riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle) (11/02/83)
I've had similar experiences on trains in Europe, an area with even more
smokers per capita than the U.S.: when trains were divided 50-50 into
smoking/non-smoking compartments, the non-smoking compartments invariably
filled up first. One reason was that there were many smokers who preferred
to sit in non-smoking compartments so they wouldn't have to breathe other
people's smoke, but who would then make frequent trips out to the aisle to
light up.
I thought that smokers over here were bad, but my god it's a mess in Europe.
In university seminars in Germany it's not uncommon for 70% of the partici-
pants, including the professor, to chain smoke the entire time. Given the
somewhat more crowded seating arrangements in cafes and restaurants over
there it can be almost impossible to get a plateful of food without a face
full of smoke. The culture of smoking I witnessed in Germany did have its
attractive side -- many young people roll their own, a process performed with
much loving ritual, the borrowing of a bit of tobacco or a piece of paper
becoming an important social act -- but I'd prefer breathable air any day.
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Prentiss Riddle
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riddle@ut-sally.UUCP