# Home in Madrid..SMOKE, SMOKE, SMOKE



## LA_Rick (Oct 20, 2008)

Well, I´m here in Madrid and working, finally.

I was a smoker for many years but this is RIDICULOUS! I can´t go in to a TAPAS Bar or Restaurant without being overcome with smoke! I´ve come to the point where I just want to order to go and leave right away because I can´t breathe and my food tastes like a Marlboro!

I really could not believe that England stopped smoking in Pubs but I guess it will be near impossible to get that done here?

Anyone have any ideas if there are any NON-SMOKING restaurants and-or Bars?



Cough, cough.....


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

LA_Rick said:


> Well, I´m here in Madrid and working, finally.
> 
> I was a smoker for many years but this is RIDICULOUS! I can´t go in to a TAPAS Bar or Restaurant without being overcome with smoke! I´ve come to the point where I just want to order to go and leave right away because I can´t breathe and my food tastes like a Marlboro!
> 
> ...




I think Spain did have the same smoking ban as the UK a few years ago, but it had to be modified as the Spanish ignored it ?????????? Mind you they've recently banned smoking in Malaga airport apparently, so maybe its happening again???

There are bars and restaurants with smoking bans and no smoking areas, you just have to seek them out. Generally they're the "child friendly" ones.

Personally I like the freedom of choice and think the decision should come from the bar owner and not the damn government

Jo


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Lots of non-smoking bars in Málaga and Torrevieja - the only ones I will go into! 

I have walked out of two non-smoking bars recently without paying and with half-drunk coffees. 

I told one waiter that it was meant to be non-smoking and he said that nobody complied ....and that I could sit on the terrace!! Next!!


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## chris(madrid) (Mar 23, 2008)

LA_Rick said:


> I really could not believe that England stopped smoking in Pubs but I guess it will be near impossible to get that done here?.


Simply - here RESTAURANTS above a certain size HAVE TO PROVIDE NON smoking areas. Small places can choose to be one or the other.

And most bars choose SMOKING as combined with the smoking ban in many large buildings it actually has increased their business.


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## ivorra (Sep 24, 2008)

QUOTE=LA_Rick;91391]Well, I´m here in Madrid and working, finally.

I was a smoker for many years but this is RIDICULOUS! I can´t go in to a TAPAS Bar or Restaurant without being overcome with smoke! I´ve come to the point where I just want to order to go and leave right away because I can´t breathe and my food tastes like a Marlboro!

I really could not believe that England stopped smoking in Pubs but I guess it will be near impossible to get that done here?

Anyone have any ideas if there are any NON-SMOKING restaurants and-or Bars?



Cough, cough.....[/QUOTE]

Anywhere that sells food to take away as well as meals/drinks - smoking is not allowed in food shops and many small pastalerías also have coffee bars in the no-smoking zone of the shop. Not much help I know but at least you can get a cup of coffee in a smoke free environment!


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## JAGUAR (Jan 5, 2009)

Much as I hate dining with smokers, I guess this is part of the 'Spanish' experience. 
I myself would either find a non smoking diner or live with it if I liked the company in there.


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

If somebody respected MY company they would not smoke.

I would not swear in the presence of children - I would expect true friends to show me the same respect. A few years ago a salesman came to meet me from Madrid and we met up at a restaurant on the motorway. He asked politely if he could smoke and I responded politely "Not if you want my signature on that order form". He took my point and settled for a brandy. 

Cultural thing: in a formal meeting in the UK would I ever have dreamt about drinking with a customer on the first meeting? ¡Qué va!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Live and let live I say !! 

I'm always fascinated by the "22 nations" study. They did an indepth study on heart disease and cancer across europe. They found that France and Spain had the lowest incidence of heart disease and cancer and interestingly they were also the highest smokers! Hence everyone then reccomended the "mediteranean diet"!!????? But smoking is bad!!?

Its the politics behind the anti-smoking movement that annoy me - its to do with finance not health! I used to work in the health industry in the UK and this was something we were never allowed to talk about!

I'm not condoning cigarettes and yes the smoke is not pleasant, but I get annoyed at the intereference from health groups and the government. And it seems daft to me that in Spain we can sit in a street eating and drinking right next to fumes being pumped out exhausts, dust etc

Anyway I'll shut up now!.... and no I dont smoke!

Jo


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

JoJo - I am a very tolerant person, I thnk (I am even "trying" to have a sensible discussion about football with an Arsenal fan on another forum) but I have a zero tolerance to smoking and if there is not a non-smoking area in a bar it's simple I will not use it. My decision. What I would never do is go into a smokng room and either criticise the management or ask others not to smoke. If I made the decision to go into a room where smoking IS allowed I just have to abide by that but if people smoke in a no smoking bar I will walk out. Punto.


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## JAGUAR (Jan 5, 2009)

SteveHall said:


> A few years ago a salesman came to meet me from Madrid and we met up at a restaurant on the motorway. He asked politely if he could smoke and I responded politely "Not if you want my signature on that order form". He took my point and settled for a brandy.
> 
> A good thing you don't have a Zero tolerance towards alcohol as well, otherwise you'd never get any deals done eh


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

JAGUAR said:


> SteveHall said:
> 
> 
> > A good thing you don't have a Zero tolerance towards alcohol as well, otherwise you'd never get any deals done eh
> ...


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## chris(madrid) (Mar 23, 2008)

SteveHall said:


> if there is not a non-smoking area in a bar it's simple I will not use it. My decision. What I would never do is go into a smokng room and either criticise the management or ask others not to smoke.


I'm the same - BUT my wife does Smoke so ...........

I'm not sure how it is in the provinces - but here near us the Smoking sections in split restaurants are obliged to have FECKIN BIG extractor fans - I generally need and extra layer of clothing there's so much draught.

But I will NOT go into smoke dens anymore. I don't like discos/clubs much anyway. 

This said I now do not visit many bars either as I gave up booze the middle of last year - and I've yet (even after many years) to get into stopping for a coffee. 

Basically I'm now a sad old git who enjoys sitting at home with a roaring log fire.


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Simple answer - get rid of wife. "Darling, if you loved me, you'd stop smoking?"

Trouble is you'd get, "Chris, if you loved me you'd stop spending all your pesetas on your bikes" 

Twas ever thus!!


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## JAGUAR (Jan 5, 2009)

SteveHall said:


> JAGUAR said:
> 
> 
> > I don't have to inhale their alcohol
> ...


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

JAGUAR said:


> SteveHall said:
> 
> 
> > Nope, but maybe if you're tt like myself you have to tolerate their arrogant and ever louder behaviour.
> ...


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## crookesey (May 22, 2008)

Tell them to get one of these, should do the trick.

Web hosting, domain name registration and web services by 1&1 Internet


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## chrisnation (Mar 2, 2009)

SteveHall said:


> If somebody respected MY company they would not smoke.
> 
> I would not swear in the presence of children - I would expect true friends to show me the same respect. A few years ago a salesman came to meet me from Madrid and we met up at a restaurant on the motorway. He asked politely if he could smoke and I responded politely "Not if you want my signature on that order form". He took my point and settled for a brandy.
> 
> Cultural thing: in a formal meeting in the UK would I ever have dreamt about drinking with a customer on the first meeting? ¡Qué va!


He settled for a brandy? On the motorway?! At least his ciggy would only have reduced his life by a day or two and yours by a minute or two. His brandy may well have ended a couple of cars'worth of lives, as well as his own, instantly. I think your comment about the contract would have been well extended to the brandy as well as the ***. 

A restaurant in Brittany near where my ex-sec'try lives has a car park set up to take HGVs. These guys are all in there guzzling pichets of rouge. Two hours later they are climbing into the cabs of 38 tonners. There are some rules that us Brits can congratulate ourselves on making stick.


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Can't disagree on you that - good point. 

I am TT but I can tolerate somebody who has one or two drinks. One cigarette is above my tolerance threshold!

That said, I interviewed a lady 3/4 years ago and she had 4 glasses of wine during the interview!! The fact that she seemed 100% OK warned me that she was probably enured to it. NO, she did not get the job!


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## chris(madrid) (Mar 23, 2008)

SteveHall said:


> That said, I interviewed a lady 3/4 years ago and she had 4 glasses of wine during the interview!! The fact that she seemed 100% OK warned me that she was probably enured to it. NO, she did not get the job!


When I first arrived here - that is was simply normal to have 1/2 bottle of wine and a "chaser" at lunch. Everybody did it. You had a 2 hour break after all.

Can still recall being surprised that the interviewers were often a bit "relaxed" post luncheon. BUT quickly learned that the immediately after lunch interviews were the ones they felt obliged to do. Also became aware that if you were not a bit "relaxed" as well - then they assumed something was wrong. No really!. Not condoning - just explaining.

Times change. Not sure it's all for the best though. As the UK's drink driving laws tightened up - so did Binge drinking increase. Seen an increase in heavy drinking here too now, since casual imbibing became harder.


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## Tomo (Mar 6, 2009)

LA_Rick said:


> Well, I´m here in Madrid and working, finally.
> 
> I was a smoker for many years but this is RIDICULOUS! I can´t go in to a TAPAS Bar or Restaurant without being overcome with smoke! I´ve come to the point where I just want to order to go and leave right away because I can´t breathe and my food tastes like a Marlboro!
> 
> ...




I thought they had banned it in Spain as well? Obviously not...
How about tapas bars that serve you outdoor on the pavement...might be a bit chilly at times, but at least you can breath!


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## chrisnation (Mar 2, 2009)

Tomo said:


> I thought they had banned it in Spain as well? Obviously not...
> How about tapas bars that serve you outdoor on the pavement...might be a bit chilly at times, but at least you can breath!


It should be the other way round. The faggists [note English, not US usage] should have to freeze their butts off or get wet.


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## JAGUAR (Jan 5, 2009)

So . . . You've stopped smoking and expect everyone else who hasn't to comply with *your* wishes? 
If everyone who smoked stepped outside, who would you talk to, the barman?
That's providing he doesn't smoke eh! 
Bars are the traditional haunts of smokers, it's part of the atmosphere and one of the reasons so many find them attractive, that's why many, even non smokers who used to go to UK pubs have stopped using them. 
The promised 'we'll go more often now' from non smokers didn't happen and the bars can only keep going so long on the back of quiz nights and the 'Self Righteous Brothers' on the Karaoke.


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## chris(madrid) (Mar 23, 2008)

JAGUAR said:


> Bars are the traditional haunts of smokers, it's part of the atmosphere and one of the reasons so many find them attractive, that's why many, even non smokers who used to go to UK pubs have stopped using them.


Think you'll find it's the stiffer drink driving laws that stuffed UK pubs - especially rural ones. I certainly no longer went for drink in the UK if I had to drive. Since I'm now TT it's less of an issue. 

I can recall AGES ago that the lounge bars were noticeably less smoky - and even one that asked you not to smoke in the lounge bar - this back in the '80's and believe me it was ALWAYS full. There was a level of respect for the wishes of others - people were courteous about it -a nd most smokers would not simply take offence if asked "not to". Now you'd suffer a tirade.

Those that survive now - in general, imo - are the ones that are basically restaurants. I'm sure there are still some inner city pubs that still make a go of it on booze - but they must sell HUGE amounts and have local walk-in clients. These I'll grant should have the right (as here) to choose smoke or smoke free - and visitors then the right to enter or not. The only UK pubs I now visit are ones with good food. Fortunately - these are pretty plentiful in the country.


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