Have the French Really Adopted the No Smoking Ban

Pass laws. Make it so expensive that it’s a major part of your weekly budget.   Plaster “Smoking Kills” warnings on cigarette packages.   Does that do the trick to persuade the French not to light up as if there’s no tomorrow?  It’s too soon for statistics to be statistically sure that the ban has had a real effect. Only time will tell.  If you’re a smoker and travel frequently between the EU and non-EU countries, you’re at an advantage since you can buy duty-free cigarettes.  But you’re not going to do that because you’re going to quit, right? Where there’s a will, there’s a way, n’est-ce pas? Or there should be. But even people who have used nicotine patches or tried the newest “stop smoking” miracle drug Chantix haven’t been able to kick the habit.  How are these people surviving?  Smoking is verboten in restaurants and offices. Is this group the last minority people can verbally attack with impunity and immunity? The most obvious trend is that smokers are taking to the streets. During the past month when the sun didn’t shine in the City of Light, each day was freezing cold and there wasn’t one 24 hour period when visitors and residents didn’t experience some rain (remember the Bonjour Paris adage that people can never count on the weather). Easter came and went with people wearing parkas, boots, scarves and hats. Sidewalk vendors were doing land-office business accommodating tourists to keep them from freezing. It’s clearly global warming that’s alienating the weather gods. What about the smokers? They certainly weren’t thriving. Even though it’s incorrectly reputed the French don’t smile, they were looking less than joyous as they stood on sidewalks puffing away. Many were turning slight shades of green and their smokers’ coughs were compounded by colds or possibly the beginnings of pneumonia. New “smokers’ clubs” have formed as people became near and dear friends due to their newly established social outcast status. Paris’s sidewalks are littered with brown and white butts, the tail ends of cigarettes enjoyed.  Now people have to be on the look out for both doggie droppings and thrown-away cigs. Desperate people have even been spied rescuing butts if there is a puff or two left – and I am not referring to clochards.  These people may be trying to quit cold turkey and have momentary lapses. The city of Paris has adopted a law that requires people to pick up after their pooches.  But it isn’t always so.  Walkers still need to look down rather than up. Now there are burning cigarettes left helter-skelter because people have to pop into their offices or other no-smoking zones. The no-smoking law that was adopted on the first of January 2008 thrills many restaurant goers. They report not only being able to actually taste their food, but are able to enjoy the true aroma (texture, body and other attributes) of wine.   Some restaurant owners state that business has increased because people are now bringing children whom they didn’t want subjected to second-hand smoke. Many cafés and brasseries have installed or expanded their outdoor areas. The French have traditionally grabbed chairs the moment there’s been one iota of sun and open spaces aren’t considered non-smoking areas.  Now these terraces have been covered with plastic and the cheek to jowl tables are warmed by electric heaters.   When you enter these confined smoking areas, the smell is for people to immediately get contact highs.  There is no truth to the rumor that the smoking ban was promoted by a cabal of heater manufacturers and electricians. Others restaurateurs say business is down. But this may be due to the economy or the Americans who aren’t flocking to the EU in droves because of the dollar and what it doesn’t buy.   And because of France’s current inflation, many people are eating home more frequently.  Calling for reservations more than likely constitutes an event rather than an everyday occurrence. If the French are still eating out more than likely they’re frequenting less expensive eateries. They’ve also adopted the American style of renovating kitchens even if they’re tiny. Not so long ago, they used to look like quasi- dungeons, complete with peeling paint and antiquated appliances. After all, many of the French bourgeoisie employed staff to cook and serve dinners and the kitchen was off-limits to guests. And, as is so prevalent in Manhattan, take out places are omni-present.  Just stick your head into the grocery store at Au Bon Marché and you can buy a veritable feast and eat at home. Whether or not you light up is your decision. © Paris New Media, LLC Karen@BonjourParis,.com