Cigarettes and Airplanes. I saw the plane from the airport window. Big, white and sky blue. Shiny. But I didn't see the true sheen until walking down the covered walkway to board. It was a new plane, or so the shrink-wrap still sticking to the rivets by the door told me so. I couldn't tell you if it was a Boeing or an Airbus. A 747 or 767 or super-giant plane. I am not a transportation geek who knows the difference between the BMW 3 or 5 series or the diameter of the rollicking new rims on an Escalade. But the plane was comfortable and clean with wrap-around headrests. And the armrests were fitted with ashtrays. Smoking on airplanes was banned on 80% of all domestic U.S. flights around 1988. International flights sometime there soon after, I assume. And completely abolished even sooner there after. So, why the ashtray on this new plane? Does someone expect that they are going to realize that a mistake was made? "No smoking on airplanes was just a mistake, a momentary lapse of reason," the press release will read. "We are sorry. Next time you check in, we'll give you a complimentary lighter and let you unwrap those duty-free cigarettes you just purchased. And don't forget to share them with your neighbor and the mom and dad sitting in front of you after three hours of sweating and soothing their crying babies to sleep." Rememberance of things lost: Cigarettes and Airplanes Damper, Baby! The Gentle Art of Eating Some Photos: Taipei Miscellany Taipei Street Art Taipei Eats Hong Kong Coming Soon. Post - July'07 Back to home... Index of Stories E-mail me: danpetroski@yahoo.com

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