I have tried smoking througha hookah and found it awful. there are quite a few middle eastern bars (mostly around the university) that offer hookah smoking. one of the most dangerous aspects of it to me is that they offer 'flavors'like apple, molasses that make it seem more innocent than it actually is. guess i understand wanting to learn more about other cultures, but why not just try the food?

A true story, and rather funny at the time: In university, because my major was Middle East Studies, I knew a good many folks from the Arab East. One evening, several of us were invited to the home of one of the couples. It was a gorgeous place with a huge picture window facing the street. Well, we were all sitting on floor cushions around the hookah, a rather elaborately decorated one at that, when we were startled by a loud pounding at the front door. Lo and behold, the police had been called by a neighbor who thought we were all up to something very illegal. Trying to explain what was going on was absolutely hilarious, as the police were determined to believe that what we had was another device, one that was definitely illegal. All ended well, thank goodness, and the police advised the homeowners to draw their curtains next time. If they had only known to whom they were speaking, hahaha! Frankly, that was a more pleasant experience than some of the Bedouin foods that stared me in the face during a trek across the Sahara. But, not one that I found interesting enough to repeat. It was pretty awful.