it feels like quite some time, look you see, since i did any sort of post looking at, reviewing or otherwise celebrating fags. this has not been a deliberate omission. well, not mostly. smoking is, after all, a quite silly, irresponsible and detrimental thing to do for your health.
my unsolicited status, then, as some sort of "social media influencer" really should see me be careful of what i am seen to advocate or endorse. but, that said, smoking remains legal if no longer fashionable, and it is something that i do. it would be wrong for me to ignore the subject all together.
this would be particularly true, to be sure, when i have recently experienced some quite exotic smoking pleasures. ones normally denied to those in what is traditional deemed to be the western world.
oh, indeed, yes, or if you prefer shì, as you can see quite clearly i have had some lovely Chinese cigarettes on the go. well, when i say lovely, i mean beautiful as they were free, once again them being a most generous gift from Spiros.
whereas i have every confidence in the clarity of the above picture, for the sake of ease of reading these are indeed Sheng Xiao fags. they are, according to the manufacturer, a luxury brand or product, and the apparent intention of them is that they are available only in "duty free" areas of airports for those with travel concerns what feature mainland China. so, don't go looking for them in regular shops as they won't be there.
actually, they are not supposed to be there. legend and rumour has it that many, many shops, all over the UK, have a stash of not necessarily conventionally imported fags which they sell "under the counter"; purely on a "cash is tax free" basis. i have yet to establish such a relationship with such a shop, but i will be a most happy man the day i do.
generally, then, the "masses", so to speak, will not have regular or easy access to these most splendid fags. i have a duty, then, to try them, and convey a sense of what they are like for those curious or interested in such things.
things start off reasonably well with them. when i first had one, my reaction was "this is not bad at all". it was all a bit reminiscent of how certain brands popular in England in the 80s and 90s, say Regal or Embassy, used to taste back then. jolly good, i thought, being most delighted with this.
but, as a well worn and used saying goes, nothing lasts forever.
a bit of a pause in the general review, then, to celebrate how celebratory they have designed and produced these cigarettes. just look at the intricate effort that has gone in to both the packaging and the cigarettes themselves. very pretty indeed, much more attractive than the plain things we are forced to have here in the UK.
you will be able to see in another picture below with a good deal more clarity, but for now, yes. the packets would indeed seem to be resplendent with various yet specific animals, all presumably related to the "year of the...." approach the Chinese have to calendars. rather more interesting that our dull and boring numerical way of counting the years.
so as you progress with the business of smoking these cigarettes, things change. as it burns down towards the filter the taste fluctuates, if not outright changes. far be it from me to make any sort of allegations or suggestions that i simply cannot prove or substantiate, but what came to mind was the decidedly distinct notion of the cigarettes, in taste and flavour, getting to be a bit "asbestosy" in nature. oh.
indeed, that is Spiros above, with a gentleman who he met and formed one of his famous friendships with. the identity of the gentleman has been deftly edited, for there is every chance he lives in a society where it is not standard for men to meet other men in public restroom facilities, where they form short term but mutually beneficial friendships.
as usual, then, yes - no i cannot reveal where exactly or when Spiros was, but he was off doing his thing, being appointed for his services as the greatest legal mind of his generation. i would have every confidence that it was a spectacular success.
when i mentioned the "asbestosy" side to Spiros, he said he would have absolutely no idea as he does not smoke, except for a cigar from time to time, if the fee is right. anyway, he countered my review, saying that on the basis of all he knew of how things work in certain areas, it might well be that the filters of the cigarettes were made in part from the "crushed bones of dissidents". unfortunately i am simply not clued up on world affairs to be in a position to comment on such.
there you go, as indicated that i would earlier, a much clearer view of the packets, so that you may see all the better the special artwork they are resplendent in, or with if that is the right way of saying it. very shiny, they are, and a lovely thing to have.
quite fascinating, one of those obligatory warnings. although i profess to be no expert on world affairs, i thought it was fairly common knowledge that in China it is frowned upon to have more than one child. doing so, as point of fact, tends to make the authorities quite cross. with that being the case, if it is, then i would not have thought decreasing fertility would be much of a problem.
is smoking in China better received than it is here in the "west"? apparently yes. cigarettes cost a good deal less there, and a significant number of the population do indeed smoke. perhaps i would quite like life in China on that basis, then, although i rather doubt that i would find the restrictions placed on other aspects of life all that agreeable.
above are labels which advise one on how much nicotine, tar, etc are in the cigarettes. well, i say "etc", but do not really mean it. there is no mention of what is in the filters, be it asbestos, crushed bones or similar. but i am sure whatever it is would be perfectly fine and safe to use, otherwise why would they make them that way?
well, anyway, now you know pretty much all that i know of these most splendid fags. unless, of course, they turn out to be rapidly fatal. should that be the case, it is possible i will know nothing of it, but you shall.
对彼此很好, or if you prefer,
duì bǐcǐ hěn hǎo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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