Tissues and issues

[venta]

Please excuse inanity. Is very important for clearing up an argument:

[Poll #1560066]

Comments

[sea-of-flame.livejournal.com]

My greatgrandfather used to always have that horrid shiny stuff that came in single sheets (great as tracing paper, vile for its intended purpose!) - wonder if as someone else said it was a rationing hangover?

[venta.livejournal.com]

My godmother still buys the horrid shiny stuff out of preference - fortunately in addition to normal stuff (either for visitors, or her husband, or maybe her preferences are more complicated... I've never wanted to ask!)

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

I know some people think/thought that the shiny stuff was more hygeinic, being essentially non-permeable (and hence presumably keeping one's hands cleaner?)

[the-alchemist.livejournal.com]

But also hence (as one of my teachers once put it) having a tendency to redistribute rather than remove.

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

Yes; I hated the stuff at primary school.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Exactly!

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

I assume there's some special technique that I never quite acquired.

[lnr]

My grandparents were using that still up until they died in the last couple of years. But my grandma was brought up by her grandma, so I forgive them for being a bit more old-fashioned than some. Izal. Horrid stuff. It comes in rolls too if you're feeling nostalgic!

[pm215]

There was a programme on Radio 4 about Izal, its history and fans last year ("Now Wash Your Hands") which was vaguely amusing listening in that R4 way. Unfortunately it's not on iplayer :-(

[addedentry.livejournal.com]

... or it did come in rolls (the way my grandma bought it), but these people claim it's no longer manufactured flat or rolled.

[venta.livejournal.com]

rationing hangover: a headache brought on by having had insufficient butter and no bananas the night before.