Smoking shisha is spreading like wildfire at Tufts. It has become a way not only to meet new people, but also to get together with old friends to share stories about their days and to enjoy the intoxicating tastes of the hookah. However, practicing safety should be of utmost importance when smoking from a hookah, as evidenced by the fire that occurred in Miller Hall this past January, which, according to multiple student sources occurred due to an unattended hookah.
The hookah, also called narghile and shisha, is a type of water pipe first popularized in India, Egypt and the Middle East. Hookahs were considered an answer to problems facing tobacco smokers. For example, when it is not cooled, tobacco produces a smoke that is harsh and nearly unbearable for some people. The hookah provides a simple method to cool the hot, severe smoke. When a shisha smoker inhales, the smoke travels through water and is cooled before it reaches the mouth.
It should be noted that on its Web site, the Mayo Clinic refutes the notion that smoking hookah is safer than smoking cigarettes.
The smooth experience of smoking hookah can be quite different from smoking cigarettes. In addition, the tobaccos used in hookahs are generally flavored, with varieties ranging from apple to cola. It's this flavored smoke that adds to the hookah's appeal for college students.
One Jumbo, who wished to remain anonymous, started smoking shisha at the age of 13. She said that she really enjoys the "hard to find" cola flavor and the more ubiquitous mint, which she uses when she smokes from the hookah that her mother bought for her.
While recounting her first experience, another Jumbo, also speaking anonymously, said that when she was 15, she entered a hookah lounge that allowed her and her underage friends to join in. After smoking shisha for two hours straight, she vomited immediately after she left. "I was not aware of the effect of the shisha, and it was probably too much of a good thing," she said.
Sophomore Ahmed Hamdy agreed that it is important to practice safe techniques when using a hookah.
"Be careful the first time you smoke shisha," he said. "One person I knew passed out because she was smoking for a couple of hours straight. During your first time, take it easy."
As evidenced in Miller Hall earlier this year, there is another danger that comes with smoking hookah. A fire, supposedly started by a hookah, broke out there in the early hours of Jan. 23. One female Miller resident recounted her experience as unpleasant, yet she did not feel infuriated.
"I was not angered to have been kicked out of Miller at 4 a.m. that night; instead I was worried that someone could have gotten hurt in the process," she said.
Hamdy, also a Miller Hall resident, said he believes that the fire was "a stupid mistake. If you know how to take care of your shisha, you should be more careful."
According to various Web sites that specialize in hookah etiquette, there are various customs that should be observed while smoking shisha. As an object of service, hookahs belong on the floor and not on the table. There are some traditional establishments that still adhere to this rule, while some hookah lounges place the hookah on the table for everyone to enjoy. While not truly authentic, this method does celebrate the hookah. However, smaller hookahs on a table are more convenient and are deemed respectable by these etiquette Web sites.
The main worry featured on the Web sites concerned using the hookah hose with your right hand, not your left hand. In many countries, the left hand is considered unclean or contaminated. Another concern that arises when smoking shisha involves hookahs that use multiple hoses. On multiple−hose hookahs, those not smoking for the moment should plug their mouthpieces with their fingers so that the person who smokes does not breathe in air.
When asked about any customs that are involved in smoking shisha, Hamdy said, "I don't follow any of that stuff. However, there's no such thing as ‘puff, puff, pass' in shisha. When you pass a hose, you bend it over to not let any of the smoke leak out and the opening of the hose should face towards the person next to you. It's just custom and habit."
Smoking hookah also seems to be more acceptable at college than in other environments, Hamdy noted.
"It's a lot more chill because you can do it at any time, but as long as you're willing to brace the cold. At home, parents just don't understand because they think it's like smoking pot," he said.
Hamdy added, "It's a social thing. I started when I was eleven and have not stopped since."
Tufts is not been the only college whose students partake in this cultural activity. The New York Times wrote that one of the Yale fraternities, Alpha Epsilon Pi, has a hookah room in its house; it was designed for quiet socializing and is usually the relaxed area during parties.
It is common to find students enjoying their hookahs inside college campuses but, hopefully, not inside college dormitories.
