Hookah
 

Hookah. Tell me about it. I don't want a wikipedia analysis. Just a summary from a normal everyday person.

My interest has been sparked.

I used it once and it wasn't that impressive (but I was also not in a great state then too....high and sleep deprived).

Supposedly it isn't any safer than cigarette smoke even though it passes through water.

Here is a report on it (also with an explanation of what a Hookah is):
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hookah/AN01265

Personally, I have nothing against it or for it. It is more social thing since you pass the piece around but it isn't anything special. I don't really plan on using a Hookah every again but if I do once or twice I do, whatever.

But I also don't smoke cigarettes or cigars so keep that in mind but I think it is popular because the tobacco is usually flavored and you can add other plants to it as well.

The smoke is cooled, ie concentrated, magnifying the effect.

Very commonly seen by anyone who has traveled the Middle East.

Comes in a wide variety of flavors, get something to drink to along with. The smell and taste of the smoked stayed in my goatee for a couple days.. that part was not very pleasant. It is nothing like smoking a cigar (my preference). Hold the smoke in your lungs for a bit with every draw and you'll start to reeeeally feel it.

You can make really cool lamps out of them.

i find it a bit stronger than smoking a cigarette but with a much more pleasant taste and smell. great side dish for nights that involve, say, a bottle or two of grey goose.

actually the very first time i smoked shisha in high school, i got completely retarded - because my friend, without telling us, mixed in some pot with the tobacco. it took a few times before i realized smoking the hookah doesn't normally have that kind of effect. :P

I like it. Lots of flavors available, fun, attractive for your home as a kitch item, not bad for you like the cigs with all their additives, there is no ammonia/bleach/formaldehyde added to hookah blends and no one I know of inhales it or smokes it every day. Just every now and again to relax and enjoy.
Good fun and beautiful, no reason not to.

I have used it a couple of times and enjoyed it a lot, but I wouldn't do it again. As a dancer my health is very important to me, and it is something unhealthy that I could cut out without missing it too much.

wow. And here I always thought you just smoked weed out of those things...

There are TONS of Hookah aka Nargile shops in the city I live in. Basically it's a water bong for tobacco. If you go to a middle eastern place they usually seat you (outside) and each person gets there own hookah. Instead of constantly having to re-light the tobacco, what they do is cover the top of the bowl with aluminum foil which has holes poked in it, then place a red hot coal on top of the foil, this way it only lights when you inhale from the tube. They also have guys walking around with a metal bucket filled with hot coals to replace yours as they die down. Usually you drink this with a minty tea they always serve. They have like an insane amount of flavors but Double Apple seems to be everyones favorite.

My name is Hookah
I live on the second floor
I live upstairs from you
Yes I think you've seen me before
If you hear something late at night...

Another point to the Cellar for teaching me something. I've never heard of hookah. Now that I have, I can honestly say I likely would never try it. I don't like cigarettes, so hookah isn't something I would probably like either.