Espace Non Fumeur

To the dismay of many French doctors and school teachers, smoking is now forbidden in medical centers and schools.

We’ve already reported on this turn of events, of course, but we’d like to reflect for a minute on how things will feel in January, 2008, when the all-encompassing ban on smoking in public places goes into effect. In a city where memories of the good old days of smoking in elevators and puffing away in the delivery room are still fresh, Parisians will have to adjust to espresso sans smoke.

By this time next year Parisians and tourists alike will be faced with cafés that are just not what they used to be. Gone will be that slight eyeball burn and the uncertainty of whether the chef has added a dash of pepper or cigarette ash to les croques-monsieur.

Parisian public smoking, you’ve been stinky, rude, omnipresent, and oddly charming. You will be sincerely missed.