A walk in the center Of Athens is enough to realize the new fashion that began to develop outside the shops on the occasion of smoking in combination with its application anti-smoking law. It happens there, in the warm corners made by the shopkeepers for the patrons to make their cigarette and it is called… smirting.
It comes from merging two words. The term smoking and flirting. It is not an invention of the Greeks but a trend that began to develop in 2003 in New York and spread to Ireland a year later, when the ban on smoking in public places was voted. Then, the owners of the pubs made special spaces outside the shops to make their customers smoke more pleasantly. The smokers went out for a quick cigarette and stayed outside for a long time after they started talking to the other "homeopaths". This habit gave them a reason to talk many times flirting. In fact, a study conducted in Ireland between 2007 and 2008 showed that 25% of couples who started a new relationship during this period, met their sexual partner outside a store and holding a cigarette in their hand.
It may have taken several years for this fashion to come to Greece as our country was more tolerant of the issue of cigarettes but in recent months things have changed. Greek Lovers have been at the forefront of the harpoon since the '70s and' 80s so they could not help but love smirting.
The strict application of STOP SMOKING has brought the theriaklides closer!
May there are those who "smoke" and leave the bill unpaid but there are others… those who wish to approach each other and especially now that it is cold to catch the conversation under the stoves that are now an integral part of the exterior decoration of cafes and nightclubs.
A lighter, the cigarette and the common psychology of prohibition is enough to help spark a new love to ignite.
Maria, 25, who works in a cafe in the center of Athens, explains to newsbeast.gr that customers may feel stressed because they can not smoke indoors, but they leave happier after their coffee or drink. "They go out to smoke and catch the conversation. You see them happier as they communicate with people they do not know, they detach from their cell phone screen for a while at least and sometimes they flirt "he explains.
31-year-old Giannis does not hesitate to reveal that his anti-smoking law did him a great disservice. A few weeks earlier, in the first days of its application, he had gone out for a cigarette when Eleni asked him for a lighter. They caught the conversation and started going out. "It is an opportunity to see the positives of the law that make us feel several times the" strange "that we can not stand without a cigarette. Human communication nowadays is lost. The obligations of everyday life have made us close to ourselves, immersed in our thoughts and not talking to each other. "Banning smoking in public places can be the trigger for us to become more social and more open to new acquaintances," he says.
Do not be ashamed! So go out and smoke because it is often crowded outdoors έχει has a pleasant ending.
The anti-smoking holds up well…
It is worth noting that the results of the inspections for the implementation of the anti-smoking law and the protection of public health during the holidays "despite the" relaxed "mood of these days" were characterized by the National Transparency Authority as "encouraging".
As it is mentioned, the program was strictly observed and during "the first week of the new year, the mixed levels of EAD-EL.AS continued the controls at the same pace".
According to the announcement, "the cases of Elassona are typically noted, where in the 15 stores that were inspected no violation was confirmed to a shopkeeper, while at the same time no citizen was found smoking in a place that did not meet the requirements of the law, Tripoli, where he was also not no one smoking in an unauthorized area and Ano Chora Nafpaktos, where no fine was imposed in any of the 9 controlled stores with those of the patrons wishing to smoke not to be bothered by the low temperatures in order to smoke thus actively contributing to its protection health ".
On Wednesday 8/1 it took place at the offices of E.A.D. the first meeting of the year for the operational coordination of all co-competent bodies with the participation of the General Secretary of Public Health, Panagiotis Prezerakou, and his associates.
According to information on the compliance checks carried out with the anti-smoking law for the period Thursday 02.01.2020 until Wednesday 08.01.2020: Out of the total of 101 stores that were inspected, no violation was recorded in 82,2% of the cases, while 12 natural persons were found smoking in an area that was not allowed. In total, fines were confirmed for violations of the anti-smoking total amount of 15.200 euros.