The lights are low. The music is high. A sweet smell fills the air on a recent Friday night at Fusion restaurant in Evanston.
Mike Kargman, a Communication sophomore, sits at a table with two of his friends at Fusion, 1741 Sherman Ave. They take turns blowing long curls of smoke into the air from a hookah, a Middle Eastern type of water pipe, sitting at the table’s center.
Kargman leans back and exhales as soft wisps of smoke stream out of his mouth.
“It’s very calming,” he said. “It’s a nice alternative to going out and drinking or going to a frat party.”
Hookah refers to smoking flavored tobacco through a tall, ornate pipe that is popular in India and the Middle East. Shafqaat Shah, one of the owners at Fusion, said hookah is a new trend catching on in United States. The tobacco is held in a bowl and heated by hot coals. Smokers suck on a long hose to enjoy the different flavors.
Kargman says he smokes other things, but likes hookah, which he first tried in high school, because it’s “not as harsh on the lungs.”
Fusion started offering hookah about a month ago. Its hookah lounge operates from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Shah said there’s a big demand for hookah in Evanston, particularly after the closing of Cafe Hookah, 726 Clark St., last year.
“Since the other place closed down, we decided why not have it here,” owner Nimi Patel said. “The market is pretty good because there is none around here. None in Skokie. None in Evanston. We’re the only place that offers it.”
Fusion features 16 flavors ranging from naughty or nice, a mint chocolate chip and black cherry flavor, to melon overboard, which blends watermelon and cantaloupe. They get their tobacco from California and Egypt, and their speciality is fusing different flavors together, said Shah. The California-based company, Fumari, also sells its hookahs online, ranging from $25 to $115.
At Fusion, hookah costs $15 and typically lasts for about an hour or an hour and a half. Refills cost $7. The restaurant’s kitchen also stays open until 2 a.m. in case customers want one of the restaurant’s dishes along with their hookah.
Hookah lounges like this one are popping up across the country, especially in college towns. A Facebook.com group at Northwestern called “Hookah love” had 125 members as of Sunday night.
One reason for its popularity is because some people believe it is less harmful than smoking cigarettes.
But according to a study by the American Academy of Periodontology, smoking hookah could have negative health effects.
Researchers determined smoking hookah puts people at similar risk for periodontal disease as regular cigarette smokers.
As a steady stream of customers stroll into Fusion, it seems like this study is the last thing on students’ minds.
“Hookah just warms you up on a cold night,” said Weinberg junior Sam Gurwitz. “It’s candy for your soul.”
Reach Matt Presser at [email protected].
