Hookah Etiquette

[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.

How is it a liability issue? Just wondering.

also curious, whats the danger in it?

[destructo]

them dropping a coal and burning the place down

[RingsMaster]

them dropping a coal and burning the place down

perhaps, i just dont see that being the reason

[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.

How is it a liability issue? Just wondering.

also curious, whats the danger in it?

As I'm sure you recognize, coals are very hot and can therefore cause injury. Giving customers the means by which to manipulate their own coals inreases the probability of personal injury. But limiting those means to trained personel deters customers from manipulating their own coals and greatly decreases that probability.

Of course we have liability insurance which partially protects us if we were to get sued in the event that someone got hurt on our property. But whenever you make a claim, your insurance rates tend to go up. That increase in overhead inevitably gets passed on to the customer in the form of higher prices. We try to avoid that entire hassle by simply limiting tong usage to our employees.

It's the same reason why sushi restuarants don't give customers those ridiculously sharp knives to slice their own sushi.

I know everyone complains about going to lounges and not getting their own tongs. But believe me, when you take the huge risk of opening a new lounge, you're not going to take the chance of losing everything because some dick drops a coal in his lap and tries to take everything from you in court. That kind of thing happens to small business owners every day in America. Edited October 13, 2009 by ih303

[rhineholt]

Ahhh, it makes sense. I don't mind so much that I don't have tongs.
It's just that when the coals are burning the shisha, the workers are no where to be found. So I feel I have to take it into my own hands and move them with my keys.
Otherwise, It could ruin a whole session.

[ih303]

Ahhh, it makes sense. I don't mind so much that I don't have tongs.
It's just that when the coals are burning the shisha, the workers are no where to be found. So I feel I have to take it into my own hands and move them with my keys.
Otherwise, It could ruin a whole session.

That's one thing we work hard to prevent. When you go to a hookah bar, it's the employees responsibility to take care of heat management. That's something we try hard to do. The difference between us and other hookah bars I've been to is we're much more professionally run - more like a restuarant than a hookah bar. The servers are constantly on the floor rotating/swapping coals, refilling drinks, and chatting with customers. When it gets busy, it's sometimes hard to keep up with everything perfectly, but we still manage to keep up.

[spectrum055]

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.

I've never put one on the table... with my hookah all other hookahs I've seen they've been to big to put on a table...you know for adjusting the coals... But for the small little ones I do see why they need to be on a table.

[SynysterPhoenix]

For my 22", I can use it either on the floor or on the table, seems to be for the perfect height. Though for ease, it's easier to put on the table, especially if you have multiple people smoking with you.

[Genie]

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.

If some cranky old biddy can sue McDonalds for coffee that's too hot, I can see where a lounge wouldn't be comfortable handing out tongs. But if a lounge doesn't give me tongs, I request them. No one has ever given me a hard time about it.

[Genie]

That's one thing we work hard to prevent. When you go to a hookah bar, it's the employees responsibility to take care of heat management. That's something we try hard to do. The difference between us and other hookah bars I've been to is we're much more professionally run - more like a restuarant than a hookah bar. The servers are constantly on the floor rotating/swapping coals, refilling drinks, and chatting with customers. When it gets busy, it's sometimes hard to keep up with everything perfectly, but we still manage to keep up.

That's the way it should be. If I pay for a hookah, I like a little service. I'd rather someone took care of the hookah for me. But if they don't, I don't want to hear any griping when I whip out my pocket knife to manage my own coals.

[Bandito]

NEVER light another coal on top of a coal sitting on a bowl

Wait - why not? I've never tried it before, but is it an etiquette thing or is there an actual reason, like it weighs the bowl down or doesn't light properly or something?

[SynysterPhoenix]

NEVER light another coal on top of a coal sitting on a bowl

Wait - why not? I've never tried it before, but is it an etiquette thing or is there an actual reason, like it weighs the bowl down or doesn't light properly or something?

Not an etiquette thing (I think) but it will ruin the taste of the shisha.

[redjako]

NEVER light another coal on top of a coal sitting on a bowl

Wait - why not? I've never tried it before, but is it an etiquette thing or is there an actual reason, like it weighs the bowl down or doesn't light properly or something?

Not an etiquette thing (I think) but it will ruin the taste of the shisha.

Golden Japanese coals are very very light for smell when lighting, the lightest I've ever used methinks, and even they will impart slight taste when being lit on one another.

Quick lights have alll sorts of crappy chemicals going off when you light them..bad on your lungs.

[TobiasKM]

Sort of an etiquette thing, but something that annoys me is if someone just sits with the hose, not smoking - or worse, smokes "poorly", barely pulling enough to get any smoke. I just tell people to smoke properly or pass the hose. Besides that, I don't really have any no-no's. Along with me doing more research and getting a better understanding of how it should be done, I've just started taking more responsibility when we're smoking, just making sure that I pack the bowl and manage the heat. Too many cooks you knows

[Spats]

NEVER light another coal on top of a coal sitting on a bowl

Wait - why not? I've never tried it before, but is it an etiquette thing or is there an actual reason, like it weighs the bowl down or doesn't light properly or something?

Not an etiquette thing (I think) but it will ruin the taste of the shisha.

Golden Japanese coals are very very light for smell when lighting, the lightest I've ever used methinks, and even they will impart slight taste when being lit on one another.

Quick lights have alll sorts of crappy chemicals going off when you light them..bad on your lungs.

If the coals are hot then a "piggy-backed" coal for chain lighting works fairly well. If the coals are half spent then they
won't light the fresh coal. This is ONLY useful for non quick light coals! Doing a "piggy back" is a bit easier to keep the
bowl going than lighting new coals mid session. Do NOT try with QL's (unless you like the taste!).

Yes, there is a bit of taste from the new coal, but weigh it against non-lazy methods

[bracque]

pass the hose?

i have a problem with someone who wants to smoke shisha not getting their own. in the egypt and qatar, each smokers gets their own, as it should be IMHO.

[SultanofSmoke]

[font="Times New Roman"]Well something I didn’t see around the forum lately was a guide to the proper rules and etiquette of smoking hookah which sometimes those outside the middle east do not follow....these are some that I have heard of/know of....any others you guys follow or have heard of? Any specific rules/rituals of your own/group of friends that you care to share? [/font]

[font="Times New Roman"]Here’s the one’s I’ve heard of and my friends adhere to...albeit not ALWAYS:[/font]

[font="Times New Roman"]- Never pass the hose with it pointing tip out to your mate - instead fold it towards yourself[/font]

[font="Times New Roman"]- Use the right hand to pass[/font]

[font="Times New Roman"]- The hookah should be on the floor traditionally as it is in service to you and not the other way around[/font]

[font="Times New Roman"]- A small tap on the hand from the person passing the folded hose to you means "thank you" [/font]

[font="Times New Roman"]- Always hold down on the tip if your on a multi-hose hookah and not smoking[/font]

[font="Times New Roman"]- Never light cigarettes off a hookah coal or ash in a hookah tray[/font]

[font="Times New Roman"]- Don’t blow smoke in someone’s face[/font]

[font="Times New Roman"]- Don’t hog the hose...others are waiting[/font]

[font="Times New Roman"]- Never explicitly ask for the hose [/font]

[font="Times New Roman"]Me being of Portuguese liniage me and my pals adopted a rule from Port Wine ettitqute for this one....its also rude to ask someone to pass you a bottle of port instead you ask them 'Do you know the Bishop of Norwich?' [/font]

[font="Times New Roman"]Usually, reminding the culprit of the mean Bishop does the trick, but if the person is not au fait with the etiquette of Port drinking, and simply says no, you would then have to add 'he's an awfully nice fellow, but he never remembers to pass the Port.'[/font]

[font="Times New Roman"]We adopted it to be "he’s an awfully nice fellow, but he never remembers to pass the hose"[/font]

[font="Times New Roman"]Interested in hearing about any other rules/rituals/etiquette rules out there....[/font]

[font="Times New Roman"]Sultan.[/font]

[cotsi95]

the funny thing about the "rules" is i am very strict on following most if not all of them but the saudis that come into the lounge are the ones that dont care. They light cigs off the coals, leave there butts in the tray etc. I even find it disrespectful.

[Chaz1337]

I'm glad that there is etiquette involved in traditional hookah smoking. Just like there is in herfing and other upper class activities. I try to adhere to most, if not all of the afore mentioned manners while enjoying a bowl with my close friends. I do find it irritating and somewhat appalling when someone new forgets their place around my setup and tries moves the coals without expressed permission, or "hogs" the hose.

[Hassouni]

I nearly spat out my breakfast laughing at the Bishop of Norwich thing (because it's hilarious). I find the list funny, because certainly these days, nobody in the Middle East shares. Or almost never, so all the passing rules seem to be N/A Edited January 21, 2010 by Hassouni

[Stuie]

There have been a few threads about this that might help.

http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/33837-hookah-etiquette/page__p__415620__hl__etiquette__fromsearch__1&#entry415620

http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/13928-lets-make-our-own-hookah-etiquette-list/page__p__159100__hl__etiquette__fromsearch__1#entry159100

http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/4183-authentic-hookah-etiquette/page__p__46226__hl__etiquette__fromsearch__1&#entry46226

http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/3606-pondering-a-point-of-etiquette/page__p__39485__hl__etiquette__fromsearch__1#entry39485

http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/2934-hookah-lounge-etiquette/page__p__31785__hl__etiquette__fromsearch__1&#entry31785

And thoughts on tipping servers at hookah lounges
http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/7181-tipping-etiquette/page__p__90567__hl__etiquette__fromsearch__1&#entry90567


ENJOY!

[SultanofSmoke]

Thanks Stuie!

Read through some of those but didnt see to many funny rituals/unique things people do with their friend groups...like mine asking about the Bishop Of Norwich...thought I'de revive it and get some convo going...

Didnt check out the tipping guide. Right on.

Sultan.

[andre6589]

Omgosh I didn't even know that there were rules.. I'm pretty sure I've broken ALL of those :[

At least now I know, THANKS

[no longer welcome]

i liek the one about never pointing the hose when you pass it. this is easy with a mya hose where you can "loop" the hose and pass it, with a km/narb/razan/namoor, not so easy.

[EireBrode]

I don't really understand the folding the hose over when you pass it rule... Is there any reason for it, or is it just one of those things?