Adieu, vaarwel, goodbye café De Waagschaal… For years your smoking room was the last refuge for the smoker in the region I live in. Myself and other pipe smokers had so many great and cosy meetings there over the years. Also I just liked to sit there alone with a good cigar/pipe, read a book, have a cup of coffee and look at the people outside walking over De Brink (the central square in Deventer). Now a (grumpy) owner closed it down due to recent regulations, although those are not enforced until April 2020. I was hoping for one last warm winter of smoking but unfortunately there is a small club of anti-smoking people here (Clean Air Nederland) who sued the Dutch state about their smoking room policy, and won… Unbelievable… I fetched my own drinks in the café below and carried them to the old smoking room, personnel did not even had to come there, and I bothered no one. Civilisation, don’t make me laugh… Luckily I still have the pictures, thanks to all who took them.
Anti-smoking pricks. Find another purpose in life other than telling other people how to live their’s. You will not get cancer, or die, from smelling smoke or passing a smoker on the street. Geez.
Reminds me of this… “Tolerace can be learned from smokers. Never has a smoker complained about a nonsmoker.” – Alessandro Pertini
True words, very true words.. Thank you very much.
This isn’t really about smoking, These zealots are simply childish adults who desperately need to discipline other people who are not obeying their “rules”.
It is authority worship. They will tell you what is tolerated.
The zealots desire to stop people (traditional men in particular) from cultural things they have long enjoyed. Sitting at a table after dinner, sipping strong drinks (caffe’ or ale!), and smoking a good cigar or pipe, and engaging in conversation.
Look at the attacks on Freedom of Speech. Same overgrown 8 year olds, isn’t it?
A little too much independence in that for the attention seeking “goody-two-shoes”.
The owner of that cafe’ is a coward.
Perhaps in some years in cafés we will be only allowed to drink non-alcoholic, non-sugar, non-high calorie drinks… I surely don’t hope so. I am amazed at the power of such a small group. And we have others here in The Netherlands. They shout hard, get attention etc. I think they wield more power, or are more effective than political parties.