104 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 7.17
BOARD
BACK
I settle on the porcelain throne and a warmed seat meets
my cheeks. A panel to my right activates the seat warmer
and the bidet, with several options: basic front cleansing,
soft rear cleansing, traditional rear-end splash. I operate
the pressure and position controls, deciding which luxuries
to enjoy. A motor expels a little rumble below and I giggle.
Water shoots up unannounced. I let out an audible, "Oh!"
"It's a Japanese thing," says Josh Gabe, a bartender and
manager at Dragon King's Daughter on Bardstown Road.
He says the Toto Washlet bidet in the otherwise ordinary,
whitewashed women's bathroom is an authentic Japanese
toilet accessory. "The owner, Toki, is from Osaka, Japan,
and she wanted to have that in there," Gabe says.
Thank you, Toki.
— Katie Molck
An Ode
to the
Commode