Can toilet paper reflect something about a nation?

Does toilet paper reveal national identity or values?

exhibit 1: hotel

Does toilet paper say something about national character? Or perhaps, better, about cultural values? Or about cultural stereotypes?

I have been pondering this question over the days I have been in Deutschland, as I’ve been struck by the very different quality of their loo paper. From the moment of my arrival using the toilets at Frankfurt airport, through various hotel (see exhibits 1-2), public* (exhibits 3, 8), train (exhibit 4), restaurant/cafe (exhibits 5-6) and university (exhibit 7) toilets I have been steadfastly surveying in the characteristics and quality of the ‘cloth’, true scientist that I am, to determine if my initial observations hold strong. And they seem to.

exhibit 2: hotel

My first thought, days ago in Frankfurt airport, was that it was harder than what I am used to. And I’m not one of those ‘buy the really soft/fluffy loo roll’ types of gal. Oh no, it’s recycled and relatively minimalist for me, all the time. So my ‘hard/soft’ loo roll bar is pretty high. But I think it is ‘harder’ here. Whether the paper is thin (as in exhibit 7) or thick (as in exhibit 2), it has a texture that’s, well, hard is the best word I can find to describe it (this may not be the best word, but the best word I can find. I tried to blow my nose on it once. Ow, my poor old schnozz, I might as well have used newspaper. I won’t be doing that again!

exhibit 3: public loo

exhibit 4: train

exhibit 5: cafe

The loo paper here seems perfunctory – it’s there to do a job; it’s not there to caress and comfort. It’s loo paper that, if it could talk, would tell us to just get over ourselves and get on with it. To come back to my ponderings, what are the (undeserved) stereotypes of Germans? Humourless, serious, efficient and officious... (NB: I am not saying they are true!) These seem to sum up German loo roll perfectly.

exhibit 6: cafe

Quite curiously, however, the hand towels – which are everywhere, it’s a paper-hand-towel-loving-girl’s heaven – in contrast are far softer than the ones at home. What gives?

exhibit 7: university

* they don't have enough of these... I encountered one sole public loo (shown in exhibit 8), with just one stall for women, and one for men... hardly what the 1000s of Berlin tourists need.

exhibit 8: public loo