When nature calls…

When at a restaurant or a petrol station, just look for the pictograms -- overtly gender inclined. For example, the men’s restroom may be marked with a tobacco pipe and the women’s with a fan.

I have never met Tom Brosnahan, a travel writer and author of “Bright Sun, Strong Tea,” but I enjoy his writings. If you are planning a trip to Turkey soon, he provides a lot of useful insights to make your visit to Turkey as pleasant as possible.

I giggled when I read on his Web site how to use the flat “alaturka” toilet. He describes it as the “flat elephant feet toilet.” The first time you see one you will immediately understand why. He warns foreigners to be careful when using it because if you have things in your pockets, all the stuff may fall out of your pockets into the flat toilet while you’re squatting. I tilted my head forward and my sunglasses fell in once! I recommend you visit Tom’s Web site: www.turkeytravelplanner.com

We all know personal hygiene is important. Some of my European guests have commented on how important it must be in Turkey because they noticed that many public restrooms have pictures showing how to practice personal hygiene.

Only until more recently the alaturka toilets could be found in every public place and were more popular outside urban areas. Nowadays, however, Western-style commodes are fast becoming more and more common.

Here is another tip: The best tissue in America is Kleenex and the best toilet paper is Charmin. If you don’t believe me, Google it and see what comes up. If you are new to Turkey, you probably do not know, but the equivalent quality of tissue paper products are Selpak and Solo brands.

We have İpek Kağıt to thank for these wonderful brands. If you’re wondering who she is and if you have been in Turkey for any length of time, you know how hard it is sometimes to determine whether the Turkish name is the name of a woman or a man. In this case it is neither. It is the name of one of the most successful paper products companies in Turkey. İpek Kağıt is part of the Eczacıbaşı group.

The group’s motto is “Pioneers of modern, high-quality and healthy lifestyles.” In Turkey, Eczacıbaşı is the leader in most of the sectors it operates in and has distribution networks for pharmaceuticals, building products and, yes, toilet paper and tissues -- high turnover consumer goods. Internationally, Eczacıbaşı is best known for its flagship Vitra brand, a powerful contender in global bathroom and tile markets.

Eczacıbaşı promotes and sponsors special hygiene projects for primary boarding schools. As part of the project, new bathrooms for primary boarding schools in eastern Turkey are designed and equipped with Vitra and Artema products. İpek Kağıt participates in the first stage of the project through visiting each of the 30 schools in the East and teaching students from every grade about good personal hygiene practices.

Here are just a few cultural differences:

Have you ever noticed whenever you are at a public restroom here how many people are standing around in there? Have you seen people try to cut in line?

* Don’t hang around in there. Make room for others in need so that they can form a line.

* Avoid talking. Turks rarely talk in the stall or to the person in the next stall. Some Westerners carry on stall chitchat with the person next door.

* When you’re about to enter a stall, do not push -- knock. If the lock is broken, don’t fling the door open. If you’re inside, say the magic word: “dolu” (occupied).

* Clean up after yourself. Leave the stall the way you would like to find it!

Another important point to mention is that asking for the toilet may seem offensive to some people. If you are a Turk in English speaking countries, you need to know the commonly used terms are bathroom, restroom, washroom or men’s room/ladies’ room.

If you are in Turkey, individuals usually do not even ask. If you really must, the visitor is usually very discreet in asking about using the toilet when in another person’s home.