Kapiolani
Community College Diamond Journal 2003
Kapiolani
Community College
Diamond Journal 2003
As I dashed down the oriental section of the Safeway supermarket,
I could feel my muscles start to tense. I tried to hold back the unpleasant
expression on my face as I made my way up to the front. “Sir, where can
I find the restroom?” I asked the short Asian clerk. “You have to
go to the back door, which is on the left side of the dairy section,”
he politely replied. With no time to waste, I hustled back down the aisle to
the back of the supermarket. I began to panic. “Excuse me!” I said,
as I dodged the oblivious shoppers, who appeared as nothing but obstacles to
me. I finally found my way to the green door.
As I entered the backroom, I frantically searched for any possible hint of where
the restroom could be. To my left, I noticed two doors. Without hesitation,
I quickly headed towards the door with the blue lady type-symbol, which hung
eye-level on the door. Almost colliding into the door, I turned the rusty doorknob
to enter the small restroom. I hurriedly locked the door with my shaky hands.
Frustrated, I grabbed a paper toilet seat as if it was just another obstacle
trying to slow me down. As soon as I sat on the “intimate throne,”
tension was released immediately. My discomfort vanished. When the overbearing
task was through, I automatically geared to my right to grab some toilet paper.
“Oh no!” I uttered aloud, “Where’s the toilet paper?”
A sudden feeling of panic rushed through me. I frantically searched every crack
and corner in front of me, but toilet paper was nowhere in sight.
Have you ever stopped to ponder what you would do if you ran out of toilet paper?
How would you handle the situation? Toilet paper affects our daily routine,
and yet, it is seldom remembered. It is a vital necessity that is usually taken
for granted.
Before toilet paper was invented, different materials were used which varied
amongst different cultures. In Ancient Rome, public toilet facilities provided
a sponge attached to a wooden stick that soaked in a bucket of brine (salt)
water. Those who lived in the wealthier suburbs of Rome used wool and rosewater.
In Coastal Regions, mussel shells and coconut husk were used (mussels shells
particularly). Europeans used marvelous fountains, occasionally with the luxury
of warm water. In the Middle Ages, the French invented the first bidet for both
sexes, unfortunately with the lack of modern plumbing. People from Islamic cultures
wiped themselves first with a smooth stone, rinsed with water, and then finished
off by drying with a cloth. Pebbles were used to blot the end of a male’s
penis after urination. Men would carry re-usable stones and pebbles with small
pitchers of water in their turbans during their busy work hours. The Colonial
Americans were dependent upon the core center cobs from shelled ears of corn,
whereas the Eskimos used handfuls of snow.
Finally in 1880, the British invented the first actual toilet paper that was
designated for wiping. The toilet paper texture was coarse, and came in a box
of individual squares. Although the British preferred the coarse type of paper,
the Americans were not satisfied, so in 1907, they invented a softer and fluffier
toilet paper. Although soft toilet paper did indeed add a touch of comfort,
it remained too luxurious for many of the middle-class Americans, so they continued
to drift towards other paper products, such as old discarded mail and newspapers
that were hung up by a nail in public restrooms and in the privacy of civilian
homes. Soon after, the Sears catalog also became a popular wiping material.
In 1930, however the texture of the Sears catalog pages became glossy and smooth,
which made a less absorbent wipe. This angered people, and many complaints were
sent out to the Sears Company.
Today we are spoiled by the choice of different luxurious brands of toilet paper,
such as Scott, Quilted Northern, Kleenex, Charmin, etc. There are over 5000
companies that produce bathroom tissue—trying to make our lives more convenient,
clean, and efficient. Although we would think today that all cultures use toilet
paper, surprisingly some cultures still abide by their old habits. In parts
of India and Arabia, people exclusively use their bare left hand for wiping.
They consider it disgusting that other cultures use toilet paper, as it leaves
behind an unpleasant residue. Furthermore, Americans skip to the toilet an average
of 6 visits per day, adding up to as much as 47 minutes in a single day. Women
spend more time with toilet paper than men, or approximately 32 months in a
lifetime versus 25 months for men, and object most often to men leaving the
seat up.
Each time we reach for the “cotton-savior,” an average tear of 5.9
sheets is ripped from the roll. 44% of people wipe from front to back, and 60%
look at the paper having just wiped, 42% fold, 33% crumple, 8% do both fold
and crumple, 6% wrap it around their hands, and at least 50% of people have
at least once wiped with leaves or has used a tool somewhat alien (8% hands,
1% money) (Great 2).
Almost 100,000,000 toilet paper rolls are used a day ("Formula" 1).
Without toilet paper our lives would be chaotic. Let me inform you of a few
steps you should take into consideration to help conserve the needed necessity
that we subconsciously neglect.
Step 1: Always begin by folding the toilet paper sheet by sheet. This method
would minimize the number of sheets wasted. Crumbling the toilet paper into
a bunch would limit its usage to one wipe; you would practically waste the entire
roll.
Step 2: When blowing your nose, start from the first sheet to the next. Not
one sheet of toilet paper should be left untouched when you are blowing or wiping
your nose.
Step 3: Avoid using toilet paper as a substitute for cleaning anything other
than the human body parts. Why use toilet paper when there are materials that
are already designed for that purpose?
Step 4: Always be conscious of the number of toilet paper sheets you use, depending
on the load of your task. You are now probably curious to know what happened
next in my hunt for toilet paper story. As you now know, I panicked because
I couldn’t find any toilet paper in front of me. For a second, I reluctantly
paused to consider what possible materials I would be forced to use as a substitute
for toilet paper. But as I peaked behind me, I noticed there was a roll of toilet
paper there the entire time.
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