Good and Bad Experiences Smoking in Public

[SlayerGG]

Title shortened. Original: Your most memorable positive and negative experience with pipe smoking in public?

I envy hearing "My grandpa used to smoke a pipe" stories from the western pipe smoking gents here, as in Russia I got none so far. Must be something to do with the majority of people back in Soviet times dropping those tsarist pipes (with the exception of a particular moustached dictator) in favor of makhorka and legendary Belomorkanal cigarettes, which didn't leave a favourable impression of smoking for an average person to say the least.
The comments I get when lunting to uptown and finding a solitary bench to sit and enjoy my book, smoking aros, were along the lines of "Smoking weed there, aren't we?" and "Are you Thomas Shelby?" And Thomas Shelby didn't even smoke a pipe!

So I would love to hear your most memorable stories from smoking a pipe in public, positive or negative.

 

[JOHN72]

In my city, smoking in public, with a pipe, is only seen favorably by people from outside the country. Because the population here will think I'm a nutcase. For a Russian person to see a pipe smoker in my city is a gesture of good taste and good conservative tradition. It depends on the eyes with which they see you. My experience is, smoke where you see people smoking, or you are alone.

 

[dottlejockey]

I envy hearing "My grandpa used to smoke a pipe" stories from the western pipe smoking gents here, as in Russia I got none so far.

Stick with it and you can be that grandpa.

My grandpa on my mom's side smoked Prince Albert and Red Velvet in English pipes.
My grandpa on my dad's side smoked Swisher Sweets brand cigars.
My dad chewed Day's O Work chewing tobacco.
My mom has recently expressed interest in getting a small pipe now that she's been sampling my tobacco for years. She always takes a single or double puff from every pipe i light in her company. Thinking about getting her a rose or tulip mini-meer for her next birthday.

 

[jpmcwjr]

No bad experiences, and many many neutral or good ones.

 

[jpmcwjr]

A big welcome! You write English very well.

Would love to hear more about your own smoking druthers and where you get your tobacco. (New Member Intros.)

 

[coldsnap888]

Most positive comments are a variation of "my grandfather smoked a pipe", some coming from people decades older than myself. I have a smoking buddy of sorts who times their smoke breaks to coincide with mine because they like the secondhand smell of aromatics.
In terms of negative - or more just "weird" was a girl who was smoking in the vicinity and came up and started asking questions (no big deal) that ended with "can I try that?" (definitely a big deal). That was a hard no... Oh and the Nording Shorty has twice been confused for a weed pipe, so I don't take it to work anymore.

 

[warren]

Neither. I simply smoke where permitted and rarely interact with straqngers I don't know. Never received a comment good or, bad. I suppose a bad experience is when a cob goes floating down the stream or is crushed under a tractor wheel. Happens more often than you'd think I suppose. I tend to smoke absentmindedly tending to my work.

 

[sardonicus87]

Only time I've smoked a pipe in public, was at the motorcycle forum meet-ups I have been to, never had negative reactions. Only what I would call neutral reactions of "my father used to smoke a pipe" from guys who are themselves all 65-80 years old. Occasionally a question about what I am smoking because it smells unique or a comment on how it smells good.

Otherwise, I don't smoke my pipe in public. It's not that I am against doing so per se, just that when I smoke my pipe, I prefer to smoke whole bowls at once and relax, I like it quiet and alone... and that's not something easily attained "amongst the rabble... public".

Plus, when I am in public, I am usually doing something (like getting groceries, or drinking coffee), I'm not just generally sitting around. As much as I love green space, parks and botanical gardens, I don't go sit in them, I walk around and get distracted. If I want a mindless nicotine that I won't miss the flavor for the distraction of doing the given task at hand, I just have a cigarette.

 

[AroEnglish]

No negative reactions but will get "cool pipe" or "my dad/grandpa smoked a pipe and I love the smell" here and there.

 

[DeerparkDays]

We have friends in town, Brook and Jamie, and we were at their house a few months ago for dinner. We were on their back verandah, having drinks/tea and I was smoking. Brooks Mum turned up (in her late 70's), a shy kind of lady, and after a while she commented to me she hasn't seen a pipe in a long time, and her dad used to smoke one. Well, we bumped into Brook and Jamie a week later, and they were full of laughter. Apparently the mum HATES smoking, but for the week she was raving on about the pipe and the smell of it, and how nice it was to see one again.
I would say that in the older generation's eyes, pipes aren't put in the "dirty cigarette" category at all.

 

[64alex]

Most of the times neutral comments. Of the positives sometimes older gentlemen sometimes smiles or greet me, one time a senior walking behind his wife gave me a thumb up. Once a lady with her husband stopped me as it was a long time she did not see a pipe and she loved the smell and she asked to smell close to it.
On the negative side the only real one was a mom with her baby on a stroller who run on the other side of the street yelling to stop to intoxicating her baby (I think she thought it was a weed).
When sometime I met a cop they are neutral or even positive attitude to it.

 

[PaulRVA]

When I was at FT Bliss the German contingents that would train with us always had a pipe smoker in the bunch. This was in the Army where the only piper I knew was our First Sergeant and most soldiers were cigarette smokers.

Later on in the Air Force as a Reservist we had several of us that smoked pipes on the flight line and in the field. We did a lot with the Canadians and they always had a few pipe guys and always a positive reception.

In public I can’t think of any experiences other than the occasional double take of a passerby. No negatives but no positives either!

 

[warren]

Really? Open flame, to light, was allowed on the flight line? Burning material? Damn! I suppose your commander had the same feeling as Churchill, "It wouldn't dare blow up!" The Air Force I was in prohibited such anywhere on the flight line.

 

[bullet08]

Only on my front porch. Parents usually frown on me. Kids are all happy and wave to me. Simply shows "Don't grow up! It's a trap!"

 

[PaulRVA]

Really? Open flame, to light, was allowed on the flight line? Burning material? Damn! I suppose your commander had the same feeling as Churchill, "It wouldn't dare blow up!" The Air Force I was in prohibited such anywhere on the flight line.

Flight line for us was a duty assignment not a fod walk or air crew assignment. It encompassed the entire base not just the actual aircraft areas. For us it meant we had 5 mins or less to be on the line

 

[sablebrush52]

In all my years of smoking publicly in California I only had one instance where someone gave me grief about smoking my pipe. This was in 2008, when I was sitting outside at the Sherman Oaks Galleria in a "smoking allowed" area. Some control freak got into my face about my pipe. I pointed at the "smoking allowed" sign right behind me and he went into overdrive while I sat there, enjoying my pipe and his antics. He threatened to call security on me and I suggested that he go do that. The guy went over to a nearby security guard and began yelling and pointing at me. I waved at them. The guard got on his walkie talkie and shortly another security guard arrived. They grabbed the guy by his armpits and "escorted" him off the property.
Other than that, no problems.

 

[BingBong]

If people vocalise a response, it's positive. Did see a woman 30 yards downwind look at me furiously and storm off once, after she caught the smell of Latakia - the purple or blue hairs do tend to scowl when I'm lunting.

 

[Streeper541]

I generally have positive experiences, if I get any interaction at all. Because I tend to smoke in places it is allowed. I had an excellent interaction last night, and several positive responses today while out in public.

 

[makhorkasmoker]

Positive comment:”man, I love that pipe.”

Negative comment (I guess): “hey, it beats vaping.”

Neutral comment (guy to his significant other): “that guy’s smoking a pipe.”

Common comments: “you got any juice in that thing?” “

Most people say nothing

 

[Chasing Embers]

Locally very tobacco friendly. No one raises and eyebrow to my pipes, good or bad.