Today, I was taken a quarter century back just by looking at the coffee table in one of the numerous Iraqi ministries I have been visiting in the last few weeks. I had flash-backs of my mother asking me suddenly to go to the grocer and buy a pack of Winston because "Emm Tony is coming and we run out of her brand of cigarettes". (Yes! A 10 year old can buy cigarettes in Lebanon...talk about freedom!). Back then, the cigarette tray was part of the furniture, along with half a dozen ashtrays. I have noticed lately it disappeared from Lebanese living rooms. It is now politically (or should I say socially) incorrect to offer "poison" to our visitors (don't take it as a complaint) Am I opening the door to a round of arguments and counter-arguments between smokers and non-smokers, pro-smoking and anti-(nazi as R would say)smokers? I know am happy to go drinking and dancing in a smoke-free environment in one of the cities from the growing list of smoke-free places of the world. At least I don't smell like an ashtray after going back home. My own guilty pleasure? At some point I used to find sexy the flavour of a kiss with a smoker. We all know at least one smoker who argues that they smoke because they want to, not because they cannot stop: Discuss!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
A blast from the past!
Today, I was taken a quarter century back just by looking at the coffee table in one of the numerous Iraqi ministries I have been visiting in the last few weeks. I had flash-backs of my mother asking me suddenly to go to the grocer and buy a pack of Winston because "Emm Tony is coming and we run out of her brand of cigarettes". (Yes! A 10 year old can buy cigarettes in Lebanon...talk about freedom!). Back then, the cigarette tray was part of the furniture, along with half a dozen ashtrays. I have noticed lately it disappeared from Lebanese living rooms. It is now politically (or should I say socially) incorrect to offer "poison" to our visitors (don't take it as a complaint) Am I opening the door to a round of arguments and counter-arguments between smokers and non-smokers, pro-smoking and anti-(nazi as R would say)smokers? I know am happy to go drinking and dancing in a smoke-free environment in one of the cities from the growing list of smoke-free places of the world. At least I don't smell like an ashtray after going back home. My own guilty pleasure? At some point I used to find sexy the flavour of a kiss with a smoker. We all know at least one smoker who argues that they smoke because they want to, not because they cannot stop: Discuss!
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1 comment:
Hehe, I remember those trays at my grandmother's! They've disappeared now, even from her house.
Smokers definitely smoke because they cannot stop. Saying that they want to is just an excuse. Full Stop!
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