f r o n t
s t r e e t
s p y
Arabian Nights
Cafe communion with a slight hip-hop buzz
By Ashley Wahl
On a wet, blustery night good
for staying in and streaming movies, lovers play footsie in the smoky haze of a BYOB hookah lounge on Market Street. The ambient glow of black lights and burning coals creates a scene that is part nightclub, part urban shisha den. Here, the ancient art of puffing smoke enchants a varied crowd of twenty-somethings. And though the belly dancer is not here — “she’s injured,” hosts explain — the peoplewatching is first-rate.
**
At Arabian Nights, which is right across the street from the best veggie samosas in town, nearly every seat is taken, including a VIP section where silk fabrics and decorative wall lanterns add Middle Eastern flair. The room smells like pomegranate and jasmine, but the shisha (tobacco) menu reveals an extensive selection of more than thirty flavors, among them an exotic blend called hashbash (didn’t ask). To enhance the experience: Add juice or ice to the hookah base. College kids and those fresh-out gather round ornate water pipes, some with as many as four hoses. To most, smoking is an art form: Breathe in cool smoke, exhale, look cool. Servers wear tiny vests like Aladdin’s Abu.
**
In the Arab world, hookah is a social experience — a respected tradition that provides cafe communion and a slight head high. The flashing lights and the thumping bass make this place a whole new world. The dance floor is empty. DJ Sparkz mashes hip-hop with old school pop songs while people hide behind iPhones, quietly singing along. Others blow bouncing smoke bubbles. “It’s an age-old trick,” says Dakota, a lanky male server with Michael The Art & Soul of Wilmington
Cera mannerisms and quirky black-framed glasses. All you need is a plastic bottle and a bowl of soapy water. It doesn’t hurt to have an audience. There are at least three kinds of bubble blowers here: 1. Those striving to engineer the biggest possible bubble. 2. Those who, upon bubble completion, promptly burst their own bubble before onlookers have the chance. (Popped bubbles look like puffball mushrooms.) 3. Those who enter a kind of deep, meditative trance while playing with their bubbles, with the kind of concentration you might expect from someone spinning poi. As they gently control bubble flight, they look like arm-waving sorcerers. Bubble blowers of the third variety are, without question, the crowd favorite.
**
As the night progresses, and folks return from beer runs — a friendly stranger offers a frosted can of Budweiser — people start moving. It begins with subtle shoulder rolls. First line of “Billie Jean” and three young women (call them Dreamettes) begin wriggling in their seats. Next, an “elbow dancer.” The guy in the Denver Nuggets cap flaps his arms as if preparing for flight. The DJ does a subtle head bob, the music shifts, and an early ’90s megahit wows the crowd. Whoomp! (There It Is) The room erupts. The dance floor’s still clear, but the crowd is grooving — minus the sorcerer, who is working a wonky smoke bubble for an audience of one.
**
Arabian Nights advertises belly dance performances on Saturday nights. Tuesday is Movie Night — mostly Redbox flicks — and Karaoke Thursdays are not to be missed. “It’s pretty hilarious actually,” says Dakota, sweeping wavy brown hair away from his boyish face. “If you want to come in here and sing Miley Cyrus’ ‘Wrecking Ball,’ nobody’s going to stop you.” Or you can busy yourself with smoke bubbles. The crowd will love it. b Front Street may be home base, but senior editor Ashley Wahl is prone to wander. Februar y 2014 •
Salt
11