261833 Sat Sep 21 18:57:07 -0700 2002 2 26 International 0 1383644 Here’s my problem; maybe it’s yours too. I spend a lot of time in Europe. I love the eating options this opens up, and I look forward to feasting on the local specialties wherever I am. In fact, I would be in chow heaven, except.... I have asthma. If I’m in a smoky room, even a slightly smoky room, for just a few minutes, my head feels like it’s wedged in a vise and about to explode. I have to get up and walk out, no matter what the situation. This is not about liking or not liking smoke; it’s a physiological limitation I’m forced to accept. (Before I came down with asthma about twelve years ago, I used to put up with smoky environs without complaint.) Summers are not so bad, since many places have outdoor seating. Of course, this works only if it’s not raining. Winters can be a nightmare, with hours spent searching for the few possibilities. Restaurant personnel are rarely helpful. More often than not, they regard my no-smoking constraint as an absurd American affectation and enjoy making fun of it. More than once I’ve had waiters place no-smoking cards on my table and say with a smile, See, there’s your no smoking area. So what do other respiratorially-impaired chowpeople do? I know there are websites devoted to smoke-free establishments in Europe (or some parts of it – good luck when you’re stopping at a village on a car or train trip), but they give little critical attention to the food itself. My goal is to breathe well *and* eat well. One suggestion would be to propose a new chowhound site for international non-smoking, but I’m afraid there wouldn’t be enough to write about. What to do? Peter Sat Sep 21 18:57:07 -0700 2002 0 Peter Dorman 1 1383689 I am also asthmatic, but even before I had asthma I hated the smell of cigarette smoke. I now am living in Beijing, capital of one of the most smoke-obsessed peoples on the planet (where no smoking signs, though common, are regularly disregarded, especially in bathrooms, which drives me particularly crazy). Anyway, last week I was a guest at a trade show not far from here and there in the banquet hall everyone (or at least every man--smoking by women is frowned upon) lit up even before dinner was served, but then they continued throughout the meal. Now, the food was nothing to write home about anyway, but any chance at enjoying it was overwhelmed by the smoke. I also had the misfortune of being in the furthest part of the room from any open door (there were no windows) so I was practically gasping for air. At one point, after using my albuterol inhaler for the second time, I decided to get some air. But the air in China is already about as smoky as your average American smoky bar, so this is not much help. Eventually I gave up on trying to be sociable and retreated to my room, where luckily the previous guests had not been smokers. This is a common problem here, and no one seems to mind. Europe is a piece of cake in comparison. Tue Sep 24 00:35:29 -0700 2002 1383644 0 James G 1 1383760 I read this post a few days ago and felt for you (and myself). At the time I was just about to leave for Budapest, which is one of the smokiest restaurant cities I've ever been to. Imagine my surprise when I went out last night to a Budapest pub and was greeted at the door by someone asking "smoking or non?" I was blown away. The non-smoking section really WAS non-smoking, and a whole separate room to boot! (Naturally, it was much smaller than the smoking section, but I can understand that.) I talked to my Hungarian colleage about the issue today and she said, "Oh, every restaurant has that now." So: the world may still not be safe for asthmatics and smoke-haters, but at least Budapest has gotten on the clean air bandwagon. Take heart--if it can happen here, it can happen anywhere. Fri Sep 27 15:46:32 -0700 2002 1383644 0 Julie