Lulu Chempakassery, a receptionist, is from Kerala, South India, but now lives in Pisa, Italy, with her husband and 11-year-old son, and works in Lucca.

I go back home to India for a month every year and I am amazed at how little choice there is in types of tissue. Years back you couldn't find toilet paper but now in India you can get almost anything, especially in the big cities. But still in the south you don't have much choice in what you can buy and it is very expensive. Restaurants and public buildings now all have toilet paper and tissues and middle and upper class homes now all have big bathrooms and people buy toilet paper. It's mostly for guests though; many people still prefer to use water. It's usually white, but I did find pink this time when I went. Everywhere is getting much more westernized; you find tissues everywhere today -in restaurants, hotels and homes.

People use napkins a lot in India at home and in restaurants. We eat with our hands and restaurants always have a washbasin and piece of soap and napkins on the wall. Modern restaurants provide knives and forks today and napkins on the table.

When I go to India I always take big packs of pocket tissues with me from Italy. They are much cheaper in Italy and easy to get. I always shop in the supermarket and I always look at the price and how soft the paper is. Usually I buy Tempo tissues; they are soft and nice. Scottex is OK too. I don't buy tissues in boxes ever. I use paper towels a lot in the kitchen for the tables, the windows, and cleaning glasses. No particular brand but often I get Scottex - it's soft and we even use it for our noses.

In India people are using a lot more paper towels and tissues than before, especially the younger people. They always have tissues in their bags now - but always white. That's the big difference between Italy and India - the choice of what you can buy.