Smoke Out!

One thing I hate about living in China is that there are no smoking related controls in public places.

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As I was walking into the hospital one day, a local strolling towards me had an unlit cigarette in his hand, ready to light it on his first step out of the building. I can imagine anyone entering the building will have to cross his nicotine cloud later.

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Diners smoke in air-conditioned, enclosed restaurants all the time. Eating in these places is a race against time to finish up your food before you sniff in all the smoke. It’s unfortunate but we dine at MacDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut when we eat out most of the time because these are joints that do not allow patrons to smoke.
Shanghai, unlike Suzhou, is already placing restrictions to prohibit smoking in most restaurants but recently, when I patronized Crystal Jade in Shanghai, there was a typical huffing and puffing local male in the restaurant and the staff did not even bother to advise him against it. Does legislation even work in China? After all, who would chase their customers away? And it is a difficult habit to break, a social norm that has deep seated roots.

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For this alone, I cannot imagine raising your children in such a place. One of the latest posts from a Singapore based blogger, “Xiaxue”, nicely resonates with my abhorrence for smokers. I credit her for the 2 posters below:

How well put. At least the situation is rather contained in Singapore. On a typical day, I can enjoy a smoke-free environment wherever I go. And of course, I eschew places where smokers congregate.