Smoking

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:33 am

Agree on the UK situation patweb. We like to go out for the occasional meal, but had pretty well given up on our local. Have been there a number of times since the ban, and it is SO different. Usually more full of diners than drinkers, but that is the way pubs are going. Love for the same thing to happen in Portugal. If you smoke your way through a meal I'm not sure that you can taste anything but tobacco.

Bruce Wallis · Post by **Bruce Wallis** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:37 pm

OK....Ive stopped smoking.....well for the last month anyway!!
Does this mean I have to become like a "Born again Christian" now??
....Or can I maintain my lasseiz faire attitude?

The only thing that makes me get arsey is trying to filter out cigarette smoke from my often delicately flavoured food.

I have found out that if I turn to fellow diners who are smoking whilst I eat, and ask them not to, they are usually so gobsmacked that I have the balls to ask, they get embarrassed and stub it out!

I did this in A-Gale recently, and the guy bought me a drink as an apology, and we had a pleasent chatty evening, and when we had finished eating, were quite happy to let him enjoy his fag.....live and let live folks

blue · Post by **blue** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 9:47 am

I think that's the whole point Bruce, that the smokers may be affecting other peoples ability to live.

I smoke (& occasionaly even burst into flames, but that's another story) & I have noticed that the people most vocal in their disgust are ex-smokers & also people over the age of 50 who come from a generation when smoking was almost compulsory, you'd think they'd be a bit more sympathetic. As a smoker I still hate the smell of other peoples smoke & when I have given up in the past couldn't bear anyone in the house who smoked. Personally I wish they had smoking & non-smoking bars & restaurants.

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:20 am

Blue, can you imagine what a smoking restaurant would be like. You would hardly be able to see each other. And as for the food, think it would be like chewing tobacco. I have a brother-in-law who smokes, but he will not light up in a restaurant. He just pops outside for a smoke.

Stevie-C · Post by **Stevie-C** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 12:45 pm

Before the smoking ban in Scotland, my wife and I both ex-smokers by some 15 years now enjoyed a Friday evening out for a few drinks and a meal. However, it got to the stage that we no longer enjoyed going out due to the smell of smoke. Even the "no smoking" areas of restaurants gave very little respite. One thing that bugged me most was those who chain smoked between courses

without consideration for other diners. However did we complain about it

no because they were indeed entitled to smoke so we just simply stopped going out or went to non-smoking restaurants. That is what choice is about, and we chose not to expose ourselves to the smoke. Now with the smoking ban we go out to eat again at weekends without the being in smoke filled atmospheres and further, we no longer smell like we smoke 50-a-day once we get home. In CVO this year it was a bit of a shock because smoking is allowed in bars and restaurants. However, eating outside does help and other people smoking didn't really bother us.

blue · Post by **blue** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 5:52 pm

Barry wrote:Blue, can you imagine what a smoking restaurant would be like. You would hardly be able to see each other. And as for the food, think it would be like chewing tobacco. I have a brother-in-law who smokes, but he will not light up in a restaurant. He just pops outside for a smoke.

I imagine they would pretty much be as they always have been, filled with a mixture of smokers & non-smokers (smoking restaurant doesn't mean it's compulsoray to smoke) but without the whingeing.

laserblazer · Post by **laserblazer** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 7:21 am

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/skynews/200709 ... ed5_1.html

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 10:49 am

I know what you mean blue, but as a non-smoker I would not use a smoking restaurant if there were non-smoking alternatives.

Stevie-C · Post by **Stevie-C** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 7:02 pm

Now there is a new debate - What if the Smoking restaurants served great food and the Non-Smoking restaurants served really crap food or indeed vice versa - what do we do?

tbbr · Post by **tbbr** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:05 am

HOw can you enjoy any quality of food when surrounded by the STINK of tobacco smoke in any form, Pipe cigars etc.

blue · Post by **blue** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:26 am

tbbr wrote:HOw can you enjoy any quality of food when surrounded by the STINK of tobacco smoke in any form, Pipe cigars etc.

I don't know tbbr but millions of people have been doing it for hundreds of years & many, many of the very top chefs in the world are heavy smokers & yet it's suppose to spoil ones sense of taste. It must mean theyr'e actually serving up cr*p food which thousands of people, smokers & non-smokers alike have been duped into thinking were fantastic creations.

R.Wethereyet · Post by **R.Wethereyet** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 3:18 am

I have asked many bar and restaurant owners what they plan to do from Jan next year, as this is the date the selective ban comes in (The owner selects whether his business will be smoking or not).

A few have said they will ban smoking.

Several have decided to go for the:-
'I'll wait and see what everyone else does first' attitude.

And many of those who have terraces have said they will keep these areas for smokers, and the inside will be for non smokers.

It won't surprise me however, if they start to lose business for being one or the other they will rapidly change their policy.

R.Wethereyet · Post by **R.Wethereyet** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 3:36 am

Just a couple of thoughts on this.

If by passive smoking one has a greater chance of getting the dreaded 'C', why do non smokers lay in the sun for hours when skin cancer is now a major concern.

And why do so many non-smokers buy so many cheap fags for friends and family before they fly off home.

Rob F · Post by **Rob F** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 1:26 pm

R.Wethereyet wrote:from Jan next year, as this is the date the selective ban comes in (The owner selects whether his business will be smoking or not).

I am rather curious where to find confirmation of this so-called selective ban, as to my knowledge there is no such thing...

Last I heard on the subject is that smoking in bars & restaurants will be banned completely, but as this new law is still under debate, a date has not been set yet.
Part of this new law is that only restaurants & bars that are larger than 100m2, will have the choice to install a smoking zone, to a maxium of 30% of the total.

It is very well possible that I have missed some later developments, so if someone could help me in finding official confirmation, I would be very grateful.

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 2:35 pm

Unfortunately Rob this is true of so many things in Portugal. You get an announcement of a change, and it never seems to happen. To hark back to the UK situation, we went for lunch at our local on Sunday and it was so busy they had to open up the breakfast room. (It is also an hotel). They are definitely not suffering from the smoking ban. It is actually encouraging people to come out to eat.

Smoking

Smoking - Choices