Well then all you fumeurs et fumeuses (not your Fulvias I hope) what have I got?
First, if you smoke and are in Paris next weekend there is to be a sit-in at the Hotel de Ville - i.e. the town hall on Sunday: for that real French experience it is necessary to take part in a manifestation.
Meanwhile on "Ma Clope Ma Bataille" battle has truly been joined between the smokers and the non-smokers. I am afraid that many of the "nons" have behaved really rather badly, some even wishing horrible diseases and short lives to their opponents. It is curious that this vituperative anger - at least as far as I can tell, my French being what it is - has not been reciprocated by the smokers who have remained generally good-humoured, witty and sometimes almost poetic. Don't just take my word for it (I do smoke after all) if you have the French, have a look.
For me whose understanding of traditional French culture is derived mostly from a little reading in England, the vigorous debate is reminiscent of a tradition of earnest left-bank political arguments in the 1960s- a flavour of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre (both fervent smokers of course).
Finally the "blogeuse" who owns "Ma Clope etc." added the video below to express her feelings.
First, if you smoke and are in Paris next weekend there is to be a sit-in at the Hotel de Ville - i.e. the town hall on Sunday: for that real French experience it is necessary to take part in a manifestation.
Meanwhile on "Ma Clope Ma Bataille" battle has truly been joined between the smokers and the non-smokers. I am afraid that many of the "nons" have behaved really rather badly, some even wishing horrible diseases and short lives to their opponents. It is curious that this vituperative anger - at least as far as I can tell, my French being what it is - has not been reciprocated by the smokers who have remained generally good-humoured, witty and sometimes almost poetic. Don't just take my word for it (I do smoke after all) if you have the French, have a look.
For me whose understanding of traditional French culture is derived mostly from a little reading in England, the vigorous debate is reminiscent of a tradition of earnest left-bank political arguments in the 1960s- a flavour of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre (both fervent smokers of course).
Finally the "blogeuse" who owns "Ma Clope etc." added the video below to express her feelings.
À bientôt
