Sunday, September 20, 2009

Thank God for Smoking Bans!

As was alluded to in previous posts I have been doing quite a bit of traveling in the past two months or so, one trip of which was to a beautiful wedding in Jackson, MS (Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan!!!). This wedding was charming in all the ways that only a traditional southern wedding could be and both myself and my manfriend had a wonderful time. The one thing that did catch me quite off guard though was walking into the location of the after party, which was held at a local sports bar, and finding it to be full of smoke. Thankfully the bride and groom had reserved a room for us which was not completely open to the main part of the bar, but nonetheless there was no escaping the smoke. Being someone who has lived on the west coast now for seven years, with only trips to places on the east coast that have also adopted smoking bans, I had totally forgotten that there might still be places in which one can smoke indoors. After getting over the initial shock, the after party was a total blast, but I do want to give a big old thank God for smoking bans and for the lack of need to have all pieces of clothing washed or dry cleaned constantly because of the all encompassing, pervasive smell of smoke!

6 comments:

Joe said...

Just want to chime as a non-smoker who thinks the current trend of banning smoking literally everywhere (e.g., public streets, inside of homes) is getting ridiculous. As far as bars/restaurants are concerned, it should be left up to the proprietor of each establishment. If the owner of a bar wants to allow smoking, he should be allowed to make the decision based on the feedback of his customers and employees.

Hotstuff said...

Dear Joe Camel,
While I agree that everyone should have the right to kill themselves slowly in their own home and that many of the smoking bans that reach into people's own privately owned property are getting a bit out of control, I truly believe that putting limits on the pervasiveness of smoking in public facilities is in the best interest of the health of our country (and seriously we could use all the help we can get at this point). If the owner of a bar wants to allow smoking, SHE or he shouldn't necessarily be allowed to make that decision based on the feedback of his or HER customers and employees, mainly because making the decision to allow smoking inside their bar is in essence allowing their to be a serious health hazard inside their public facility and putting the health of not only the customers and employees who agreed to allow it but also the customers and employees who did not agree to allow it at risk. You wouldn't want other public health interventions, like hand washing, to become optional based off of employee and customer feedback now would you?

Unknown said...

Dear blog,
I had a somewhat similar experience on a recent trip to Richmond, VA. I only brought a couple changes of clothes on my trip so I was stuck smelling like smoke the whole time. I got a new appreciation for the fact that most restaurants are now smoke-free. Still, I have to agree with Joe. If a smoking ban was so unbelievably popular with voters, why didn't business owners capitalize on that beforehand and CHOOSE to ban smoking in their restaurants/bars? Wouldn't that have been much cooler? I feel... disappointed that it had to come down to a ban. And if customers found out that the kitchen staff didn't wash their hands before preparing meals, then they'd post bad reviews on Yelp, customers would avoid the restaurant, the restaurant manager would find out and enforce hand-washing, and customers would return. (Overly simplified, but you see my point, no?) Also, is there not a wee little bit of irony in discussing banning smoking at establishments that sell toxins?

howdoyoustopthiscrazything said...

There's a huge difference between imbibed alcohol and smoked tobacco, viz.: You, as a non-drinker, can sit next to me at a bar and watch me drink; my "toxin" won't poison you. Not so with cigarettes.

Also, people who work in restaurants are touching your food with their bare hands all the time, and may or may not have time to wash them as frequently as you'd like. See Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London for an account of kitchen practices that (if you believe Tony Bourdain) haven't changed much in the intervening 75 years. If these behaviors became the source of a massive public health crisis, you can bet that their prohibition would be more strictly enforced.

Unknown said...

Sure. I completely agree with you, howdoyoustopthiscrazything: A smoker immediately affects those sitting nearby, whereas a drinker doesn’t. (Might I reiterate that I’m ecstatic about restaurants/bars being smoke-free.) My remark wasn’t meant to be an analogy. Rather, I’m always just a little amused by the public’s outright disdain for smokers. I won’t argue that it’s necessarily unfounded. Rather, it just seems a little arbitrary. Someday the tide of public opinion might turn and it will be accepted to express overt disgust toward drinkers, or toward consumers of fatty foods or meat. Those habits might also someday flatly be associated with lack of sophistication.

Joe said...

Hotstuff,

First of all, I think the hand-washing analogy is a bit of a stretch. Obviously, hand-washing should be mandatory (and this example does nothing to prove your points). A hand-washing law is virtually unenforceable so let's all hope that food service employees continue to wash their hands out of common sense and respect for sanitation and not because they're required to do so by law.

As far as smoking, I am not saying it's harmless, I just don't think it is the role of government to "protect" us in this situation.

Whenever I visit L.A., I try to make a trip to the Tiki-Ti in Hollywood. This is a wonderful place, which is currently owned and operated by the son and grandson of the original owner who opened the bar at this location in 1961. In addition to amazing Tropical drinks, delicious cheesy (and free) snack mix, and a slice of history (laden with kitsch), smoking is allowed. As a non-smoker, I still can't bring myself to let it bother me as everyone there is having a great time and it is extremely well-ventilated. Oh, and if the smoke starts to get under my skin, I can take my business elsewhere.