Are they making money in those Arab smoking bars?

[lonelywombat]

I was walking with a local resident past Twoguys towards Sunee, and noticed even more smoker shops since the last trip. I mentioned to my friend that I could not see how they made any money.

We turned into Soi VC and he said just look inside. 100 baht for a normal smoke 300 baht for a funny smoke. Look at how many staff and how much is sitting on the shelf wasted for customers to call in.

Each place had only one guy in.Most likely an employee. No fines, no kickback.No worries. The smoking equipment costs money.[ do they rent this?]

I could not sort out how much stock ws on hand.

I was told they claim the gayness of the area is great cover for their operations.

Are they so foolish after all?

[Oliver]

The guys are smoking "shish", Arabic tobacco, the smell of which pervades just about every souk in the Middle East. The tobacco is very mild and is flavoured by fruit, usually apple. Definitely not illegal- anywhere!
I have spent many happy, contemplative hours in Palestine and Egypt puffing away. And it's not as straightforward as it looks, requiring repeated short, sharp puffs.

The other smell which you can sometimes sense in Soi VC is that of Arabic coffee, flavoured with cardamom. Two wonderful, evocative smells.

By the way, most of the bars in Soi VC are Iranian, not Arabic, though the shish is much the same. There are Iraqi, Lebanese and Egyptian places in some of the smaller sois....and probably other nationalities too.

[Narakmak]

This tobacco "mild" as you call is carcinogenic just like any other tobacco. Actually, it is worse than tobacco smoked with a filter. Shishas have no filter. Yes, it directly causes cancer. A dirty habit no matter how lovely it smells.

I also very much enjoy the Arabic and Iranian presence in Pattaya. There is some good eye candy and also some good food to be had. But while the shisha may be a nice social habit, I think the scene and the smells seduce non-smokers into that deadly addiction.

It's great to embrace other cultures but be careful about the consequences. For example maybe you like raw fermented fish flavor of Isaan. Maybe you do but do you also like liver fluke and cancer?

[catawampuscat]

I never thought I would be a customer at one of the Arab waterpipe bars, but just the other
day I stopped in at one while my place was being cleaned. I saw several boys/young men that
I know and they encouraged me to join them and I decided to give it a go.
Well, it ended up being 4 Pepsis (only 80B.) and a fun way to spend a little time.
I took one toke of the pipe and it was mild and flavored.

This smoking shop often has at least 3 Thai boys (and one ladyboy) hanging out there, sometimes during the day and very often in the evening. They go back and forth to the internet shop a few meters away,
probably to check on gayromeo.com.
Two are fraternal twins and are on gayromeo and the third used to work in Sunee Plaza at AllofMe barbeer.
The smoking bar is about halfway between Little Mango and Colonial Bar on Soi VC.

btw, I saw some older Arab men interested in the boys and asked one if they were customers.
He said they were and he had been with each of them. He said it was same same being with farang,
similar desires and similar payment.
The boys have been hanging out at this place for several weeks now and of course, there is no off fee
and for a 20B. soda, you can check it out.
Could be something to do on a hot afternoon .. :idea1:

[Neal]

Lately I have seen an increase in Arabic customers coming in for a drink and taking boys off. At first we were very watchful as we would certain people who may accidentally pass our doorstep "by mistake" and was pleasantly surprised by this new source of trade that is also gay.

[Oliver]

Don't forget that in the days before Thailand was "known" by our community, European and American gays ( like Joe Orton and William Burroughs) went to Tangiers to find an environment where they could ....well, be themselves.
And a hundred years ago, Andre Gide discovered the joys of young Egyptian felucca captains, just as I did - or almost did- in the 90s. Arab tribes had a long history of gay love and praised it in their poetry in the days when Europeans were being executed for it.
And not just Arabs; Iran too- gay poets like Jalal'al-Din celebrated it, too.

[Halfhansum]

Somebody has to say it ..... I thought smoking in the bars was illegal .. lol

Just one little minor quibble with that Oliver - Joe Orton didn't have to go anywhere to "be himself", he delighted in indulging himself exactly how he liked at home and revelled in being outrageously scandalous.

"Publically closeted" celebrities like Kenneth Williams and Frankie Howerd (with whom Orton and Halliwell both holidayed) are good examples of what you're getting at.

:hello2:

[Oliver]

Scottish - guy is absolutely correct; Orton managed to do his own thing in Leicester's public toilets. And just about everywhere. Morocco provided access to the younger partners he preferred.
I recommend "Tangier (City of the Dream)" by Iaian Finlayson. And Orton's outrageous diaries which led to his murder by Halliwell.