The many uses of toilet paper...

Since moving to South Korea, I have learned that toilet paper is a multifaceted tool.  I will attempt to list them here for your reading enjoyment!

Different Uses:

1.  As toilet paper

The most common way to use toilet paper is after using the toilet.  That's pretty obvious.  One strange thing though is at my office, there are signs on the restroom stall doors (that have a big skull face and say "Beware!" in English, but the rest of the words are written in Korean, so I don't know how they expect us foreigners to abide by them) which I have learned say that you are not supposed to put the toilet paper in the toilet.  Instead, you are to throw it away in the trash can.  That is still difficult for me to remember or follow, I have to admit.

2.  As tissue, or kleenex

Now, this is something that I don't really find so odd.  I have usually just used toilet paper to blow my nose at home since it is pretty much the same softness (if you buy the quilted Charmin kind) as a tissue, and it saves you from having to pay the extra money for a box of Kleenex.  Usually I save my tissue purchasing for the special mentholated tissues that help your nose in the middle of a bad cold.  However, the toilet paper here is pretty much very thin 1-ply, so you have to tear out a sheet long enough to fold over about 3 times in order to blow your nose without it ripping a hole.

3.  As napkins in a restaurant

So this was a little strange for us.  Depending on the restaurant, the toilet paper/napkin types vary.  In the little Korean dives, they have a square holder on the tables and you have to pull several of the tiniest little squares out to wipe your hands and face with.  Sometimes you just pull toilet paper off of a roll that is located by the purified water cooler (which I think I explained about in a previous post), that every restaurant has.  

4.  As paper towels in the restrooms

So, if you are in a nice restroom in a fancy building, you might get to use actual paper towels.  However, in most restrooms, you wash your hands and then you have to step back into a stall to grab a handful of thin, 1 ply toilet paper to dry your hands off with.  This is the worst, because you know how really thin t.p. will rip apart and stick to your fingers when they are wet?  Yeah, that's just a typical occurrence over here.

5.  As a cleaning rag

Yes, toilet paper is also used to wipe up spills or messes.  Don't need the quicker, thicker, picker upper.  Just run to the restroom and grab a handful of toilet paper!  Then, run back for more, maybe 2 times, when it doesn't soak up all of the mess!

I'm sure that as we are here longer, we will discover even more interesting uses for the wonderful paper.  We'll keep you posted. :)

~Leslie