Throughout the semester, I have been trying to figure out what young adults do for fun in Iran and Afghanistan. The topic of hookah came of particular interest to me because its origins are in Persia and India.
I recently read an article entitled " Hookah Smoking from It's Middle Eastern Roots to It's Collegiate Prominence Today" by Michael Holt of Yahoo!. He noted the hookahs' roots in the Middle East and how this form of recreation now popular among U.S. college students .
Holt described hookah as follows : " The hookah functions in such a way that a coal is placed on a screen which is affixed atop of a clay bowl filled with a fruit/sugar molasses and tobacco mix known as Shisha. When the coal is lit ,it glows red hot as you inhale from the hose and receive water-filtered fruit flavored smoke. This smoke is inhaled like cigarettes and often the smoker does "O's" and other smoke tricks while exhaling."
When I visited Aladdin and Eko Lounge in Richmond for hookah, I found that they offered many different flavors. I usually try the tropical flavors or U.F.O., which is a blend of all different types of fruits. Most places only offer hookahs that are filled with water, but Eko is different. They allow participants to replace the water with Red Bull or White Wine to enhance the flavor of the tobacco and to boost your "high." I could not find any information on whether that is an option in the Middle East.
The popularity of hookahs is evident in the fact that most cafes in Iran and Afghanistan offer hookahs. I think that may be better than smoking cigarettes in establishments because the smell is not so strong and disgusting. I also read that hookah is healthier than smoking cigarettes, but the jury is more than likely still out on that.
Holt said, " Compared to cigarettes the hookah takes a long time (an hour) to smoke a bowl, cigs are for the busy people they say. The hookah also has less nicotine due to the water filtering is effective in the hookah in removing some damaging material though not significantly healthier when used as often as a cig smoker would smoke."
I spoke to Mirwais about hookah and he did say that it is regaining popularity in Afghanistan.
This is a form of recreation for people in the Middle East and has no negative associations as far as I can tell.
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