Despite talk of stubbing out smoking in public places getting free of the fumes is a tricky task in Moscow. Over 90 per cent of Russian bar hoppers are passive smokers, while 80 per cent of the country’s cafe society are left sucking in the smoke, according to research conducted by the Statistics of Russia Centre in 2009. The same study found that nonsmoking areas did little to protect non-smokers lungs from the fumes. And while City Hall is looking at the possibility of following many European countries by banning smoking in public places like airports, bars and restaurants, the industry remains resistant. The Federal government moved a step closer to a ban in January by joining the World Health Organisation, which means no advertising of cigarettes. Some fine dining places with fewer visitors per square metre can often be good options, there is no guarantee they will be smoke free. But to escape the cheap and crowded bars, which often lack decent ventilation and non-smoking sectors, there are a few places to go for fume-free dining. Smell the coffee Plenty of coffee shops have already implemented bans, as heavy smoke conflicts with the aroma of the beans. For a smoke-free smell go to any Volkonsky, Coffee Bean, Starbucks, Friends Forever cafe, Vensky Strudel and most Costa Coffee cafes. “The smoke-free concept was a request from our British partner, Whitbread,” said Tatiana Kolpak, a director at Costa Coffe. “Moreover, smoke covers the coffee smell, and this smoking ban hasn’t put off the customers.” Some health food restaurants have already implemented bans, including the vegetarian outlets Dzhagannat and both Avocado branches. Prime Star and Lunch Box sandwich cafes, with outlets around the city, are also non-smoking. Drinking only While pubs and bars have traditionally been bastions of the smoker, the heyday is already over for some. To begin with it was American restaurants starting the trend, such as Frendy’s American Diner and Corner Burger. The Correa’s chain, meanwhile, will kick out anyone caught lighting up. “In most Correa’s restaurants we have special areas near the entrance where one can smoke a cigarette, but smoking inside is forbidden in most units of the chain – that’s one of the reasons many families come with their children,” said Georgy Shishakov, a manager at Correa’s. Some traditional bars, such as Ryumochnaya on Bolshaya Nikitskaya, have also caught on, and the customary shot of vodka can be had with a salad instead of a cigarette. Happy compromise? The number of non-smoking places remains relatively few despite recent increases. Some places try to minimise the effect with decent ventilation as a compromise. “We have separate zones in our restaurants and good ventilation,” said Inna Ismailova, PR-director of Vesta-Centre International, which owns Yakitoria and Ginno-Taki, among others. “However I think smoke spoils the taste of food, and it’s nice to see that every year nonsmoking zones become more and more popular.” Clamping down Recently city authorities have proposed banning smoking in the entrances to apartment blocks. And Gennady Onishchenko, the head of the Russian health watchdog, has proposed kicking smokers out of other public places, such as bus stops. Smokers – in or out? Yekaterina, in a bar I smoke but I don’t like people smoking around me – it makes my clothes smell of cigarettes every time I go out to eat – that’s why I think smokers should go outside to smoke. Pavel, in a coffee house I think it’s not very difficult to go outside to smoke. Passive smoking also damages your health and people should be protected from this. Eduard, in a bar Separate zones seem sufficient to me, Moscow is a very dirty city and no one has to be made to go outside, especially in winter.
© RIA Novosti. Valery TitievskyStubbing out cigarettes
