France prepares to stub out smoking in cafes
"France prepares to stub out smoking in cafes"
If you've ever been to France, or lived as an "ex-pat" in the company of "the Europeans" as I did for four years in Japan, you'll appreciate just what a big deal it is for France to be banning smoking in cafes, restaurants, and bars. It's now 17 years since I went to Japan, but one of the lasting memories is of my French and British friends blissfully smoking their way through our dinners at restaurants while "we", the "Yanks", Kiwis, and Aussies gritted our teeth and bit our collective tongues for the sake of "internationalization" in "world peace". Even the heavy-smoking Japanese wouldn't smoke at the dinner table, but not such consideration was extended us by our French and British buddies.
I guess a lot can change in 17 years...and obviously it has with France about to celebrate the New Year with clean air at eating and drinking establishments. Having been a non-smoker my entire life, I say "Three Cheers" that next time I visit France I won't have to breath in the blue haze with my espresso.
The story of course contains the usual stories about how business is going to be so bad now, etc. The same old stories I read 10 years ago after I had moved to California and we celebrated New Year with a similar ban. Have any tobacco companies, bars and restaurants gone out of business over the last 10 years in California because of the 10 year smoking ban? I presume not by the fact that I've not seen any stories about lobby groups working to for the restoration of smoking in bars and restaurants.
Now the many remaining states within the U.S. that still allow smoking in their eating and drinking establishments have yet another thing to add to their list of things to hate about the "damn French".
If you've ever been to France, or lived as an "ex-pat" in the company of "the Europeans" as I did for four years in Japan, you'll appreciate just what a big deal it is for France to be banning smoking in cafes, restaurants, and bars. It's now 17 years since I went to Japan, but one of the lasting memories is of my French and British friends blissfully smoking their way through our dinners at restaurants while "we", the "Yanks", Kiwis, and Aussies gritted our teeth and bit our collective tongues for the sake of "internationalization" in "world peace". Even the heavy-smoking Japanese wouldn't smoke at the dinner table, but not such consideration was extended us by our French and British buddies.
I guess a lot can change in 17 years...and obviously it has with France about to celebrate the New Year with clean air at eating and drinking establishments. Having been a non-smoker my entire life, I say "Three Cheers" that next time I visit France I won't have to breath in the blue haze with my espresso.
The story of course contains the usual stories about how business is going to be so bad now, etc. The same old stories I read 10 years ago after I had moved to California and we celebrated New Year with a similar ban. Have any tobacco companies, bars and restaurants gone out of business over the last 10 years in California because of the 10 year smoking ban? I presume not by the fact that I've not seen any stories about lobby groups working to for the restoration of smoking in bars and restaurants.
Now the many remaining states within the U.S. that still allow smoking in their eating and drinking establishments have yet another thing to add to their list of things to hate about the "damn French".
posted by JohnC @ 12/24/2007 09:29:00 AM
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