Coping with Corona: Over the top, or down under?

PLAINS TWP. — At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, toilet paper was as sought-after commodity as pork bellies, but that seems to have tapered off a bit.

I know I have enough TP to last well into the fall and maybe beyond.

But there remains a controversy of sorts about toilet paper and that is the proper way to place it on the roller in your bathroom.

I’ve attached a graphic that was compiled a few years ago by TreeHugger.com, a media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream.

The TreeHugger web site states that it strives to be a one-stop shop for green news, solutions, and product information. They publish an up to the minute blog, weekly and daily newsletters, and regularly updated Twitter and Facebook pages. TreeHugger is part of Narrative Content Group./

On that web site, a few years ago, TreeHugger asked the age old question: what is the preferred way, or best way, to hang the TP roll — hanging the sheets coming over the top, or with the sheets coming off from down under?

TreeHugger claimed that hanging the roll over the top wastes less paper. It also provided some tips on how to efficiently rip the TP sheets off of the roll, regardless of how it is hung on the roller.

But TreeHugger decided that “over is right, under is wrong.” You can decide for yourself.

I bring this up because for years, my closest of friends and I have struggled with the dilemma of placing TP on the roller in our luxurious bathroom at Cabin #7 in Canada. There were two schools of though: over the top and, of course, dispensing from down under.

It went on for years. Every time a new roll had to be placed on the hanger, whomever was tasked with that decision did so according to their personal preference, which was usually borne from their childhood growing up years.

But no matter which way the TP was placed, the next user would either accept the way it was on the hanger, or they would change it. This infuriated some and made others chuckle.

No, you would think that a group of adult males who were in Canada to catch fish — northern pike, walleye, bass — would not care one iota about how their toilet paper was coming off the roller.

But they did.

And it continues to this day. I’m not sure the debate will ever end.

What I am certain about is that no matter how the TP comes off the roller — over the top or from down under — it still performs at the same high level of efficiency. And I believe there is scientific evidence that the amount used by each configuration is minimal,

I realize TP has now risen to new heights as a valued commodity. And it should be appreciated and conserved to a certain extent. But wasting valuable time on switching the way it comes off of the roller is just that — a waste of time.

I grew up with the toilet paper coming off from down under. But I really have not questioned the installation of the over-the-top method. It just doesn’t matter —nor should it.

And when you’re in Canada, the main focus should always be on catching those big fish.

It’s like I used to tell my baseball teams when they asked which foot to hit first base with when rounding for second.

My answer was always: “Whichever foot is there when you get there.”

Same with the TP.