Hookah Etiquette

[bracque]

i've seen a lot of pics lately on this forum, and on others. in many of them i see people with their hookahs sitting on the table. is this acceptable in the US?

i'm living in the gulf not, for over 2 years. before that i was in egypt for 2 years. in this part of the world, a hookah on the table is a no-no.

[thecyrax]

i've seen a lot of pics lately on this forum, and on others. in many of them i see people with their hookahs sitting on the table. is this acceptable in the US?

i'm living in the gulf not, for over 2 years. before that i was in egypt for 2 years. in this part of the world, a hookah on the table is a no-no.

Most people don't really care about it.
As far as I'm concerned with smaller hookahs, putting them on the table is an absolute must!

[mushrat]

ya, things are diffent in each place. Ive found that all the hookah etiquette I've learned over the years are only followed when people feel like it. I've seen middle-easterners pass the hose tip first, light cigs off coals, etc. I think hookah etiquette is like any other type, its good to know for formal settings, but in everyday useage, not so important.

[NIGHTS OF BAGHDAD]

it all depends on the size of the hookah to me, if its a smaller one like 10-15'' i dont mind putting it on a table but for obvious reasons the bigger ones go on the floor..

[Chreees]

Really depends on the person. You need to know proper etiquette for more formal occasions, or when you're around Middle Easterners. Wouldn't want them talking about you, huh? Lol. Here in the U.S. people just do whatever. I follow "proper" etiquette in the way that I don't set my hookah on the ground, and I don't lay the hose on the ground. Edited October 12, 2009 by INCUBUSRATM

[detroitmak]

The only thing proper i know of is when passing the hose, fold the tip end in, as it is impolite to point.

[SynysterPhoenix]

I keep my hookah on the table when I smoke it because 85% of the time I smoke with friends, so its easier. Another reason why I put it on the table is because my dog is usually outside and likes to play around with a bucket that gets thrashed around. I put my hookah on the ground and my dog broke my phunnel...so it's going on the table from now on lol.

[Tyler]

The only three things I follow are:
Pass the hose, tip folded back
Never light a cig on a coal on a hookah
NEVER light another coal on top of a coal sitting on a bowl

[rhineholt]

I hate that at the lounge that i go to they just put the ql on top of the already lit ones and they don't give me tongs. >=(

[destructo]

certain things make me made like when people put thier butts in the ash tray or light off the coals or someone even tried to use the tip of my hose to move the coals. its one thing if its their hookah but thats like going to someones bbq then moving around the meat on their grill. and if you put a qt on teh ground its going to get kicked over

[ryno]

certain things make me made like when people put thier butts in the ash tray or light off the coals or someone even tried to use the tip of my hose to move the coals. its one thing if its their hookah but thats like going to someones bbq then moving around the meat on their grill. and if you put a qt on teh ground its going to get kicked over

Thank you! I've had so many people in the middle of a session just reach and grab the tong and rotate the coals and put them in the middle (and its usually a phunnel) and they don't get why I get mad. Now I have a way of explaining it with the bbq analogy.

[Tyler]

ryno i sound like a drunken sorostitute in your sig

[Dr. B]

small pipe on table, big one on ground. Its not about Halal in my house, it's about practicality.

No cigarette butts in the ashtray and no lighting off the coals, please.

if you slobber on the tip (shut up), be polite and dry it near the coal.

that about it

[RingsMaster]

in my house with my pipes i dont let people light cigs off my coals of ash in my tray, no butts in the tray, if you slobber on my house, clean it off

[gunsboy]

I have put the hookah on a table in Syria. And my uncle said, you cannot do that. I actually knew that this is a no-no, but I wanted to see their reaction. I got a couple of dirty looks. My uncle said that back in the day I would have got my ass kicked for doing this.

[RingsMaster]

I have put the hookah on a table in Syria. And my uncle said, you cannot do that. I actually knew that this is a no-no, but I wanted to see their reaction. I got a couple of dirty looks. My uncle said that back in the day I would have got my ass kicked for doing this.

i wonder why that is? im curious to hear all the different traditions from all the countries and the stories behind them, did you uncle tell you why it was a no-no?

[Genie]

When in Rome....

Respect the traditions of the people you are smoking hookah with.

I'm in the U.S. where practicality seems to reign. Small hookah on a table, larger hookah on the floor. It's just easier. If I had a Middle Easterner as a guest, someone I knew who found it offensive to set the hookah on the table, I'd never do so because a good host is polite.

I did appreciate being specifically asked in one hookah lounge if I preferred it on the table or not. Because of the size of the hookah, I'd normally have preferred it on the floor. But I was smoking with friends around these tiny little tables where all our teas and coffees were set. Smoking the hookah off the floor would have created a problem for us all so asked him to set it on the table, this was still quite inconvenient because of our drinks. In another restaurant the waiter set the hookah on the table, but we were also having dinner and I didn't want any ash getting on people's food or dinnerware and I immediately set it on the floor next to me, especially as I was the only one smoking.

I don't see hookah ash as dirty, if anything, it's probably quite sterile as a result of the heat. To me, ash isn't dirty. Just messy. It's definitely easier to manage heat from a sitting position if the hookah is sitting on the floor.

If there are no tables and it's just a group of us in a circle passing around the pipe(s), setting it on the floor is much more practical. I definitely prefer to smoke this way, in a circle, with small, convenient tables for our food and drinks set around us instead of us sitting around the table.

[Dr. B]

i wonder why that is? im curious to hear all the different traditions from all the countries and the stories behind them, did you uncle tell you why it was a no-no?

from what i understand the table is reserved for Halal things. Smoking is not Halal and therefore a pipe should not disgrace the table. If everyone doesn't care, its not a big deal; but if you have observing Muslims who smoke anyway it'd be better not to offend them.

[birdhousebmx]

I put my hookah on a table.

One middle eastern owned bar I went to a while back (for a long time, knew the owner quite well, friend worked there, etc.) actually put the hookah's inside the table. Like, there was a hole cut out in the table to put the stem inside the base through the hole.

[antouwan]

i wonder why that is? im curious to hear all the different traditions from all the countries and the stories behind them, did you uncle tell you why it was a no-no?

from what i understand the table is reserved for Halal things. Smoking is not Halal and therefore a pipe should not disgrace the table. If everyone doesn't care, its not a big deal; but if you have observing Muslims who smoke anyway it'd be better not to offend them.

i'm not sure where you heard this, and i'm not saying it's wrong, but what about ash trays for cigarettes? they're lying around all over the place. the reason i've heard was for practicality as well; as previously stated ash isn't 'dirty' it's just hella messy - putting the hookah higher up increases the chance of the ash (and/or coals) falling either on people or their food/drinks. the whole reason i heard to pass the hose with the tip facing the person doing the passing (not the recipient) is simply because it's easier for the recipient to grab. the cigarette thing, yeah that's just formal etiquette with no real 'practical' reason, but i would be pissed if i was smoking the hookah and some guy grabbed the coal off the head to light up, or bent over to light up and knocked some shit over. all the 'etiquette' stuff seems pretty practical, if you ask me. just my 2¢

[Tyler]

B is correct for the most part and it varies by city and country. And also, most Muslims, if they smoke cigs, move the ash tray off the table when in use.

[ewanj6]

Etiquette varies so much between religion, and area. When i was in tunisia, the hookahs were mainly on the floor, but then so was all the seating - like cushions on the floor, tables were just inches off the floor to put drinks on. There was also toursity type places that had proper chairs and tables, with hookahs on again. Seem that they understood the difference between traditional and the tourist lure! i tend to smoke with the missus, so there is little to no etiquette!

[ih303]

certain things make me made like when people put thier butts in the ash tray or light off the coals or someone even tried to use the tip of my hose to move the coals. its one thing if its their hookah but thats like going to someones bbq then moving around the meat on their grill. and if you put a qt on teh ground its going to get kicked over

I hate this too. We don't give out tongs at our lounge, and people are constantely melting straws, hose tips, and whatever else might be lying around trying to adjust their own coals. I know a lot of people, especially experienced hookah owners, like to have control over their own coals, but aside from it being a liability issue at a lounge, there's also an issue of proper etiquette. This is a pet peeve of mine.

[RingsMaster]

certain things make me made like when people put thier butts in the ash tray or light off the coals or someone even tried to use the tip of my hose to move the coals. its one thing if its their hookah but thats like going to someones bbq then moving around the meat on their grill. and if you put a qt on teh ground its going to get kicked over

I hate this too. We don't give out tongs at our lounge, and people are constantely melting straws, hose tips, and whatever else might be lying around trying to adjust their own coals. I know a lot of people, especially experienced hookah owners, like to have control over their own coals, but aside from it being a liability issue at a lounge, there's also an issue of proper etiquette. This is a pet peeve of mine.

this kid my roomate invited to my house trie to move my coals with my freakin handle of the hose, not the tip but the actual handle, hes no longer allowed to smoke with my cause i have this great big burn mark on my KM ultimate hose. the thing that pissed me off the most is that the tongs were right in front of him

[rhineholt]

certain things make me made like when people put thier butts in the ash tray or light off the coals or someone even tried to use the tip of my hose to move the coals. its one thing if its their hookah but thats like going to someones bbq then moving around the meat on their grill. and if you put a qt on teh ground its going to get kicked over

I hate this too. We don't give out tongs at our lounge, and people are constantely melting straws, hose tips, and whatever else might be lying around trying to adjust their own coals. I know a lot of people, especially experienced hookah owners, like to have control over their own coals, but aside from it being a liability issue at a lounge, there's also an issue of proper etiquette. This is a pet peeve of mine.

How is it a liability issue? Just wondering.