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· Teen Smoking/Youth
· Dining/Entertainment
non-USA, by Country
· Iraq
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Swanky TVs, soft drinks and exotic tobacco lure a young, mixed crowd to new-look cafes.
Jump to full article: Institute for War & Peace Reporting (uk), 2009-10-07
Author: Khalid al-Ansary in Baghdad
Intro: Sweet fumes of white smoke rise with the cries of men playing dominoes in the teahouse, spreading an unfamiliar scent in a traditional setting.
Change is wafting through the musty, masculine caf� culture of Baghdad, and fruit-flavoured tobacco is just one sign of it. The fragrant product is replacing the pure tobacco leaf smoked by generations of Iraqis in the hubble-bubble, or nargileh.
It is served in a new type of teahouse whose other attractions typically include giant TV screens, a range of soft drinks besides the traditional tea, and occasionally, a few women clients among the men.
Venues of this kind are thriving with better security in Baghdad, though other forms of leisure remain limited by the conflict.
“Where else can we go in a country where there are no places for amusement?” asked Ali Hussein, a 32-year-old motor parts dealer in Baghdad. “The cafe is heaven for us - a place to meet friends and release the fatigue of work.” . . .
According to Dhiya, the clientele inside the tearoom has changed with the decor, “Cafes used to be for people aged 25 and upward. It was shameful for anyone younger than that to be seen in one. Nowadays, you see all sorts – from teenagers to the elderly.”
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