112021 Mon Jan 06 08:46:43 -0800 2003 6 7 Chicago Area 0 607723 We happened upon a new (opened in November) Egyptian restaurant, the Luxor, at 3246 W. Lawrence yesterday and were treated to copious and very tasty dishes in a simple but nicely furnished room. The friendly owner, Mohammed, was most helpful and anxious to please. He has placed hookas at the tables for those who come to smoke and drink a variety of non-alcoholic hot and cold Egyptian potions. (He supplies the tobacco, which is without nicotine, made from fruit, he said. We'll try that next time.) The lentil soup was delicately prepared, not at all heavy and nicely seasoned. I had the daily special of okra and lamb, served on a platter, with a separate platter of rice, enough for at least two people and very tasty. The highest price on the menu is $9.95 for a whole grilled chicken or grilled shrimp; appetizers are $3-4 and sandwiches $3-5, served on pita with a small salad. This is an as-yet undiscovered gem in a nondescript neighborhood. Telephone 773/478-5848 Mon Jan 06 08:46:43 -0800 2003 0 Betty deVise 1 607744 The tobacco IS made of well, tobacco leaves. They add the various fruit flavorings/oils to the tobacco to make it sweet. It has no tobacco smell, I don't know about the Nicotine, I am sure it is there. You're probably getting less particulate matter because of the water filtration, and maybe nicotine and tar gets trapped in the water as well. However, you WILL get a good dose of Carbon Monoxide, since you're inhaling some of the incomplete combustion of the charcoal on top. Over all, it will give you a nice buzz ... and I love it :-) Mon Jan 06 13:50:08 -0800 2003 607723 0 Nazerac 2 607749 Hi! Forgive my ignorance. Could what you describe be a low level of carbon monoxide poisoning? If yes, after the buzz are you left with a roaring headache as a souvenir? Where this is practiced, is it a solo or a social activity? Would you do it at home or in a coffee house/bar? Is it a male-only activity? Thanks! Regards, Cathy2 Mon Jan 06 14:54:53 -0800 2003 607744 0 Cathy2 3 607780 I can't speak to the carbon monoxide issue. And I can't speak to the practice in the US. However, when I was in Cairo a few years ago, local friends took me to a coffee-house in the Khan al-Khalili, the great outdoor market. I can't speak with any authority to smaller towns or older practice (both of which I am inclined to believe find the practice primarily, if not exclusively, indulged in by men), but today in Cairo it is an extremely popular social practice there, practiced by both sexes. My understanding of the "tobacco" is that it is indeed a combination of tobacco mixed together with dried pressed fruit pulp and/or essential oils. The fruit flavors, particularly apple, are quite popular and there is quite a variety (including, among other things, apricot, strawberry, cappuccino, mint, cherry, and grape!). Last note: when I called it a hookah (which word is derived from the Arabic) my native Cairene friend corrected me: sheeshah, said she. The word father east, primarily in Turkey, for example, is nargila (from the Persian). Enjoy! Tue Jan 07 10:02:29 -0800 2003 607749 0 Gypsy Boy 3 607784 I wouldn't say that it is only CO poisoning, different types of tobacco give you a different level of "buzz", so I think that theres's a slight nicotine effect. The most potent is the Persian type, that's a non flavored, pure dried tobacco leaf, which you crumble, wet a little bit, and put it on your nargile. However, that type requires skills to get the nargile to start, and you rarely find it in the US. Most of the places that serve nargiles, don't want to bother with it, or don't even know how to set it. Maybe I should bring my Nargile with an array of different tobaccos to the next summer Chicago chowhound event ! Finally, as noted in the previous post, it's not a man only/cafe only experience, though usually, it's still used as a communal social activity, either at dinners, bars and restaurants, or cafe while watching people and playing backgammon. Tue Jan 07 11:14:21 -0800 2003 607749 0 Nazerac 1 607759 Betty thanks for the write-up on Luxor. Though this may seem a "nondescript neighborhood" it is actually one of the more described neighborhoods on this board, if you take a little time and read around you will there's tons of good food very close by (including some great chicken wings next door at great seas) Mon Jan 06 17:05:32 -0800 2003 607723 0 zim 1 607812 Sorry, can't resist. Hmm, I was recently in Las Vegas at that fine pyramid hotel and I didn't see any of those "ladies". However, I did see lots of magazines with ads for escorts, strip clubs and the like. Wed Jan 08 02:28:19 -0800 2003 607723 0 RSMBob