture for a lot of Chinese people. It even has a proper name called the Asian squat. And it certainly is not for everyone. An online survey says many western adults simply cannot perform the pose accordingly. Why is it? Can you do the Asian squat?
What are the things we need to know about the Asian Squat?
Brian: The Asian Squat is where you squat down and your entire foot is touching the ground. It’s the balls of your feet, the heels, the whole thing. This is in contrast to what you’d see in what most places traditionally considered as the West where you squat down it’s just pretty much on your tip toes there, just the balls of your feet right at the top. And your heels are like a couple inches or centimeters off the ground there. Two very different things.Now anybody can pretty much when you are a kid, a toddler. Because babies or toddlers their bodies are really flexible. They fall down and they can pretty much bounce right off the ground kind of thing. So that’s not an issue. But Asian people at least in East Asia seem to be still be able to do it. People in the West can’t do that. I think a big part of that is toilets. You see squat toilets here. If you don’t squat, you have a hard time going to the bathroom. Whereas in the West, you don’t need to squat for anything. That would be to me a big factor.
Luo Yu: Defecating…one primary concern that why so many Asians can do it quite well. When you look at the procedure it’s not that difficult. Just loosen your limbs before your start. It’s a posture for rest. Then set your feet wider distance is usually preferable than a narrow one. Then keep your heels on the ground. And squat. When it comes to the Asian Squat, it’s more of a balancing act.
HY: That’s true. It’s amazing how we can do it and…you know…sometimes…the business could take a little longer than expected…but still, we can squat still and we don’t find it to be a big problem. Earlier right before the show, we did a small experiment as dear Brian and myself squatted in front of each other in our studio just to prove the point. And Brian after learning the skill you can do the Asian Squat. But originally, with the Western squat you did, it’s very easy to kick you and you fall.
Brian: This is true. And actually I have a question for you guys. Can you do the so-called western squat? (LY: Of course we can.) I figured so. But obviously most Westerners most Americans cannot do the Asian Squat. You can do the regular kind and that works for a little bit. But you get tired of course in contrast to this Asian Squat. One thing I would add to your instructions there is you have to put your feet at a 90 degree angle and you can’t just have them parallelin front of you and have them angled out. I know this becauselike a year ago…
LY: Not necessarily. From a western perspective.
Brian: I’ll tell it from my own perspective. A year ago I could not do that squat, I wanted to, it’s a useful skill here, I couldn’t do it. I forgot how Ihad got to be able to do it, but the thing I realized in the process was you can’t just have your feet parallel right out in front of you, you need to kind of angle them again outwards. Once I figured that out I was really able to do it. With practice it got easier. A lot of people who might have come to China, use the squat toilet and you squat down and that kind of angling doesn’t come to mind. And if you knew that it would have made a difference.
LY: That’s one of the strategies. But as you know our economy has gotten better. Some Asian countries, especially like Japan, some of the Japanese students find it difficult to poop in squat toilets. It’s definitely not an easy thing for them. 22% of the primary school students have been complaining about it. (In Japan)
Because usually they’ve seen flush toilets as we’ve seen a surge of upgrade in infrastructure but it’s still very difficult.
HY: Yeah, that’s a really good point. Through what loos or toilets that exists in a society, it is the perfect judicator to see how advanced is the society has been. In China, in the last twenty years we’ve seen tremendous growth in the economy, and so has the change has happened in our toilets.
Brian: I would say there are places in the West that do squat. In Eastern Europe, people do squat. So it’s not entirely a western thing.
LY: In India it’s a must learn skill, because over 60% of people still defecate publicly. Wild places.
HY: In the open air. Too bad I don’t have the time to read out these messages…大竹竹有正能量says she used to be able to do it but no longer coz she’s used to new toilets.
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