19 October, 2016. 14:34
ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
ROMAN DONAGHUE ENJOYED THE occasional Winfield Sky Blue after a few work drinks on a Friday afternoon, he’d never consider himself to be one of those smokers that doctors frown upon.
Waking up the next morning, he’d always feel a ‘cheeky guilt’ over having a sneaky ciggie. However, he’s tragically still feeling the effects of his first French cigarette, a Gitanes Bleu.
The 26-year-old people-power-campaigner’s head is still spinning after lighting a Gitanes as he emerged from the Maubert-Mutualité metro station last month.
“French cigarettes, man. They don’t make them like that back home,” explained Donaghue. “I had to ask my mate if they were tobacco they were that heavy. He just looked at me and kinda giggled.”
“My French mate just smiled and said: ‘Oui, c’est bon Roman! Vous serez ok. Il suffit de ne pas fermer les yeux,’ which basically translates to ‘don’t close your eyes, that’s gay’ or something like that,”
“But yeah nah, mate. My head is still spinning from that first Gitanes. You know that feeling you get when you’ve been on a boat all day and they you take your first steps on land and you’re all over the shop? That’s how I feel now. Thanks Paris.” he said.
Close to 50 000 tourists are hospitalised each year after smoking French cigarettes in Paris alone.
In 2011, the Parisian Chamber of Commerce attempted to pass legislation through local councils whereby only French passport holders could buy local cigarettes, but it failed to gain enough traction.
More to come.
