Hookah Smoking from It's Middle Eastern Roots to It's Collegiate Prominence Today

When people look at a hookah they think marijuana; however the hookah has a lengthy tradition of rich cultural use in the Middle East and deserves more respect in the U.S. then they currently receive. The hookah functions in such a way that a coal is placed on a screen with 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. Usually smoked in gatherings of several people- the event is discussion based with the hookah hose being passed while the hookah is in the center of the circle of some sort.

Hookhas were used in Ancient India, Middle Eastern use for thousands of years, and hippies in the 60's. In recent years their has been an outbreak of hookah bars, brought back from Middle Eastern Americans and primarily serving college students and the areas near big colleges.

Hookah users' claim Hookah causes relaxation and part of the ritual involves calming discussion while passing the hookah hose. It provides family time, it is not uncommon for families to participate together; men in Middle East often give their sons drags of the hookah - similar to French people and wine. It is so entrenched in their culture that you can go to the majority of restaurants their and they serve hookah and it may even be on the menu. Many people get hookahs while on trips to the Middle East due to seeing the prevalence of it and the low prices of hookahs there.

Compared to cigs 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.

Hookahs are not some fad; they have been around since ancient India and have a rich tradition of use in the Middle East. Hookahs are exploding in popularity due in large part to college students, and the recent research into the Middle Eastern culture. Hookahs are not traditionally used for marijuana; though sometimes. They are however frequently used to relax by people of all kinds.

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