Another Smoky Night at the Pub

Last night was our monthly "Dads Group" meeting. Once a month, a group of Catholic men gets together, along with our Priest, at a local "pub" for dinner, beer and discussion. It's always a lot of fun, and makes for an enjoyable guys night out. The pub we visit has two rooms, with separate entrances for the smoking and non-smoking sides. The actual division is illusory though. We use the non-smoking side, but I usually leave my coat in the car so it doesn't get embedded with the stench of cigarette smoke. Of course, my clothes still smell of smoke when I return home.

Since I choose to visit the pub, the odor I return home with is the result of a decision I make. However, I read with great interest "Three smoking bans pass Senate" in our local paper the other day. There are three laws up for consideration that would in effect ban smoking in restaurants. Of course, this is far from a done deal. The House of Delegates has historically killed these laws. Virginia has had a long love affair with tobacco and that relationship won't go down easily. I prefer to smell my food and drink rather than cigarette smoke and am more inclined to visit pubs on my occasional trips to Denver, where a smoking ban is in effect. However, I'm not entirely comfortable with a government regulation in this area. (Although, there are already many proper and necessary health regulations in place for food establishments.) The health police don't necessarily have a consistent track record and there could be a slippery slope here.

We do tend to patronize non-smoking restaurants over the opposite when we're planning a family dinner out. Whether I agree in principle with the law or not, I would not lament the cleaner air when I'm out for a pint.