I hope this post doesn’t degrade to another lampoon tirade against smoking, of which I am capable of at the slightest provocation! And there is no dearth of such here in Zurich.
Wha..what!!Zurich..It’s Switzerland you are talking about, right?
That’s a shock I have been grappling with, as well since the past few years.
A true heaven in every sense of the word with everything in perfect order, from its natural resources to the functioning and governance, to the quality of living.
To preserve such a beauty is a given to the people here with respect being generously meted out to the streets, public transport system, the forests, mountains, rivers, even to each other.
And regarding the atmosphere?
While automobile pollution is almost non existent, the lack of it is made up by the amount of cigarette smoke billowed by nearly half the swiss population (foreigners included). That is a very disturbing fact, for the non-smokers (in this case passive smokers) like me who are washed in gallons of this smoke each time, waiting on the bus and tram stations or just enjoying a meal at a restaurant or sipping coffee at a cafe!
Exasperating Facts:
1) Europeans in general are very health conscious. My best guess, lung cancer apparently doesn’t bother them
2) Women are fast outnumbering the Swiss Men in this regard. Many smoke to keep their weight in check. Probably haggard looks, stained teeth, is something they are willing to accept in the trade.
3) Passive smoking can grip you more viciously than active!!(scariest one)
Feeble Excuses: Cold countries need this as a way to brace themselves against the cold..by that estimate non smokers should have been frozen to death by now!
And Style statement, my foot!
A difference I noticed in the attitude people harbor about this habit India vs. Switzerland: Whereas Indians are conscious about smoking in public places, it’s a socially acceptable trait here to the extent that non smokers would be greeted with a slight condescension.
Blowing up smoke all around you, stifling you, and not a flicker of guilt or apology crossing their faces, that defines an average environment/health conscious Swiss!
Be positive:
Hope for rectification is not lost yet. The Government is finally waking up. In phases, ban for smoking at public places is being implemented.
Funny:
Yesterday being choked while dining at a Pizzeria that was otherwise quite cozy, a friend of mine quipped that, impregnating all the female population in town would be a good idea. If nothing else, that would keep them from smoking :)
Friday 18 January 2008
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