I was never much of a smoker, but when I worked as a waitress at the Union Oyster House and at Durgin-Park, in the early 1970's, I took up the habit. Almost all the "gals" smoked, and stepping off the floor for a three-minute cigarette break was a thing. The head waitress would come looking for you, and you'd hold your cigarette up and say "lemme just finish my fucking cigarette."
I waitressed at these two spots with my friend Joyce, and we'd buy communal packs - Newports, I think, but maybe Marlboros - with another pair of friends, Marilyn and Pamwho'd worked alongside us at Oyster and later, coinceidentally, at Durgin. (Like us, they were waitressing to save up to travel.) We'd keep our shared pack in a cubbyhole just off the kitchen, and grab a smoke when we needed a breather. (Hard to believe that smoking was once considered a breather, but there you have it.) We lit our smokes with matches, probably house matches as packs of matches were given out by most restaurants and bars. People collected them, just as they collected swizel sticks.
But by 1973, we were using cheap, colorful, disposable Bic lighters that cost about a buck and a half, and were sold at convenience stores. We kept our individual Bics in the pockets of our white nylon waitress dresses, which would have turned into mini-Towering Infernos if the Bic had gotten accidentally flicked.
New Yorker Rachel Reno recently posted a TikTok of herself enjoying a Diet Coke, dubbed a fridge cig, and as of a few weeks ago, she'd gotten 3 million views (and 300K likes).
She first heard the alternative name for a can of diet soda from a co-worker at her previous job at an advertising agency. Those who get it know that “the crack of the can is like the spark of a lighter,” she said. Then comes the sparkly sound of fizzing bubbles and the mouthfeel of that first hit, and suddenly “all the worries and cares in the world go away.”
Crucially, having a soda is the equivalent of stepping outside for a few minutes for a smoke break. It’s an excuse to “take a moment,” Ms. Reno said. (Source: NY Times)
Reno, who is a freelance creative director, has been expanding on her TikTok notoriety.
In a follow-up video, Ms. Reno took the fridge cigarette analogy further. Cans of Diet Coke, she said, are like Parliament cigarettes, whereas regular Coke gives off Marlboro Red energy. Regular coke in a glass bottle, though? That’s a cigar, the ultimate vice.
“When you see that bottle,” she said, “it’s like, ‘Oh, this is an event.’”
Good luck to Rachel with her freelance career. I hope this gets her a lot of professional opportunities. Maybe she'll be the "Hawk Tuah Girl" of 2025, only cleaner, more professional, and unlikely to get caught up in a crypto scheme.
Right now, I'm thirsty. I should just refill my water bottle. But, but, but...
I don't drink a ton of soda, but there are some mini-cans of Diet Coke in my fridge. Think I'll take me a fridge cig break.
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My bev of choice!
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