I hubbly bad for you?????

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Last night I went down to the nearby shisha café with my friend. She kept protesting that she didn’t smoke so it was a bad move I know, but her objection was rather lame—‘I don’t like the smell.’ What are you talking about? Shisha has the most pleasant smell ever, it’s so sweet. But she carried on, ‘I’m not a punky teenager who needs to prove my cool status by taking a few drags off a ciggie.’ But its shisha darling, I explained, it’s nothing like cigarettes. It’s better. I mean, come on, the shisha pipe is that shapely, exquisite bottle that gurgles pleasantly as you draw in and has delicate golden flowers on it and inlaid gems that reflect the dim lights of the café. It is not just some insignificant looking paper tube. Shisha is an evening out, whereas a cigarette is just a five minute occupation on your coffee break. And the icing on the cake, I concluded as I pushed open the door of the café, cigarettes are attacked left, right and centre for their mortal peril and shisha has a low profile, squeaky clean status. She raised her eyebrows, obviously impressed by my strong shisha-defense-barricade, ‘Really?’

Hubbly Bubby: The Good
The harmful effects of hubbly bubbly are not at all known like the global notoriety cigarettes boast, but that doesn’t really mean that it has none. In actually fact the reason for shisha’s gleaming innocence is the lack of research done on it. It’s widely believed, like by myself I confess, that shisha is less harmful than cigarettes because it is filtered by water, not paper. Another myth I believed in with genuine sincerity is that because the tobacco is just heated in the hookah, not burned like it is in cigarettes, getting addicted to it is totally unlikely. The heated, as opposed to burned, tobacco is actually what makes shisha smoke less harsh than the irritating fumes of cigarettes, (and much more fragrant and lovely as it clouds around dreamily). Also, shisha tobacco can be mixed with different natural flavors like apple (my favorite), cherry, melon, mint and many others that just have an overall soothing effect on the throat rather than the unpleasant smoke of flavorless cigarettes.

Also, I always reckoned the obvious advantage of shisha was pretty glaring in your face. Isn’t it obvious that you can’t carry a shisha pipe around with you in your pocket and start smoking it at regular intervals throughout the day like you can cigarettes. A few times a week at most, but generally one only goes to have shisha once in a week or two (unless of course you’ve bought one of the beautiful decorative hookah pipes and you smoke it at home, in which case tut-tut-tut). Therefore the immediate danger of excess is eliminated. But nope, as all good things don’t last they are also often suspiciously too good to be true. The same is very true with the matter at hand.

The Bad
Shisha has much more tar and nicotine than cigarettes which is only partially filtered by the water, leaving it equivalent to smoking 18 cigarettes at a time. Also, the carbon monoxide from the coal that heats the tobacco is almost as harmful as that emitted from cigarettes leading to carbon monoxide poisoning and ‘hookah headaches’.

Many of the disadvantages of hubbly-bubbly are not even known, therefore branding it ultimately dangerous, more or less than cigarettes, is relatively difficult. The smart thing to do, as always, I suppose is stick to one of the words of all prevailing wisdom: moderation.

Shisha Café’s in town to check out – (oh alright, you don’t have to smoke the shisha as I’ve just been lecturing about its lethal properties, but for the culture then.)

Marina Walk Terrace – Gorgeous ambiance of looking out onto the marina and the boats harboring within it. Also has a non-smoking section (pretty valuable for a shisha café), a definite for a nice evening out.
Reem Al-Bawadi [Next to the HSBC on Al Wasl Road] – The nicest and most authentic atmosphere, complete with textured bricks, arched windows and a divine lasagna along with all the scrumptious Lebanese food we all love.
Badweya Café [Shk. Zayed Rd. next to Mazaya Centre] – Lovely outdoors seating with fairy lights and an oud player occasionally.
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I hubbly bad for you?????

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