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Recently, the news around Radford concerns the new hookah lounge opening up in the area. This is good news indeed; Radford is aching for a nice, new location to hang out that isn't a bar or a pizza place. I don't have just one reason why this is a great thing for Radford; I have four.
1. She-Sha, the hookah bar in Blacksburg, makes excellent business...or if it doesn't, it seems to. Every time I've been in there, it's been packed. Setting up a hookah bar in Radford is a practical move for any prospector looking for a smart way to make a buck, and students will also save a bundle in gas instead of driving 20 minutes out of their way to Blacksburg. In short, everybody wins.
2. Radford can do with a little diversity. For some reason, the city feels that there is a need to have a multitude of virtually the same restaurant (BT's, Macado's, etc.) and more pizza places than you can count on one hand, but hardly anything diverse, interesting or exotic. It's nice to have an option outside of the standard.
3. Hookah is an excellent, legal way to socialize, meet friends and keep people out of mischief. It offers an option besides bar-hopping or other illegal activities. When's the last time you heard of someone getting arrested when leaving a hookah lounge?
4. The Middle Eastern culture itself is wonderful and fascinating. Perhaps this will be a way, outside of picking up a book, for people to learn something about another culture. Speaking for myself, I've definitely learned a lot from my occasional hookah lounge hop. Besides, the music is terrific.
Despite all of the reasons why I think a hookah lounge is a great idea, I have my worries. Hopefully this will be an outlet for social and cultural prospects different from those offered by the average bar or dance club. Hopefully it won't be a bar in hookah's clothing.
The Tartan recently printed an article about the hookah lounge, stating that it hopes to be "a mix between a Middle Eastern hookah bar and a modern dance club" in addition. This is intriguing, but also a bit confusing and even a little frightening. Most people go to a hookah lounge to...lounge. The addition of a dance floor is a little out of place. If done right (which, in my opinion, means either completely or for the most part Middle Eastern dance music), it could be fun, but if I hear Lil Jon while i'm sucking down flavored smoke I think i'll be a little perturbed, and I don't think i'm the only one who feels that way.
This could be a wonderful thing for Radford...if it's done right. Here's hoping it will be.
Zoe is planning the first male exploitation film...when she's not fighting for the oppressed.
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