Smoking in a SMOKING AREA

[Littlemissred21]

OK, out for lovely lunch with a friend yesterday. Sitting in a beer garden in a SMOKING area (ash tray thingy on Wall, ashtrays on tables)
My friend & I sitting at a table with no one else nearby enjoying our lunch.
During which time 2 other women come and sit at the table next to us.
Others waiting for their food, we finish ours & I light up. I'm sitting away from them, holding my fag in opposite hand to them, blowing smoke in the opposite direction. No children around, no food, no other people.
Hear them muttering something about smoking and tutting.
I turn and ask them if it's bothering them - blank looks from them. Me 'is this bothering you? Oh, I'll go and stand over there then shall I?' no response from them except a nervous laugh type thing.
I go and finish my fag a few feet further away & go carry on chatting to my friend.
Friend later says, oh I wouldn't have even acknowledged them.
Some people piss me right off.
Not like they were eating or anything.
Wish I would have said something like 'probably best not to sit in a SMOKING AREA if you don't like fucking smoking that much eh?' but maybe that might have been a bit too aggressive
Why do some people have to be so bloody irritating? Next time maybe I'll have a cigar instead.
The more I think about it the more wound up I get. Can't stand muttering / tutting. If you have something to say why not just fucking say it!!!!!
Knobs

Most non-smoker hate cigarette smoke and now the tide has turned and they're getting some smoke free public spaces some are beginning to realise it's a bit outrageous that people are allowed to smoke in public at all. She probably things you should only be allowed to smoke where your smoke can't reach others.

Unless there is another cultural shift, it isn't going to get better. There's no particular reason why people should think it's OK for you to pollute their air simply for your own enjoyment when it has a negative impact on others and no general public benefits. It's only because we were all so used to it being worse that the idea of public smoking areas seems reasonable to many.

I hate smelly fags and it really pisses me off when the nice seating area outside a pub is reserved for smokers. It seems perverse to ruin the pleasant ambience with acrid smoke.
However, if I was there first and you lit up next to me, I'd be annoyed but realistically, probably just leave and wouldn't bother going back to that venue. I definitely wouldn't sit outside in an area reserved for smokers if someone was already smoking but I might risk sitting there on the off chance no-one would then come along and light up.
I might be marginally less bothered if it was a pipe as they don't seem to stink as much?

'I might be marginally less bothered if it was a pipe as they don't seem to stink as much?'

The smell from a pipe is FAR more pungent than a cigarette!

I hate and detest smoking, and wish it was banned in most of the outside areas of cafes, beer gardens etc (with just a couple of separated tables for smokers), but YWNBU, and YWB more considerate than most.

I might have rolled my eyes inwardly as the non-smoker in this scenario, but I'd have been the one to move, or suck it up.

Wrong place to post I think, MN is full of precious snowflake types who's noses must be protected from 'smelly fags' all the day long. Never mind all the other nasty smells in the world, cigarettes are the worst thing ever.

YANBU, if I still smoked I would be right there with you, chaining it .

I have just come back from France where everyone still seemed to smoke and lit up right next to us when eating at outside restaurants. No one seemed to bat an eyelid or start tutting or theatrically wave trace amounts of smoke away. It was really nice, and i even enjoyed the smell.

When i smoked years ago i was in a garden and someone stood about 2 metres away literally jumped another metre in the opposite direction and covered their face and and exclaimed 'oh my god' when i lit up. It was the most odd reaction i have ever seen. Other people actually burst out laughing it seemed so ott.

I used to share an office with a lady who when i asked if she smoked looked horrified and said 'i'm Californian'. Which always makes me smile when i remember it.

In a lot of places it seems like all of the outdoor areas are smoking. If this is such a place and also one that serves food then I can see why people get annoyed tbh. Nothing worse that smelly smoke wafting over when you're trying to enjoy a meal.

OTOH if there was a non-smoking area they could have sat in outdoors, then they should've sat there.

Not sure why you were so chippy about it though. Whilst I would love no smoking in beer gardens, you were entitled to smoke there so don't know why you didn't just ignore them.

Personally I think all the militant none smokers are secretly on a mission to shut down as many places as possible. They didn't support the pubs when they got their way with the smoking ban so they started to close one by one. Businesses have to do what they can to survive and banishing smokers completely there will soon be nowhere left to go completely.

Sitting in a beer garden in a SMOKING area (ash tray thingy on Wall, ashtrays on tables)

Was there signage there to say "Smoking Area" or did you just assume from the ashtrays?

Because the problem is if it wasn't a specially designated smoking area, but you just assumed that because you were outside you could smoke, then I don't blame people for getting passive-aggressive about the smoke.

As some PPs have said, since banning smoking inside, it seems like any area outside is taken over by smokers. It's horrible for those of us with lung problems (bad asthma in my case) - we can't sit outside, unless there's a clear non-smoking area.

I would assume every outside area allows smoking unless there was a sign saying no smoking. Especially if there was ash trays etc. I can imagine my face if someone came and asked me if they were allowed to smoke outside where there were ash trays in a pub i have worked in. It would seem pretty obvious and i think the assumption that all outside areas are automatically non smoking is odd.

Were there ash trays on every single table in the beer garden?

If yes, then it would make more sense if the pub made a clear distinction between the smoking and non-smoking areas.

If no, then it is already clear that where there are ashtrays on the tables, this is where you are supposed to smoke. If the women sat at one of these tables and then resented you smoking then they are in the wrong.

'Was there signage there to say "Smoking Area" or did you just assume from the ashtrays?'

I think most people would assume the presence of ashtrays on the table and wall would indicate it was a smoking area.

You don't actually know they were talking about you, do you? You just heard them 'muttering' about 'smoking', which could have been something entirely unconnected (perhaps a story one of them was prompted to remember from seeing you). Given that you say they were waiting for food, they may have also been discussing whether they should move once they'd seen you light up (that's what I'd do: I wouldn't ask you to move, but I wouldn't want to eat near someone smoking). I'm not exactly surprised that they were taken aback by you confronting them over nothing! They probably thought you were a bit unhinged.

foggy are you suggesting that the ashtrays were there to show it was a non-smoking area?!

*Hahah;
YANBU, Should have gone...

"I think theres something in my ear; seems to be two entitled bitches buzzing around - terrible season for it"
Then give them the look of stern eyes, wry smile*

Do you find that your attitude makes your daily life easier or harder?

You'll always get the odd idiot who sits in the smoking area then complains that people are smoking. A raised eyebrow and a confused look tends to work. Nice if you to move away though.

Was there also a non-smoking area outside? I don't think you are being unreasonable.

Can't stand the smell of smoke but I don't think it's unreasonable to feel pissed about people being snotty about you smoking when they're sat in a no smoking area.

Smoking people have to sit or stand outside to prevent the rest of us tainting our clean hair and bodies with that nasty stench breathing in the smoke, non-smokers DON'T have to. If you choose to sit outside with them, you surely have to be fair and not be a bitch about it.

You just sound so nasty and aggressive I'd say YABU based on that alone and I am an ex smoker. No need for such aggression . Bet you're fun to go out to lunch with.

If someone is sitting in a designated smoking area, smoking and you choose as a non/smoker to go and sit next to them you have no right to make any complaint at all.

This is what happened by the sounds of it and the OP still got up and walked away.

Non-smokers get so huffy about it but there are so many places non-smokers can sit, or be would you like a telephone style box (must be a few spare somewhere) to be made for them to stand in? So they just stink of smoke.

It's ridiculous

You don't actually know they were talking about you, do you? You just heard them 'muttering' about 'smoking', which could have been something entirely unconnected (perhaps a story one of them was prompted to remember from seeing you) You dont know they were not talking about her either.. Given that you say they were waiting for food, they may have also been discussing whether they should move once they'd seen you light up (that's what I'd do: I wouldn't ask you to move, but I wouldn't want to eat near someone smoking)Well of course they are the one too move they where there after the smokers.. I'm not exactly surprised that they were taken aback by you confronting them over nothing! They probably thought you were a bit unhinged.No the non smokers where bitching about it and the op had the balls to call them on it.

Im a non smoker btw and this crap gets on my wick.Most outside spaces are for smokers,so the ones in the wrong where the other 2.

The nervous laughing from them sounds like they were intimidated by you. Were you aggressive and scaring them?

Sounds like it was the nervous laughter of people who prefer to mutter and moan under their breath rather than to speak plainly.

Thanks Etta, my friend had a lovely time & enjoyed herself immensely. Thanks everyone for replies (some of which made me chuckle - particularly the bong / chaining references) not sure why you'd think I was unhinged for asking if my smoke was bothering you though - sorry can't remember who said that. I didn't ask in a confrontational way, actually my friend only knew I was pissed off because she knows me well - I think they were just surprised I asked them directly.
There were lots of other tables around, without ash trays on so I'm not sure why they chose to be next to us. And it wasn't like ours had the best views or anything! Yes, I'm pretty sure the tutting and mention of smoking was directed at me - the looking down their noses whilst looking at the offending cigarette kind of gave it away..
Oh well, can't please all of the people all if the time I guess..