I have written several letters to the editor as a health educator, but today my letter is written as a parent and a Luverne resident.Recently, my husband decided that he wanted a steak. Meat not being my specialty, we decided to go out to eat. We loaded up our 3-year-old daughter and her 3-year-old cousin who was staying with us. Not wanting fast food, we went to one of Luverne’s fine eating establishments. It was only 5 o’clock. We figured we would beat the crowds, get those two kids fed quickly, and be on our way. As we walked in, we were surprised to see a fairly large happy hour crowd. Well, there goes that idea. Smoke everywhere. I’m not saying that everyone who enjoys a cocktail is a smoker. In fact, most are not. This restaurant/bar has a so-called non-smoking dining area but the smokers are just 10 feet away with no barriers between the 2 sections. My husband’s nephew, who has significant asthma, could have had an attack and died right there in the restaurant. Think I’m over-dramatic? I don’t think so. Many people see secondhand smoke as an irritant. I know that it is a deadly toxin. We wouldn’t expose ourselves or our healthy child to it.OK. Where else can we go? "Where are you going?" they said, as we were walking out. "We’re leaving," I said. "See the business that you’re losing because you allow smoking."Again, not big fans of fast food and didn’t feel like pizza. Remember… steak. I applaud Pizza Hut and Pizza Ranch for becoming smoke-free for the health of their customers and their employees. Whenever we want pizza or chicken, we are there! We started to think of other places to eat. The same thing happened as it does every Sunday after church. There is no place to take our family out to eat (other than fast food and pizza) in Luverne that can offer a smoke-free environment. If the dining room is smoke-free but the bar is not completely enclosed with ventilation to the outside, it is not smoke-free. It may not seem as bad, but it’s still there. Are we willing to take a chance on a substance that has been labeled by the EPA as having "no safe level?" No way.This night, like so many other nights and weekends, we took our business to Sioux Falls where new restaurants have figured it out; they are opening smoke-free. We love Luverne, we want to support Luverne, but many of Luverne restaurants do not give us the opportunity. And, we eat out a lot! The food is good, the environment isn’t.Paula AndersonLuverne
