a la mode..

i am not sure if i will ever get used to the amount of smokers in france. everyone and their grandmother here smokes. that is not an overstatement.. it is rare to find people here that don't smoke or that haven't in their lives at one point or another.

walking downtown at 10am, there are people sitting at bistros with an espresso, book and a cigarette. the kicker is.. the majority of smokers that i have seen are the younger generation. you would think the younger generation would know all of the statistics on how bad it is for you.

the doctor i spoke to today said there seem to be almost more girls than guys that smoke now, especially in the younger generation, and she believes it's because girls feel the more they smoke the less they will eat and the skinnier they will get. she says smoking is "la mode".. very in fashion. i must admit, 14 year old girls look like they're about 22, and they do make smoking look appealing.. they make something about it look romantic, sexy and mysterious. everyone rolls their own cigarettes because it's cheaper.. and looks a lot more hard-core.. but at the same time. they look good now but won't be thinking the same when their teeth are brown and their lungs filled with gunk and nails and skin turn yellow.