As a child, I remember being extremely sensitive to smoke and, although this is not the best example, I once went to a shower (I hope bridal, not baby) at the Wesleyville American Legion and had to leave early because the air was so thick with smoke. Now, W.A.L. probably had its own atmosphere thanks to cigarettes, but it was not uncommon for me to be in a smoke filled room and have to leave.
When I got a bit older and went off to college, my tolerance increased. It was probably due to my affinity for bars and we all know that, in the 90's, to go to a bar meant second-hand smoke. My tolerance further increased when I lived in England and then Greece. Unlike in the U.S., where people rarely smoke in their homes or while actually EATING at a restaurant, smokers in those countries were everywhere. I guess that when your meal takes 3 hours to eat, a true smoker must have a cig at the table. Remember when hostesses asked "smoking or non"? In Greece I actually once sat at a table with a "no smoking" sign inside the ashtray! Oddly enough, it didn't bother me at all.
It was an un-ironic ashtray as far as we could tell. Since joining the E.U. Greece had to observe a few laws that were incomprehensible to the Greeks. No-smoking sections was one such regulation.
Now that we have reached the enlightened age when even Erie, PA has regulations about smoking in public places, my ability to stand the smoke has clearly decreased. I was not completely on board with the public smoking ban (even though I love a good regulation, I did think that adults should be able to indulge in legal adult drugs in public places) but now I can't imagine going back to the way things were.
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