Korean Job Discussion Forums

[soulofseoul]

Sorry if its spelled wrong.
Never experienced this pastime or been to one of their establishments.

Whats the draw? I heard you dont actually inhale. Is it similar to smoking cigarettes or joints or what??

Just trying to get an idea the effects from it. Thanks

[yeti08]

More of a taste and social experience. You can inhale, but you don't have too. Loads of places to do it in Seoul. Hongdae has a few nice places. The flavor selection sometimes is mostly fruity stuff.
I will try to remember the place I found the most unique and best tasting shisha (tobacco).
Korean girls like doing it, so it's a good date early on in a relationship. Drinks, hookah, and talking.

[Italy37612]

You certainly do inhale. I suppose you don't have to. But that is not how hookah is traditionally smoked. Usually you inhale a considerably larger amount of smoke than you would with a cigarette (since the smoke is so smooth).

The draw of hookah is the different flavors of sheesha (the tobacco used for the hookah). The smoke itself tastes delicious (at least to me it does). Also, it is supposed to be healthier than other smoking alternatives, other than e-cigarettes I guess, as sheesha contains less of the carcinogens you get with smoking cigarettes, and the water acts as a filter.

[Bibbitybop]

And the tobacco smoke is created with a lower temperature (since it is not on fire), which does not release nearly as many toxins and tar.

[Korangar]

Smoking a hookah is basically the same exact thing as smoking cigarettes. The shisha (the stuff they put inside the bowl with the charcoal over it) is just flavored tobacco. The only real differences between smoking a hookah and cigarettes is that a session with a hookah lasts longer (around an hour), it's flavored, and it's a cooler temperature (due to passing through the water) so it goes down a lot smoother. That said, you don't have to inhale at all, but if you do inhale and you don't smoke often, you'll probably get a bit of a "nicotine high," where you might feel a bit lightheaded, feel a bit buzzed, or some extremities might feel a bit tingly.

[bucheon bum]

[Fishead soup]

I've done it in Dubai UAE and Pattaya Walking street Thailand. There is a large section in Pattaya Walking street that caters to Arabs. It's a cool place to hang out.

The smoke itself is smooth. There are also places in the UAE where you can sit on a small rug smoke and sometimes order some bottles of coke and they bring out a large Lamb Biriyanni (dry mild curry with rice) and you eat it with your hands.

[itistime]

I might know where you can
get some of that smooth smoke.


the hookah actually seems clean, but
I can tell that I've polluted my lungs the day after.
It's a cool social thing, if you're up for it.
Have fun.

[Bibbitybop]

Other studies show that you have to be a moderate smoker of hookah in order for it to have the long-term impacts of regular tobacco use, and people usually aren't moderate hookah users, they are social smokers.

The lesser degree of temperature does reduce some toxins being released, but is is not a "healthy" activity.