111 Cultural post 2

[Lejla Muhamedagic]

Turkey is very famous for hookah also known as shisha/nargila in Turkish. Even though hookah is thought to have originated in India, it is mostly smoked in Turkey. First time I tried hookah in my life was when I went to Turkey in 2010 to visit my friend. I was so surprised to see that almost every single bar/restaurant/coffee shop offered hookah. People have hookah in their homes and apartments and it is a common thing to smoke for both genders. Initially I thought that only guys would smoke it, but I was honestly surprised that women in Turkey smoke it as much. I went out with my Turkish friend that I was visiting and we ordered hookah. At first I was a little bit afraid of smoking it because I had never smoked it again and I did not know what to expect. When smoking hookah, you can choose any flavor you want, you can choose apple, strawberry or any other fruit or even a combination of fruits. I remember we ordered apple flavor. I thought it was going to be strong and that it is similar to cigarettes, but I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it. It was so smooth and light and relaxing. Then I realized why Turkish people like it so much. It is very relaxing, and Turkish people usually drink tea or coffee while smoking hookah and also play a very famous game Havla. People usually smoke it at night. They spend so much time smoking it, they sit for hours and hours talking to their friends and playing games. It is not like in the US where you can be at one place for a bit and then have to leave, these places in Turkey let you stay there for hours even if you get only one drink per night. When you get hookah you can smoke it for hours because the flavor does not vanish so quickly. It is also very cheap to smoke hookah in Turkey, it is more expensive here in Richmond. I was in Turkey during Ramadan, Muslim’s holy month when people are not allowed to eat/drink/smoke anything from the sunrise to sunset. That is why people did not smoke during the day, but as soon as the sun went down, and people had dinner they would start smoking hookah. I tried hookah in Bursa and I asked my friend if hookah is popular in all parts of Turkey or only in Bursa, she told me that it is really popular throughout the entire country, and especially in Istanbul and Bursa. Maybe because those cities are so crowded so it seems that people there actually smoke the most. Then I tried hookah when I went back home and when I came to Richmond, but I can tell that hookah differs, and that I tried the best hookah in Bursa. I do not know if they have specific flavors in Turkey, or is it because I tried it for the first time but I remember that that time, I tried the best hookah ever. I only regret not drinking Turkish tea at the same time to completely emerge myself in Turkish culture, I am not actually a big fan of Turkish tea because I find it too sweet, but to my mind hookah is one of the best things I tried in Turkey and I am looking forward to trying it again when I visit Turkey again.