Hookah provides a breath of fresh air from everyday smoking

By: Katie Walsh Issue date: 10/26/05 Section: Pulp

Andrew Kimmel estimates that he has taken 500 peoples' virginity.

The sophomore acting and film major isn't talking about sex though - for him, it's all about introducing people to the hookah.

Three years ago, Kimmel and a friend ventured to the popular hookah bar Sahara East in New York City. Though skeptical and unsure of themselves, the two were determined to smoke before the night was through.

"I fell in love right away," Kimmel said. "Sweet melon was the first flavor I tried, and it felt like I was eating delicious cantaloupe."

Kimmel is not alone in his hookah fascination. Although hookahs originated in the Middle East, smoking them is rapidly becoming a trendy pastime among high school and college students. Hookah bars allow people to eat, drink and smoke their flavored tobacco of choice in a comfortable setting, said Karen He, a sophomore policy studies major.

She smoked at a bar for the first time last summer, and said while she enjoys the activity, it is too expensive to continue on a regular basis.

"It usually costs about $15 for three people to smoke one hookah at a bar," He said. "Besides, I can't even find one in Syracuse."

This expense issue was solved by Kimmel when he bought a blue, 36-inch tall hookah of his own two years ago. Kimmel purchases bricks of flavored tobacco for $10, which lasts approximately 30 uses, or the number of times he usually smokes per week. And while parents usually discourage their children from smoking any type of tobacco product, Kimmel said his parents don't mind his recreational activity.

"I actually tried to get them into smoking it," Kimmel said. "My dad's a big cigar smoker though, so he didn't go for the hookah."

Researchers debate whether smoking hookahs is any safer than cigarettes or other forms of tobacco. Many acknowledge that hookah users are subjected to less nicotine than other smokers, but say hookahs can still cause cancer through first and secondhand smoke. However, no matter what the research says, students will not be deterred from the trend.

"I do worry about health risks, but I love smoking hookahs," Kimmel said. "I'm young, stupid and might as well have fun and smoke as much as I can."

Since coming to college, Kimmel has made it his goal to spread the word of hookah. Last year, he and his friends frequently went outside of their dorm or to the Quad to smoke.

"It's a conversation starter, and we wanted to share the wealth," Kimmel said. "Public Safety officers would always come up to us because they thought it was illegal. I'd tell them, 'Hey, I'm Jewish and people in Israel smoke hookahs. It's a cultural thing.'"

During the summer, freshman finance major Daniel Massarsky met some of his future floor mates at a hookah bar in New York City. They immediately bonded through the shared activity and continue by smoking Massarsky's hookah several times a week outside the Brewster-Boland Complex.

"We usually smoke around midnight when we're stressed out about homework," Massarsky said. "It's a great way to relax, and a lot of people come up asking to try it."

Given the choice, Kimmel said he would choose smoking hookahs before marijuana, especially because one can smoke hookahs for longer periods of time and they're not illegal.

"The social aspect of hookahs is amazing," Kimmel said. "We just sit around smoking, talking about anything and everything. It's so easy to lose track of time."