JUDITH Mackay, the one-woman founder and employee of the Asian Consultancy on Tobacco, can't deny she is the most apparent public figure in Asia when it comes to smoking.
How, then, does she exist in a smoker's world? A former smoker, during her university days, she doesn't recoil at the idea of epicures or chefs smoking.
''First, smoking knocks down the taste buds,'' she said. ''So they can't distinguish tastes, delicate foods. They can with spicier dishes. Wines lose their bouquets. Subtlety doesn't exist.
''I'm not even talking about the diseases from eating spicier foods or getting colds or sore throats.
''It's true that people put on weight when they give up smoking. But part of it is that, after a long time, they can finally smell the dishes, taste the flavours. Food is so different.'' Dr Mackay hasn't cooked for 30 years. Her long-time Filipino domestic helper does that for her and doctor husband, John. The food is basically - not fanatically - healthy.
''We're about 85 per cent vegetarian,'' she said. ''I guess it goes along with what we do, working with health. Mind you, when I go to Mongolia or Laos, I'll have to eat meat, since that's the major part of the diet. But usually I'll take some food with me to those places: dried apples, for instance. That's worth its weight in gold.'' As for drinking, two cocktails a day is enough.
''Two drinks is simply my personal limitation,'' she said. ''When I feel frustrated - and it does happen - drinking isn't my way out at all. I get angry, I get frustrated. But my attitude is professional. I think, 'whatever has happened before, whatever mistakes have been made, I can use this to help me another time'. '' When Dr Mackay eats out it is ''usually with medical friends, so we don't worry about which section to choose''.
