Mingitorios: do they exist in your country? Do men use them?

Question

Mingitorios: very old word for "Public Urinary Facilities".

This word I came across yesterday in a very funny article, was used like 100 years ago. Nowadays it simply means facility for men to pee. They used to be public places and there simply was no important town which didn't' have one of them. They were decorated and built in "mudejar" or arabic style, with colourful tiles and smoked and decorated glass windows. Men actually used them.

I ma saying they were used then as in Spain at least, the street corners have obviously substituted these facilities.

Does this happen in your culture? Do men just use the street or trees to pee'

Answer 1

The only ones I remember in Argentina are located in railroad stations. Not very nice places though. Smelly, not clean and poorly maintained. We call them "baños públicos". We use "mingitorio" for urinal, not to name the place were they are installed.

Answer 2

In St. Louis City (inner-city, not the suburbs), virtually none of the gas stations have public restrooms (to discourage drug users from camping out there). I learned this the hard way . . . as usually a gas station is a sure place to find a bathroom.

I don't think any mingitorios or equivalent ever existed in the U.S.

samdie said:

I think that I remember seeing/using them in Madrid but I may be confusing them with recollections of the pissoirs in Paris. In present day New York the lack of "public facilities" can be a serious problem. A large number (most, I suspect) of restaurants/coffee shops have signs on the doors that say "Restrooms are for customers only".

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Answer 3

I think that I remember seeing/using them in Madrid but I may be confusing them with recollections of the pissoirs in Paris. In present day New York the lack of "public facilities" can be a serious problem. A large number (most, I suspect) of restaurants/coffee shops have signs on the doors that say "Restrooms are for customers only".