[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

"Anyone else ever notice the resemblance in smell between the faint faraway scent of pig manure and a field of clover blooming under a hot afternoon sun?"

Its all relative. I enjoy the smell of cigar smoke and particularly pipe smoke. I don't smoke and haven't for well over three decades now but those scents bring back good memories and in my opinion are pleasant in themselves even without the memories. What I REALLY hate is strong body odor, particularly body odor from someone who douses him/herself in some cheap body wash in lieu of bathing--which I have smelled in The Villages, so far, much more often than either pipe or cigar smoke.

I understand peoples' objection to smokers in a restaurant. Even without the law (the Florida Clean Air Act) prohibiting it I think most people would be considerate enough not to do that when in an indoor dining area except in designated smoking areas. But outdoors? It is permitted by law in Florida in outdoor dining venues (unless the merchant prohibits it, which they have the right to do) the assumption being that there is no health risk from secondhand smoke if you are more than six feet away from the smoker. There, again, even if I smoked I would desist in an outdoor venue if I thought my smoke would be bothering other diners. It's an old habit: even when I smoked and when it was perfectly permissible to do so, I'd ask the permission of the people I was with, first.

But outdoors in general? Excuse me if I hold those virtue-signalers among us who cough, gag and fan the air if they see someone smoking outside. They do exist: I tried an experiment once years ago, putting a never-before-smoked pipe in my mouth while at a grocery store and holding it there while I shopped. Sure enough, I encountered a fellow woman shopper who started that delicate coughing-and-fanning routine as soon as she saw my pipe. She looked highly irritated when I showed her that it was empty. Actually it was more than that--it had never even broken in and essentially all it was, was a piece of finished wood and plastic.

So what's the point? If I encounter an assumedly-unwashed person in public who has drenched his/her body in some cheap body wash from Joe's Oil Change and Body Wash Emporium, I move. I don't fan the air and feel the need to point out to others in the vicinity that I am visibly offended. If it is in a restaurant I'll ask the waitstaff for a different table. If outside, I'll just move upwind or something. But I don't go out of my way to embarrass anyone by making a completely-uncalled for public scene. Same with cigarette, cigar, pipe, etc., smoke as well. If it is blowing in my direction and I'd rather not smell it, I'll just move. No public scene or virtuous histrionics.

They have the right to be there--B.O. or smoke notwithstanding. I have the right to move. 'Nuff said.

Look at you... Being all reasonable and stuff...

Are you sure you're on the right board?