Making a good thing better
During our trip back to Wisconsin in January, I had the opportunity to meet my best friend in Rochester, MN for a couple of drinks and dinner. Making the drive home, I was happy for so many reasons, not the least of which being that I did not reek like an ashtray, despite our presence in three bars and restaurants throughout the night.
Thanks to a statewide ban on smoking that was enacted in September 2007, nights out in the Land of 10,000 Lakes can be had smoke-free. Business certainly wasn’t suffering at any of the places in which we caroused, and no one seemed too put out by having to endure a few minutes out in the cold winter night to satisfy their habit.
Upon returning home, where things are a bit more regressive, I made the decision to finally and totally eschew establishments that still think it a good idea to mix smoke, drink, and food. Thankfully, it hasn’t been all that hard. Many are wising up, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised when walking into several places. SmokeFree Pennsylvania also publishes a thorough list of smoke-free dining options in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area.
So, the system works like it should: The smoke-free places are rewarded with my business, while I ignore the others. Fine. But do the places that still allow smoking know what they’re missing out on? Namely, the business of people like me who just don’t want to deal with it anymore? True, they probably couldn’t care less. But I’d find it personally satisfying to develop something that could bring people together to talk about where they decided not to go, and why. It could be an empowering tool.
But first, baby steps. Here’s a search form for the SmokeFree site:
Find a restaurant
If the restaurant that you search for doesn’t show up, there’s a good chance it still allows smoking.
