Shisha is... How do I explain it?? It's just something that's a part of the Arab culture and therefore something I too have immersed myself in while living here. Never mind what the experts say about it, I'm all in...as per usual. Shisha is something of a cultural symbol here in the UAE, as well as in most Arab countries. It is smoked for the flavor, not the effect, generally. Hopefully. The taste of the smooth smoke fills your nostrils and gets into your head. The smell of the light, sweet smoke is irresistible. It plumes patiently from the patron's pipes and you can smell it's tantalizing perfume before you even walk into the cafes here. When you draw it into your mouth, it cools the throat and there is no tingle.
The first time I ever tried shisha, (or something like shisha, I should say), I was actually back home in Texas. (We call it hookah there). I was in downtown Houston in one of our very few (quote), "mediterranean influenced" (unquote) lounges. Spewing from the speakers was a cheese-and-whine-like voice singing a tune in Arabic, and kitschy Arabic decorations dangling from the walls. A tired belly dancer of a Caucasion persuasion who wore pink MC Hammer pants and an excruciatingly bored expression stood in a corner obligatorily flicking her hips from side to side. This place served hookah in these small glass waterpipes that had a heady, strange-fruit type of flavor, (that you didn't even get to choose...the nerve!) The food consisted of mostly previously-frozen microwaved ideas of Greek food and one mediterranean pizza with olives.... Alright, so I suppose this joint was okay for my social life prior-to-living-in-the-middle-east. But now? Yawn. Not to sound like a snob... but I would never go back there. A pauper's haunt!!! :)
Fast forward to my current life where I live amongst a sea of shisha selections, I have visited my share of cafes here in AD, and I do have my favorites. But one of them in particular is quite special. Aptly named, Special Cafe #2 is a local establishment situated on the Corniche. It is as you may have guessed it, not far from Special #1 and Special #3. All three cafes have the same owners, and l'll leave it to you to decide which Special is your favorite. The locals that I've asked all say something different when I've asked which is their favorite. Speaking of locals, Special Cafe's are rife with them; it's another reason I adore this place. Sometimes when you seek out places that the locals love, you just know you've found a hot spot. They're sitting cross-legged in the pillowed lounger chairs and looking eloquent in their long white kandooras and elegant black abayas. I've visited all 3 of the Specials quite a few times and my favorite? I am a resounding #2. I shall expound. All of the Special Cafes actually look quite the same, but for some reason, I always have a better experience at #2. I think the wait staff are friendlier, the food is tastier, the tea is hotter, and the shisha a little smoother. Could it be my imagination??? Maybe. Maybe not. My favorite flavor is Apple Mint. Whatever you do, decide before your waiter arrives at your table. Your server will be busy and always in a rush. Don't let that deter you, your experience is not about him. Once your shisha arrives, relax into your chair, find something good to talk about and let the people watching begin. As if all of this isn't special enough, did I mention that this place is open 24 hours?? You're welcome!! Oh, and I almost forgot. Bonus! During football season, (that's soccer for all of you Americans), you can watch and cheer with the locals on big screens set up outside on the patio. We love our football here in the UAE!
Another tiny neighborhood shisha gem that I've really fallen in love with is Nagham cafe, located on Muroor and 31st. Nagham is literally a corner outdoor shisha shop; there's nothing pretentious about it, so if you want, you can leave your high heels at home. You really want to visit this cafe during winter or spring months, for it's far too hot to go in the dead heat of a summer day. Summer nights are do-able, if you're brave and you have health insurance.... Just kidding... Kind of. Anyway, Nagham is small, it's unassuming, and it has the most amazing watermelon shisha you will ever blacken your lungs with. Mix the watermelon with mint, or "nanah" as you'd say it in Arabic, for an even more refreshing experience. Order a cup of moroccan mint tea with crushed ginger, aka zanzabeel, and lean back on your pillow lined wicker sofa. Watch traffic zoom by and ask for a deck of cards. If you ask him, the very sweet Pakistani shisha boy will teach you how to play a card game from his country. You will not understand it. No worries. Just go with it.
The thing about shisha that makes it special, is that its never rushed. Ever. You definitely could smoke alone, but it's always better with friends. Or you could just ignore one another and click away on your Blackberry all night. Either way, shisha is what you do when you just want to kind of watch the day turn into dusk, and the dusk into night. Noone has or cares to go anywhere, and you may or may not have a slight attitude of indifference about your work schedule the next day. Hours have been passed listening to laughs and the gentle bubbling gurgle of the water in your pipe, the intoxicating smell of the sweet fruity smoke tickling your nostrils. This is definitely a social outing that you want to take part in when you visit Abu Dhabi. It's guaranteed to hookah you. Get it? Hookah? :) Sorry, bad joke.
The first time I ever tried shisha, (or something like shisha, I should say), I was actually back home in Texas. (We call it hookah there). I was in downtown Houston in one of our very few (quote), "mediterranean influenced" (unquote) lounges. Spewing from the speakers was a cheese-and-whine-like voice singing a tune in Arabic, and kitschy Arabic decorations dangling from the walls. A tired belly dancer of a Caucasion persuasion who wore pink MC Hammer pants and an excruciatingly bored expression stood in a corner obligatorily flicking her hips from side to side. This place served hookah in these small glass waterpipes that had a heady, strange-fruit type of flavor, (that you didn't even get to choose...the nerve!) The food consisted of mostly previously-frozen microwaved ideas of Greek food and one mediterranean pizza with olives.... Alright, so I suppose this joint was okay for my social life prior-to-living-in-the-middle-east. But now? Yawn. Not to sound like a snob... but I would never go back there. A pauper's haunt!!! :)
Fast forward to my current life where I live amongst a sea of shisha selections, I have visited my share of cafes here in AD, and I do have my favorites. But one of them in particular is quite special. Aptly named, Special Cafe #2 is a local establishment situated on the Corniche. It is as you may have guessed it, not far from Special #1 and Special #3. All three cafes have the same owners, and l'll leave it to you to decide which Special is your favorite. The locals that I've asked all say something different when I've asked which is their favorite. Speaking of locals, Special Cafe's are rife with them; it's another reason I adore this place. Sometimes when you seek out places that the locals love, you just know you've found a hot spot. They're sitting cross-legged in the pillowed lounger chairs and looking eloquent in their long white kandooras and elegant black abayas. I've visited all 3 of the Specials quite a few times and my favorite? I am a resounding #2. I shall expound. All of the Special Cafes actually look quite the same, but for some reason, I always have a better experience at #2. I think the wait staff are friendlier, the food is tastier, the tea is hotter, and the shisha a little smoother. Could it be my imagination??? Maybe. Maybe not. My favorite flavor is Apple Mint. Whatever you do, decide before your waiter arrives at your table. Your server will be busy and always in a rush. Don't let that deter you, your experience is not about him. Once your shisha arrives, relax into your chair, find something good to talk about and let the people watching begin. As if all of this isn't special enough, did I mention that this place is open 24 hours?? You're welcome!! Oh, and I almost forgot. Bonus! During football season, (that's soccer for all of you Americans), you can watch and cheer with the locals on big screens set up outside on the patio. We love our football here in the UAE!
Another tiny neighborhood shisha gem that I've really fallen in love with is Nagham cafe, located on Muroor and 31st. Nagham is literally a corner outdoor shisha shop; there's nothing pretentious about it, so if you want, you can leave your high heels at home. You really want to visit this cafe during winter or spring months, for it's far too hot to go in the dead heat of a summer day. Summer nights are do-able, if you're brave and you have health insurance.... Just kidding... Kind of. Anyway, Nagham is small, it's unassuming, and it has the most amazing watermelon shisha you will ever blacken your lungs with. Mix the watermelon with mint, or "nanah" as you'd say it in Arabic, for an even more refreshing experience. Order a cup of moroccan mint tea with crushed ginger, aka zanzabeel, and lean back on your pillow lined wicker sofa. Watch traffic zoom by and ask for a deck of cards. If you ask him, the very sweet Pakistani shisha boy will teach you how to play a card game from his country. You will not understand it. No worries. Just go with it.
The thing about shisha that makes it special, is that its never rushed. Ever. You definitely could smoke alone, but it's always better with friends. Or you could just ignore one another and click away on your Blackberry all night. Either way, shisha is what you do when you just want to kind of watch the day turn into dusk, and the dusk into night. Noone has or cares to go anywhere, and you may or may not have a slight attitude of indifference about your work schedule the next day. Hours have been passed listening to laughs and the gentle bubbling gurgle of the water in your pipe, the intoxicating smell of the sweet fruity smoke tickling your nostrils. This is definitely a social outing that you want to take part in when you visit Abu Dhabi. It's guaranteed to hookah you. Get it? Hookah? :) Sorry, bad joke.
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