"You are such a snob!" said my third ex to me the other day when I met him at his request to collect my birthday gift.
My reply to that? "It is not a matter of being a snob, it is a matter of environmental awareness and public health safety!"
The scenario? Dinner at a coffee shop, then dessert at McDonalds. And since there were not much places left in the coffee shop, we had to share a table with a middle-aged man, a smoker. I felt like being put inside a chimney, inhaling soot after soot after soot.
He was making me lose my appetite. I saw him smoking one cigarette after another. The last straw was that he turned his head to my direction, looked me up and down while I was eating, and blew smoke in my direction!
I never feel comfortable when someone scrutinizes the way I eat. It makes me feel so self-conscious! And I never can tolerate if there is smoke in my face or hair. Not to mention my sensitivity to smoke. That guy was just slowly smoking and enjoying his beer, totally oblivious of other's discomfort.
So I spoke up. I told him that I like to breathe in clean fresh air without any form of pollution around me, and I like to enjoy a decent meal without anyone blowing smoke at my direction. And besides, it is already illegal to smoke at most public eating places, so I can have him sued if I want to.
He looked at me, and I glared back. I told him I would appreciate if he can sit and drink his beer without smoking, or else shift somewhere far away and then continue smoking. So he quickly finished his beer and left the table.
And that was when my ex told me off. I brought my point across, and added that my health is already not as strong as others, the last thing I need is to one day get lung cancer from second-hand smoke. In the end, he had to agree that was the best thing to do.
Maybe I am a snob. Maybe I should be more tolerant. If it is just swearing, cussing, gambling or anything else, I can still take it, pretend that nothing happened even if I cower in discomfort inside.
But when it is to do with the air I breathe in, then I think I have every right to ask for fresh clean air instead of stale smoky air. Afterall, the smoke does not affect me alone; it affects all those around me who do not smoke yet fall victim to all the second-hand smoke.
There was a simpler way. My friend and I could just leave. And if there was another place available, we would have left. Except he insisted on eating at that particular place since he missed that place and he was craving for the food from his favourite stall. Just too bad that day happened to be crowded.
Come to think of it, I am taking a big risk. I hope that man does not remember what I look like, or is not involved in any triads. I do not want to get beaten up or killed because of this!
My reply to that? "It is not a matter of being a snob, it is a matter of environmental awareness and public health safety!"
The scenario? Dinner at a coffee shop, then dessert at McDonalds. And since there were not much places left in the coffee shop, we had to share a table with a middle-aged man, a smoker. I felt like being put inside a chimney, inhaling soot after soot after soot.
He was making me lose my appetite. I saw him smoking one cigarette after another. The last straw was that he turned his head to my direction, looked me up and down while I was eating, and blew smoke in my direction!
I never feel comfortable when someone scrutinizes the way I eat. It makes me feel so self-conscious! And I never can tolerate if there is smoke in my face or hair. Not to mention my sensitivity to smoke. That guy was just slowly smoking and enjoying his beer, totally oblivious of other's discomfort.
So I spoke up. I told him that I like to breathe in clean fresh air without any form of pollution around me, and I like to enjoy a decent meal without anyone blowing smoke at my direction. And besides, it is already illegal to smoke at most public eating places, so I can have him sued if I want to.
He looked at me, and I glared back. I told him I would appreciate if he can sit and drink his beer without smoking, or else shift somewhere far away and then continue smoking. So he quickly finished his beer and left the table.
And that was when my ex told me off. I brought my point across, and added that my health is already not as strong as others, the last thing I need is to one day get lung cancer from second-hand smoke. In the end, he had to agree that was the best thing to do.
Maybe I am a snob. Maybe I should be more tolerant. If it is just swearing, cussing, gambling or anything else, I can still take it, pretend that nothing happened even if I cower in discomfort inside.
But when it is to do with the air I breathe in, then I think I have every right to ask for fresh clean air instead of stale smoky air. Afterall, the smoke does not affect me alone; it affects all those around me who do not smoke yet fall victim to all the second-hand smoke.
There was a simpler way. My friend and I could just leave. And if there was another place available, we would have left. Except he insisted on eating at that particular place since he missed that place and he was craving for the food from his favourite stall. Just too bad that day happened to be crowded.
Come to think of it, I am taking a big risk. I hope that man does not remember what I look like, or is not involved in any triads. I do not want to get beaten up or killed because of this!
3 comments:
Meh, if you're the snob here, then he's gutless.
Come on, the feller deliberately blew his smoke at you, and he did nothing?
You were not a snob. One problem with people is that they often do not consider those around them.
Ole Wolvie : Erh, he was busy eating, oblivious to everything else.
Richard : I guess you're right.
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