Thursday, November 02 2006
By Lucy Carne
Tough anti-smoking laws have sparked a new social phenomenon - cigar parties. Smokers made to feel like social pariahs now puff their way through "smoke-easies" - smoking parties held at private homes away from the reach of the law.
Paladar Fumior Salon, a Cuban cigar and espresso bar in South Brisbane, has witnessed a surge in takeaway cigar sales since the new laws were introduced. "They're turning their nose at the establishment," said owner Filip Pilioras.
"The laws are making people feel like outcasts, so they just reinvent their own environment where they can do what they want.
"Organised cigar appreciation nights, poker games and dinner parties are a chance to drink and smoke and do as they please."
Redcliffe cafe owner Dimitrios Piliouras hosts regular cigar dinner parties with friends from across Brisbane, including architects, florists, film-makers, a diamond merchant and a locksmith.
"These parties are a chance for us to enjoy good food and top-shelf whiskey and get on the cigars," he said. µ
Source: The Sunday Mail (Australia)
Reprinted by permission of the author.
