China smokes
If you've ever listened to or read David Sedaris, you know that one of his primary reasons for moving to Paris was for the smoking. Of course, as he tells it, it is all so hysterical, all the places in France where you are permitted to smoke that have long since been off-limits in the US. You know, places like restaurants, movie theaters, and hospitals.
Of course, France is becoming like Everywhere Else (which also includes Hong Kong) and banning smoking in many public places. So what in the world could David Sedaris do? He could quit. His health would thank him for it. Or......
He could move to China. Smoking is a divine right in this country with more smokers than the population of the US. You can smoke in bars, karaoke lounges, and restaurants. In fact, I wonder at times if there is a tradition that you must smoke and eat at the same time, because that is what most people do.
And if you think the cigarette companies are satisfied with 350 million smokers (a majority of them men), think again. Three hundred and fifty million, with a majority being men, means there are still a billion other potential smokers in this country, a majority of them women. And as they used to do in the US before it was banned, targeting the kids is a great marketing tool. Here are some boots for little girls I saw at Carrefour.
Of course, France is becoming like Everywhere Else (which also includes Hong Kong) and banning smoking in many public places. So what in the world could David Sedaris do? He could quit. His health would thank him for it. Or......
He could move to China. Smoking is a divine right in this country with more smokers than the population of the US. You can smoke in bars, karaoke lounges, and restaurants. In fact, I wonder at times if there is a tradition that you must smoke and eat at the same time, because that is what most people do.
And if you think the cigarette companies are satisfied with 350 million smokers (a majority of them men), think again. Three hundred and fifty million, with a majority being men, means there are still a billion other potential smokers in this country, a majority of them women. And as they used to do in the US before it was banned, targeting the kids is a great marketing tool. Here are some boots for little girls I saw at Carrefour.
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