28th
My lungs are black
When I get back to the states I’m going to have to take up smoking. I think I’m up to a pack a day via second hand smoke here in China.
I’m not one to make a big deal out of cigarette smoke; going to a bar in the states is thankfully still a smokey and unhealthy affair. But the Chinese have a pure and untainted love for the cigarette, in that 1950’s America kind of way. I’ve heard first hand that it’s actually good for you! Nothing beats a cigarette after a good meal… or a bike ride, subway transfer, waiting for the train, buying a ticket, browsing the internet, climbing a set of stairs, grocery shopping, looking the the train schedule, drinking tea.
I knew the Chinese were adamant smokers, but it’s a disturbing realization when you combine the second hand with the fact that each day spent in Beijing is the equivalent of smoking 70 cigarettes due to the factory and coal pollution.