A real hit: Patrons Inhale Middle Eastern Culture, Flavored Tobacco at Fayetteville's Hookah Bars

Source from:  BY KEVIN KINDER Northwest Arkansas Times August 5, 2007 08/06/2007

The first time Daniel Cox saw a hookah, he had a pretty good idea what it was intended for. " I thought they were selling bongs, " he recalls. He was wrong. Instead, what the University of Arkansas student stumbled upon was a bit of ancient Middle Eastern culture in the form of an elaborate tobacco pipe. Since his initial erroneous impression, Cox has learned much about hookahs and the traditions behind them. He has puffed from a hookah in several European countries and has since bought one for himself. The traditional water pipe's popularity isn't growing like an inferno in the United States but, like the smoke rising from the hookah itself, it is slow and gradual. Of about 300 hookah bars in the nation, two have opened in Fayetteville. Barbara Villegas opened The White Rabbit in Fayetteville, Northwest Arkansas' first such bar, in July of last year. Smoking a hookah is more than simply puffing tobacco, she said. " I find it hard to explain, but it's part of a culture. It's nothing like smoking tobacco or a cigar or pipe, " Villegas said. Hookah history Hookahs have been popular in Middle Eastern culture for centuries. A hookah is, on its most basic level, a large tobacco pipe that filters smoke through a water-filled base. Hookahs, which are also known as narghiles, argeelas, gyehloons or by several other monikers, were thought to have been originally made from hollowed-out coconuts that filtered tobacco smoke through the fruit's milk. Whatever their roots, hookahs have evolved into ornate, sometimes expensive units that are used most commonly with molasses- and honey-infused tobacco. Hookahs have four essential parts that provide smoke to the user: the bowl, the body, the water jar and the pipe. The tobacco is placed in the bowl, and a lit coal is placed directly above the tobacco. A perforated cap - often covered in aluminum foil - serves as a barrier between the tobacco and coal to prevent the smoker from inhaling too much wood or ash taste. To draw in smoke, the user inhales through a hose. The suction draws the smoke from the heated tobacco, through the hookah body and into the water bowl, where it picks up moisture before reaching the smoker's mouth. The tobacco, commonly referred to as shisha or sheesha, usually contains flavorings such as apple, pineapple, mango, chocolate mint or a variety of other choices. Other variations on the theme include adding fruit juice, milk or wine into the base of the hookah for different tastes and smoke textures. According to a report published in February by the American Lung Association, there is little data about the prevalence of hookah use in the United States. The report does suggest that hookah use is on the rise, especially among those 18 to 24 years old living in university towns. Following that trend to the letter, a second bar, Fez Hookah Lounge, opened near Dickson Street in February. Same smoke, different ideas Perhaps the only common factor between the two establishments are the large, bubbling water pipes and the smell of fruity smoke. At The White Rabbit, neon colors, works by local artists and eclectic music complete the ambiance. Smoke gently drifts upward from the mouths of patrons, many of whom are engaged in a game of backgammon or Uno and are watching a movie on one of the venue's many televisions. At Fez, proprietor Mohammed Khaldi has established a vibe diametrically opposite to that of the other local hookah bar. Jazz music is prevalent in a lounge that is as dark as the black leather furniture on which patrons recline. There is a veil of privacy provided by the darkness, illuminated only by space candles and the glow of the coals on the hookahs themselves. Both, the owners say, are hybrids of hookah bars that exist elsewhere in the country. Villegas, owner of The White Rabbit, was introduced to hookahs while living in California. A friend's father was of Middle Eastern descent and owned a hookah bar that became a favorite hangout for Villegas and her friends. From there, she began to visit nearby lounges. When she moved to Arkansas just more than two years ago, she noticed there not only was no hookah bar, but also limited options for those less interested in drinking alcohol. " I realized there wasn't much for nightlife here, " she said. She decided to open Arkansas' first hookah bar, but not without reservations. There is a stigma attached to hookahs, primarily because of their aesthetic association with marijuana. Opening a legitimate business that sells only tobacco products, especially in a state not familiar with the concept, was going to be a tough sell, she said. " A lot of people know these for smoking pot. But they don't know about shisha tobacco, " she said. " I knew it would be risky, but a lot of people are open-minded. " Khaldi, a native of Morocco, had a similar path toward hookah bar ownership. While living in south Florida, he frequented several lounges owned by his friends. Upon his arrival in Arkansas, he saw the opportunity to cash in on a national trend. Fez caters to the crowds who frequent the bars and restaurants along Dickson Street. A bowl of flavored tobacco is $ 10 at The White Rabbit and $ 10. 99 at Fez. The hookahs are typically shared by a group of three, four or even five people. It takes between 45 minutes and an hour and a half to smoke the bowl, depending on the number of people per hookah and the time taken between puffs. Both businesses also serve teas and sodas, but not alcohol. The hookah lounge works on the same premise as bars, Khaldi said, noting that people can drink, eat or smoke at home but often prefer a more social atmosphere. " Many people have a hookah at home, but they can't smoke it there. They need a group to socialize, " he said. Fumes and fun Socializing seems to be the recurring element at both hookah bars. Villegas has a word for the climate in her establishment: chill. Springdale resident Randall Ecke, who calls himself a White Rabbit regular, takes that definition a step further. " It's a drama-free zone, " Ecke said between puffs of rose-, vanilla- and mint-flavored tobacco. " There's an invisible barrier that prevents it from coming in here. " He too used the word chill to describe the environment. " The hookah is a byproduct. You come for the atmosphere, " he said. Also at The White Rabbit on a recent Friday night were Mary Phillips and her daughter, Megan Phillips. Neither smoke cigarettes, but on that night, they enjoyed a bowl of butterscotch-flavored tobacco and a game of backgammon. Mary Phillips knew nothing of hookahs until she met Villegas' mother and visited one evening. " It's kind of relaxing, and it's a good way to get together and do something, " she said. Across town at Fez on a recent Thursday evening, Daniel Cox gathered with a group of friends after an outing on Dickson Street. He and his friends opted for chocolate-mint shisha. " It tastes like I just bit into an Andes mint. I'm not kidding, " he said, letting the smoke slowly exit his mouth. Cox owns a hookah, but likes coming to Fez for the atmosphere, he said. Sharing a hookah with Cox was fellow University of Arkansas student Jon Taylor. Neither he nor Cox smoke cigarettes, and Taylor said he does not worry about the adverse effects of the hookah smoke. " I don't smoke cigarettes, so I don't know how it compares. But I don't feel addicted to coming here, " he said. Lingering effects Several recent studies, however, suggest that Taylor, Cox and others who smoke shisha are as susceptible to tobacco's effects as those who smoke cigarettes. The World Health Organization issued a report in May with very strict warnings. " Contrary to ancient lore and popular belief, the smoke that emerges from a water pipe contains numerous toxicants known to cause lung cancer, heart disease and other diseases, " the report stated. The problem, the report continued, is that smoke from water pipes is inhaled for longer periods of time than with cigarettes. Although the report did call for more research, it concluded that water pipe smoke is " not a safe alternative to cigarette smoking. " Furthermore, the American Lung Association found in its February report that because of the length of time one typically smokes a hookah, much more smoke is delivered. " Due to the longer, more sustained period … a waterpipe smoker may inhale as much smoke as consuming 100 or more cigarettes during a single session, " the report said. Khaldi, for one, doesn't like to encourage those who do not smoke to try shisha - it is tobacco smoke, after all. But for those who already smoke, he sees the products he sells as roughly equivalent to cigarettes. Across the country, many hookah bars are under scrutiny as more cities enact no-smoking policies. And although a smoking ban exists in Fayetteville, both shops are exempted as retail tobacco stores where food and other items are only incidental to the sale of the shop's primary product. Despite some of the controversy surrounding them, hookah bars and hookah smoking continue to grow in popularity. A quick perusal of Internet sites such as www. southsmoke. com, www. hookahcompany. com or www. hookahkings. com shows it is possible to buy a starter kit that comes with all necessary components - including shisha and coals - for between $ 65 and $ 120. Hookahs are also available for purchase at Sound Warehouse in Fayetteville. There are no other hookah bars in Arkansas, but several exist in the surrounding states and there are plans for two in the Little Rock area. As for those in Fayetteville, both will keep puffing away by providing an outlet unlike anything else in the area. " It's a friendly atmosphere, more friendly than a bar. It's a place for sharing smokes and jokes, " Villegas said. Enditem