One of the enduring images of France is the cafes filled with people whiling away their days carrying on intimate conversations or reading Le Monde as they quietly nurse their cups of coffee.
And an important part of this mental picture are the lit cigarettes that go with this scene.
For decades that was a pretty accurate picture, and I've always found this to be somehow romantic and appealing for some reason--one of the strange little things that made France special. Of course the reality of this smoking culture could be a little less pleasant when you found yourself in a crowded restaurant where virtually everyone was lighting up before and after their meals distributing enough second hand smoke for everyone to get their fair share of nicotine and smoke infused clothing whether they smoked or not.
In any French city or village, if you wanted bus tickets, a newspaper, phone card, stamps, post cards a candy bar or, of course, cigarettes, you would head for the nearest tabac. A tabac is a store licensed to sell tobacco products in France and are identified by a distinctive elongated diamond sign. There was one of these little mini-marts on every corner, and I hope they're still thriving and we'll still see plenty of them on our adventures.
Well, if that's what you're expecting, you may be disappointed. On Jan 1, 2008, restaurants and cafes in France became smoke free. Now smokers are forced to dine al fresco or huddle outdoors between courses to get their fix.
This has been a controversial move and not without consequences. The New York Times reports that the number of cafes in France has dropped from over 200,000 in 1960 to fewer than 41,500 today, with about two cafes closing every day. In addition, the number of bankruptcies of French cafes rose by 56% in the first six months of 2008 and cafe owners are blaming this directly on the smoking ban!
The good news for the couple of smokers in our number is that the weather in June should be lovely and Europeans are crazy for dining outdoors when the weather is nice, so smoke 'em if you got 'em.
2 comments:
Being one of the guilty parties, I was a bit concerned about the ban, but as you know I have been smoking outdoors for a while. I don't even enjoy the smoke filled bars!!! I was wondering, what are the barge rules??? Hopefully we can smoke out by the hot tub and on deck. I am looking forward to visiting a Tabac and getting some Dunhills or Gauloises!!
Good question Colleen.
I've left a message with the barge company asking what the smoking policy is on the M2, and I'll follow up.
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