[dredmorbius]

Similarly, traveling from smoke-free to smoking-afflicted regions is a major shock, and I've had to stop myself from commenting where I see people lighting up or encounter smoke-filled premises.

Though my immediate inclination on encountering same is to get out as quickly as possible. The experience is absolutely revolting.

[extraduder_ire]

While I prefer non-smoking sections indoors, generally, I've been in a few coffeeshops with such good ventilation that the air felt better inside than on the street. (though that might have been an illusion from it being cold)

IIRC, the country I'm in was the first to ban smoking indoors at venues. 2003 or so, I believe. I was a kid, so I didn't really notice it aside from the warning signs and the first time I went abroad.

[dredmorbius]

When I was a kid, children (or at least teen-agers) could work in foodservice spaces in which smoking was permitted. By end of shift, clothing and hair smelled like an ashtray.

The smoking bans I'm familiar with were phased in beginning in the 1990s, though specifics varied by locale (some cities and counties were earlier on the ban) and type of location (offices, restaurants, bars, etc.).

There are still 12 US states without comprehensive smoking bans, virtually all in the deep south: AL, AR, GA, KT, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WV, WY. (SD and WY are the exceptions.)

Notably, the famed liberal strongholds of Missouri and Mississippi do have restaurant smoking bans.

[Gunnerhead]

Yup, my culture shock seeing a table of salarymen chain smoking in the restaurant in Japan.