"bel air" non-smoking initiative presents awards

Vote with your wallet: that's the message behind the non-smoking initiative "bel air", which encourages hungry people to patronize those restaurants with good, smoke-free air. The grassroots movement decided to recognize those restaurants which have already taken steps to provide good air by, frankly, providing them with free advertising and extra publicity. No tirades against those establishments which have not provided non-smoking zones, just accolades for those who do -- and a website with plenty of links, press conferences, newspaper and radio articles. (Did I mention I programmed the brand-new database for them, which went live yesterday? It's my first, and it's beautiful.)

The initiative would be happy if Germany passed laws requiring non-smoking areas in restaurants, thus making "bel air" obsolete. In the meantime, those pioneering restaurants in Munich which lead the way in smokefree air should be recognized:

Turmstüberl-Valentinmusäum
Restaurant Degustini
Restaurant Da Pino
Restaurant Zauberberg
Café Ignaz
Backspielhaus with 16 branches in Munich
Starbucks Coffee with 4 branches in Munich
Antalya Imbiss
Restaurant Marktplatzstube im Hotel Alter Wirt

[img]http://www.belair-guide.org/_images/ausgezeichnete.jpg[/img]
Some of the honored restaurant owners at the press conference yesterday.

Many of Toytown's readers are not EU citizens and cannot vote for legislative protection. Vote with your wallet: give your money to those establishments which provide the service you want. Top tips for encouraging non-smoking zones: ask for one when you reserve a table or when you arrive at a restaurant. ("Ich hätte gern einen Tisch in der Nichtraucherzone bitte.") If they don't have one, you can certainly eat there anyway and decide if it was worth it, or you can eat somewhere else. ("Was? Sie haben keine Nichtraucherzone? Schade, dann gebe ich mein Geld anderswo aus.") Let the restaurants know that it's important to you.

The "bel air" site also links to several other German databases of non-smoking restaurants, hotels, etc. Various organizations use various criteria for acceptance into their databases, which makes it more difficult to get an overview, but there are many many places out there where you can go out without getting stinky.

More information:
Toytown has an English-language list of Non-Smoking Organizations in Germany and a list of Non-Smoking Restaurants in Munich, which is steadily growing. Toytown's list includes space for comments on the food and service, whereas "bel air" emphasizes the air quality and does not judge the food at all.
Go München's annual Going Out Guide "München geht aus" includes a brand-new "Qualm-Index" for 2006: every one of the restaurant critiques is completed with the status of its non-smoking zones: "Auf Anfrage" (on demand), "vorhanden" (existing), "nicht vorhanden" (nonexistent), or "keine Angabe" (no information). Available at newsstands.

Just came back from a Chinese restaurant just off the Lindau motorway at Gilching - i.e. middle of nowhere - to my amazement they had a Nichtraucher area. To less of my amazement my friend insisted on sitting in the smoking area so she could smoke with her coffee. Now I can't decide whether to meet her again - why do non-smokers always have to give in to smokers? Any help? Maybe you could add this one to your list, anyway, Gen. Sorry, don't know name.

Hey, I am a nonsmoker. Just tell your friend you have an addiction too, and you need the nonsmoking section.

You are addicted to:
- clean air
- living longer (ok that one just pisses smokers off)
- not having to immediately wash clothes that you've only worn once, after going to a restaurant to eat for an hour, when everyone in there was stinking up the place with fucking burned leaves saturated with naturally occuring plant tar
- california, where smokers are polite enough to step outside to smoke, and they can deal with it (ok they were banned from most indoor smoking...), you love california

That said, thanks Gen, I hope they get a lot more restaurants on the list. I'll even take ones with a small non-smoking area, or ones with good enough ventilation that I don't feel the urge to buy 3 or 4 winter jackets (to have a rotation while they air out, you know? I can't wash a warm winter coat every day now can I).

Thanks! My friend insisted I breathe in more fumes from traffic than from cigarette smoke. Actually think next time we plan to meet I'll say, right, this time it's my turn to choose the table.

No it doesn`t chum,live fast, die painfully. (course the non-smokers have to pay, we`re all to ill too work)
that`s my motto.

@Nicky: It's not SO much the second-hand smoke that bothers me. It's stinking so badly when I get home that I have to change my clothes. (Probably a quick way to kill a date that was going well I might add--"just let me change, yah, baby! i need to wash my hair too!")

With that traffic argument, ask your friend if she stinks of exhaust fumes after an hour-long commute. Ask her if people ever say, "whoa girl, were you stuck in traffic or something? go stand over there 'til you air out!"

Well, I guess since she smokes, she probably has a poor sense of smell + taste. So probably the traffic fumes are as hard to detect as the stanky clothes :/

I know a few smokers that get pissed off when others have told them "you know you're gonna die sooner?" Of course a lot of them were fellow skydivers if that factors into it...

I'm actually a smoker, but have no probs with EVERYWHERE being non-smoking. Simple maths; have to go outside to smoke - smoke less. One night in GMs is enough to make every shred of clothing on you STINK.

I cannot however look upon this initiative with aynthing but disgust, because that sick coffee company are in on it, and they should not even be in Europe, let alone start calling any shots.

When I smoked I certainly felt more put out by non-smokers insisting I sit in non-smoking or not smoke than I do now as a non-smoker around my smoker friends (and hubby). It honestly doesn't bother me as long as a bit of decorum is observed (not blowing the stuff in my face or my kids faces, for example). Even as a smoker, I was a big fan of smoking and non-smoking sections in Restaurants (Utah was one of the first states to implement this). It let us smokers be in peace. I also met a lot of non-smokers (ok, a couple) who sat in smoking on planes and in restaurants because there were no kids there. But that goes back to the anti-kid thread.
Anyway, good idea. Even if the coffee-company-that-shall-not-be-named is involved - I have never been inside one of those places anyway. What's the big deal there?

California the "Crazy State" no smoking and soon to be no drinking and no talking!!

Eddie Izzard.

Just thought I'd add my two cents regarding the Backspielhaus ...

Last Sunday my husband and I SPECIFICALLY chose to have breakfast at one of the Backspielhaus cafes. We drove around for a while (the cafe in Giselastraße was closed) and ended up at the Backspielhaus Cafe/Bar in Ludwigstraße (just across the road from Odeonsplatz). Hurrah, we thought ... finally a smoke-free breakfast! Alas, it was not to be. There were ashtrays on all of the tables and upon questioning the waitress we discovered that the Ludwigstraße Backspielhaus cafe is no longer a smoke-free environment. They reversed the decision about 6 months ago.

Does anyone else know if the other Backspielhaus branches REALLY stick to the non-smoking guidelines? It was honestly quite a shock to realise that, whilst other countries are progressing, Germany is actually going backwards in regards to the non-smoking campaign!

I'd curious to hear any other opinions about the Backspielhaus ... and any other so-called "smoke-free" restaurant, for that matter! Thanks! :-D

I very much doubt that business owners give much of a rats arse about "campaigns" if the bank balance is looking dodgy. If they'Ve scrapped the no smoking rules, its almost certainly because it was not good for business. This is Europe. Lots of people smoke.
I personally find the concept of smoking at breakfast time to be quite abhorrent. However, I also consider the idea of actually going out for breakfast to be quite abhorrent.

I'm sorry about the Backspielhaus. I guess they're independently operated -- the Giselastrasse branch is in the database as completely non-smoking, the Ludwigstrasse branch is not even in the bel air database, so I guess it was known by the time they entered the bel air program. What a shame to not be able to rely on the brand Backspielhaus though. It'd be nice if their own website mentioned which branches were which way.

http://belair-muenchen.de/datenbank.html

Each to their own.

Sunday Breakfast = 10am coffee, croissant and a little bit of socialising ... preferably smoke-free. I don't see what's so abhorrent about that!

Ah well ...

Well done Gen for supporting Bel Air and taking the time to write about it here in Toytown!

Germany is at least 20 years behind the rest of the world. They still market cigs to kids for gods sakes. Our only hope is the EU. Thankfully most large companies have seen the light and now ban smoking at the desk.

I always go outside to have a cigarette!!!

ps In joke between me and Gen

Well travelled are we? By the rest of the world, you mean the US I presume. Germany is a little bit ahead of all southern EU countries, let alone places like, Africa, the Middle East, Asia...

While I'm not supporting the claim that Germany is 20 years behind the rest of the world, I will say in response to Don Riina that I have lived and travelled extensively in Latin America, and have never encountered smoking there on the same scale as I have in Europe. Whether that is because of socio-economic factors, or if it is a conscious choice, I don't know. But I do know that I have never encountered as much cigarette smoke anywhere in the Americas as I have here.

Edie

Still not the rest of the world though is it?

@Tim: I'd really like to see an example for tobacco being marketed to kids. Alcohol might be but cigarettes really are not marketed to that target group.

Anyway, whenever I have a meeting at Brenner-Grill they ask me about smoker or non smoker, so maybe that could be added to the list?
I don't mind smoking in bars or pubs but I really hate it in restaurants.
The smoker is usually polite enough to not smoke as long as the people at his table are eating but as soon as they are finished he lights up, not caring about those who might still be eating at the table next to him/her.

I'd make all restaurants smoke free. Non-smoking sections don't really work. Best example is Deutsche Bahn with its wagons split in smoker and non-smoker without any door. So the smoke just comes into the non-smokers anyway.

In my opinion, making cigaretes as widely available as they are here is an open invitation to kids of any age (as opposed to restricting sales to places where the kids' age can be checked). On arriving in Munich I was shocked to see all these cigarette-vending machines practically at every street corner. (They're also a real eyesore, but that's another story.)

True. I was referring to the ads which clearly are not for kids.
But the machines really ought to go.
Then again, you don't see too many kids smoking (even though one kid smoking is one too many) but you often see them popping their alcopops.
As far as I know, smoking is allowed from 16 yrs on. I never understood why it isn't 18.

Perhaps because two years extra permitted smoking at a very influential age are most likely worth billions in future revenue to the government.

Cynicals make baby jesus cry

I cannot say that I have seen less youngsters smoking when i was living outside Germany.

There are plenty of cigarette machines that have children's candy machines installed next to them. Also machines which are very much lowered to the ground, with no visible architectural reason for doing so (such as a inconvenient ledge). I have doubts that such product placement is a coincidence.

Really? Never seen that. I once saw one machine that was very high up on the wall.
I'd just get rid of the machines.
I'd still say that children aren't the prime targets of any tobacco company. These days I think it's young women.
When I was a child and I'd go to the store with my grandmother (yeah this is going to be one of those stories) there'd always be kids who'd come in to buy cigarettes for their parents.
They would just ask the kids if they were for their parents and then sell them the cigs.
You don't see that these days.

I hear you burn 200 extra calories a day when you're a smoker. Seeing as most of the children here are borderline obese I doubt that they are chain-smokers

Alex, I don't know where you've been hanging out, but I see lots of kids smoking. Some might be 16, but I'm certain a good number are well under.

As for the cigarette machines, I was passing one the other day and briefly looked at it. From my cursory glance, it seemed that by 2007, all cigarette machines will use chip cards to pay for the cigarettes. What honestly makes this a good thing, is that you can give your a child a chip card with money on it (allowance or whatever) that also registers that they are under 16 when they make a purchase. The cigarette machines won't sell then to anyone with a card that registers as belonging to an under-16.

Again, this was from a short look, it might not be quite accurate, or others might have better information to add to it.

Showem, I was actually taking a closer look at this today on my way to work and yeah, true, you see a lot of young ones smoking.
I wouldn't be able to say how old they really are as 14 and 16 looks exactly the same to me but I agree that it is problematic.

I think we don't have proper anti-smoking ads. They're always very soft, no shock and awe. The bottom line of a German anti-smoker ad usually is: Please maybe if you could think about not smoking?

Cig adverts on the other hand are a work of genius. Probably the best adverts out there in terms of efficiency.

I like the chip card idea though I have my doubts that the cards will be as sophisticated.
It would be so easy to have no machines and just do it like they do it in other countries: sell them in stores.

My point was that unlike the rest of the world (or in this case the G8) Germany is making no real effort to stigmatize smoking. Its like its a personal choice, if you want to smoke its not my business. I've asked a few Germans if there are any moves to ban smoking in restaurants or work places and they tell me none what so ever. If anything they want to make smoking as easy and convenient as possible, vending machines everywhere. Considering the costs to the economy and the cost of health care and lost employment its unbelievable that there is no movement to stop smoking. Its almost as if Germans believe that smoking is not only socially acceptable but healthy for you. Ask for a non smoking section in a restaurant and they look at you like your some kind of weirdo. Thankfully its not too often that I have to sit next to smokers, if it becomes more common I'll buy a small battery powered fan to blow it back to them. Fortunately most but not all firms ban smoking in the office. Had a co-worker who said he only smoked when he came to Germany. Felt out of place without a cigarette burning on his desk.

Oddly enough, I do comment to people that I think smoking must be healthy for you because I know of many smokers that are in better shape than me, and I run 3 times a week but I won't join any Germans on a day hiking in the mountains, I can't keep up. Weird eh!

America is now allows non smoking to be a condition of employment, if your a smoker you can be fired.

Which is of course, ridiculous.

THM, what about the revenues brought in by the tabacco industry both by the government and the economy?

Well, it kind of is, wouldn't you agree?

I may be a personal choice, but when you are in the presence of other people (typically, in an office or a restaurant) you are imposing it on them, aren't you?

[quote name='Tim Hortons Man' date='Nov 30 2005, 11:19 am' post='370591']

"Its almost as if Germans believe that smoking is not only socially acceptable"

Smoking in Germany is socially acceptable

True that. I wouldn't want to work in an office with smokers and as I already said, smoking in restaurants should be banned.
But the harsh truth is that unless you ban it there is no way around the fact that people will smoke.
I don't see why there isn't a bigger push for a smoke-free environment. It works wonderfully at the train stations.
I was surprised that there was no big outcry when the smoke-ban in the stations was introduced (well, except for some small smoker areas).

In good old health-crazed California smoking in bars etc. is banned, so what you get is a huge ashtray on one of the outside tables with 20-odd cigs deposited around the sides and ppl dashing out from the bar to have a drag and dashing back in to their drinks. Banning smoking in restaurants, bars and other places will do nothing to stop ppl smoking (former smoker, gave up 8 months ago due to bronchitis, strep-throat and acid burns in my oesophagus, all unrelated to smoking).

In Calgary smoking is banned anywhere that allows minors (under 18) and for some strange reason on all patios. So if you're sitting on the patio of a bar you have to go inside to smoke

The Calgary law may be odd, but there is some logic to it. With this system, the residents are not unwillingly exposed to second hand smoke in public areas. If, as an adult over the age of majority (18), you willingly decide to enter a smoking establishment, that is your choice to make. Patios, beer gardens in parks, restaurants, and all public buildings such as offices, stations, etc. are safe areas where no one must breathe dangerous fumes from smokers. Although patios and beer gardens are outside where the smoke would blow away, the City of Calgary prohibits any patio at visible ground level from allowing smoking. In short, they don't want people walking down the street to even See people smoking. This sends a very clear message that smoking is not socially acceptable. The down side is that in this city, it is hard to find a bar that is non smoking. Smoking, drinking and gambling...seems like they want all their sin to happen under one roof. Was your adult choice to enter.

Yes but smoking is allowed on the street so if you step off the patio onto the street you can smoke.

That is true, that city's system certainly is not perfect. There is no way to stop a pedestrian from smoking, and so you find people jumping over the rail of a patio to smoke on the street. However, that action still ostracizes the smoker by separating him/her from the rest of the peers at the table and feeds the attempt to make smoking socially unacceptable in Calgary. A lot of my friends have quit smoking in recent years and this system could be better, but it is working better than turning a blind eye to the smoking problem which is what Munich is doing. The serious downside of a system like Calgary's is the exposure to second hand smoke that is imposed upon employees such as bartenders and waitresses in the smoking-permitted establishments. I guess they figure that it's their choice to work there. The employees in German establishments are suffering from second hand smoke too. Is that their choice because they work in a bar or does the German government just not care?

Well it is their choice.

It's not much of a choice if the alternative is not having a job at all.

Nonsense, serving jobs are not the only jobs available. They are also poorly paid, if more people refused to work under those conditions not only would the wages go up, the restaurants themselves might choose to go non smoking.

I'm not so sure about that...I haven't been in many buildings in Munich that do not allow smoking. If a person wanted to work in a smoke free invironment I fear their choices would be extremely limited. Just this last week, I had a stay in the hospital. On the few occasions that i was feeling well enough to leave my room and walk around, I was so turned off by the smell of cigarettes in the hallways that i went back to my room. I have been into three hospitals in Munich and in each of the three i have smelled cigarette smoking. If you can't even get away from it working in a hospital, where on earth can you possible be sure to find a non smoking place to work in?

Of course, silly me, these days in Germany there are jobs galore...

In an ideal world that might be the case but we don't leave in an ideal...
ah, you get the gist.

Sorry that really wasn't meant as an attack so no need for the sarcasm.

What I mean is that we shouldn't rely on the government to implement change that way everyone loses. If you feel strongly about it do something. Refuse to support restaurants that allow smoking. It will make a difference if people do it.

True, there is no point waiting around for a government (that i can't even vote for) to change this. Choose where you spend your money. I will be choosing establishments on the Bel Air list to support the movement. That said, anyone know of a completely non-smoking hospital in Munich? Geeez!

Me too, in fact getting involved with this Bel Air project might be an excellent way to go

Hopefully you'll have time to spare for the Bell End project I shall be starting next week. See www.bellend-muenchen.de for more details.