Catching up on some recent writing…

In my first piece for MS NOW, I covered the UK’s new generational tobacco ban:

Specifically, the law makes it an offense to sell cigarettes, cigars, pipe or chewing tobacco, as well as various other forms of tobacco leaf, to anyone born after Jan. 1, 2009. This, its proponents say, will eventually lead to a smoke-free society, as the legal age for buying cigarettes rises inexorably until the last living smoker in the U.K. joins the choir invisible.

It’s not hard to imagine how this neat solution may falter. While no one is against banning the sale of cigarettes to teenagers, the situation will become increasingly absurd as today’s 17-year-olds age into maturity, creating a permanent division between adults allowed to buy tobacco and those who are prohibited. Supposedly, the day will come when a 50-year-old can buy a cigar from the tobacconist, but their 49-year-old friend must be turned away. Can one really expect this prohibition to be durably respected?

Meanwhile, in Kentucky:

Bourbon and tobacco are two products practically synonymous with Kentucky. Pairing them indoors within the state’s borders, however, is surprisingly difficult. Forty-four cities and counties throughout the state have implemented comprehensive indoor smoking bans. But a whiff of change is in the air: Last year, Louisville passed an exemption for cigar bars, and a new bill in the legislature could legalize them statewide.

Louisville’s move is a rare example of government liberalizing smoking laws…

And here in Portland, I’m delighted by the recent bloom of new places to enjoy kolaches:

It’s no secret that Portland has become an unlikely home for superlative Texas barbecue. Less recognized is another Texas export enjoying a moment here in the Rose City: the Czech-by-way-of-Texas breakfast pastry known as a kolache.

In East Texas, kolaches are a breakfast staple in bakeries and donut shops, made in sweet and savory varieties. Growing up in suburban Houston, the standard sausage-and-cheese kolache was a reliable morning fuel for my youth soccer games. Like many Texans who moved out of state, I was surprised to find that asking for a kolache elsewhere elicited only a perplexed stare. So, I’m personally pleased to report that very good kolaches are on the rise in Portland, now appearing at barbecue restaurants, donut shops, pop-ups, and a dedicated bakery in Lake Oswego.