Become an arguileh (are-gee-lay) aficionado!
Most likely, you witnessed hookah (huke-ah) smoking as a child and didn't even know it! Perhaps the most famous instance of hookah smoking in the U.S. is that of the caterpillar in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.
What is an arguileh?
The water pipe is known by many names in different parts of the world: shisha (she-shah), nargile (nar-gee-lay), arguileh (are-gee-lay), hookah (huke-ah), hubble-bubble...whatever you call it, the dictionary defines it as: a smoking device that consists of a bowl mounted on a vessel of water which is provided with a long tube and arranged so that smoke is drawn through the water where it is cooled, and up the tube to the mouth.
History
The arguileh was invented in INdia over 500 years ago. Initially rather primitive, it was made out of a coconut shell. Its popularity spread to Iran and then to the rest of the Middle East. It was in Turkey that the arguileh seems to have completed its evolution, and is as we find it today with little modification.
Not just any tobacco
Unlike cigaretted, the tobacco is a smooth, molasses-fused blend with the fruitness of apples, apricots, mint, cherries--and the list is growing! But no matter what flavor you prefer, smoking the shisha is unlike any other smoke. The very nature of its design necessitates pause. It gives you time to think ...time to reflect, and an appreciation of companionship...as lighting up a hookah mysteriously calls for company. What's with that?
Arguileh Etiquette
- By no means light your cigarette off someone else's arguileh fire --it's been thought by some to disturb the rhythm of the burning charcoal.
- Move around as little as possible while enjoying your hookah. Relax! Not only is it dangerous, but it takes away fromt he cremonial effect.
- When accepting an invitation to enjoy an arguileh, don't plan to go anywhere for at least a hald-hour, to do so may be ocnsidered rude.
- When offering a water pipe, make sure to provide a temporary mouthpiece. The recipient will appreciate your thoughtfulness.
- When sharing one with others, and you would like the pipe to be passed to you, tap the hand of the smoker, and it will soon be passed. When passing the hose, do not point the metal tip at the receiver. To be polite, simply fold the pipe over the hose and offer the "curl" of the hose towards your neighbor when handing off the smoking end.
- NO HOARDING.
