I’m not the only one to wonder why the British have the ridiculous two-tap system in most of their sinks (seperate hot and cold spigots). The _WSJ_ did an investigative report back in 2002 and discovered that a combination of tradition, outmoded building regulations, and just plain stubbornness keeps the Brits from entering the bathroom’s 21st century and moving to the single mixed tap: “Britons don’t understand why foreigners raise a fuss over this issue. ‘The British are quite happy to wash their hands with cold water. Maybe it’s character-building,’ says Simon Kirby, managing director of Thomas Crapper & Co.” And Jess, our correspondant is Scotland, reports that in the vet school’s labs all of the taps are hot, so your only choice for hand washing is “scalding.” Doesn’t that just take the biscuit?