Starting today, the only places you can legally smoke in France are private homes and open-air public spaces. About 70 percent of the French public thinks the ban is a good idea. But there's at least one way around the prohibition.
Christophe Cadet, who owns Cafe 203 in Lyon, plans to flout the ban in the name of performance art. Patrons will be allowed to smoke, he says, between noon and 2 pm. He's put up a banner reading:
Cultural and social experimental zone: You are exposing yourself to the threat of second-hand smoke.
Cadet plans to endure the government fines--of up to $1,100--by selling ashtrays. Knowing how popular smoking is in French cafes, we're guessing he'll also rake in tons of sales for those two cig-friendly hours.
France isn't the only place kicking the habit in 2008. A wide-ranging indoor smoking ban Chicago--and the rest of Illinois--started at 12:01 am on January 1. While some locals don't like being told they can't smoke, others are loving it. One woman even came up with a new name for New Year's: "Happy no more smoking in bars day." Guess we shouldn't expect any civil disobedience from Chicago, then?
Related Stories:
· French Cafe Owner Rebels Against Smoking Ban [AFP, via Google]
· Cafe 203 [Official Site]
· New Year, New Habits [Chicago Tribune]
· Smoking coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: L'Apéro du Jeudi]]]>