Purple Toilet Paper

At one of our first orientation sessions we talked about cultural differences between the U.S. and other countries. The speaker commented that our tendency as Americans is to think that the way we do things in the states is the right way or the best way. We were encouraged not to think of cultures in terms of right or wrong, good or bad, but to think of them as different. So, in America when you go to the store for toilet paper you can find any type that suits your preference: single ply, double ply, double rolled, triple rolled, ridged, quilted, double quilted, moisturizing, or aloe infused. You’ve got Angel Soft, Cotton Soft, Envirosoft, Ultra Soft, Ultra Strong, Extra Strong, and Northern Strong. There are teddy bears, grizzly bears, puppies and babies. But it is all always white. In America, white TP reigns supreme. Because, as we all know, white is the right color, the best color for wiping. In Germany…there is purple. Purple toilet-paper. This is what I found the bathroom of our apartment. Have you ever seen colored toilet paper before? Up until this point in my life, I had never even considered that toilet paper could come in any other color besides white. Because white is the best color, the true color for TP, right? This is a question I have been wrestling with for days! My world has been turned upside down.

So what is the answer? Which is better - white or purple? I have come to realize and accept that I myself am partial to white but really one is not better than the other. The answer is they are just different.

I am finding there are many things that I enjoy about the German culture and other things that I do not. The purple toilet paper is a perfect example of how I am being challenged to view German culture as different and not wrong.  The better we can assimilate into German culture the more impactful our witness of the gospel will be to the German people.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23