Chilling out with the Hookah
After working on my car and playing ball at the park in Santa Monica, it was 8 o’clock on Sunday of my third official week of Thirty Day LA, and I still hadn’t done anything new. I felt like giving up. I was tired as hell from too much exercise and too little sleep. I figured it wouldn’t be a big deal if I missed a day, I’d just lie about doing something new. I've been low on motivation for a while. But then Tiny suggested we go to a place that I’ve driven by a million times but never gone into: Café Dahab in West LA, on Sawtelle and Santa Monica. Might as well keep the streak alive, I thought.
Café Dahab is a late night middle-eastern restaurant that offers hookah pipes for your late-night tobacco puffing pleasure. Tiny’s been there several times before, but it was new for me. The place was packed at 9:30PM. There were mostly Persian people there but also quite a few white and Asian people as well. We ordered Howawshi, Turkish coffee, Persian ice cream, and Fantasy Island hookah.
The howawshi is ground beef with onions and seasonings stuffed into a grilled pita, and it’s really good. The key to drinking Turkish coffee is downing it like a shot, otherwise it solidifies. The Persian ice cream had a slightly sour flavor and was less sweet than traditional American ice cream. I’ve only smoked a cigarette once before and I never want to again. I’m a straight-laced goody boy like that. Tiny assured me that hookah is different in that its very light and non-addictive. The hookah was indeed quite pleasant and relaxing. It seems like a good way for me to assume the brooding moodiness that smokers project without actually having to smoke cigarettes.
Tiny and I talked about getting our lives in order. The way I figure it, if you want something more out of your life than you currently have there’s two approaches: work hard right now to make a ton of money so you can afford to pursue your passion later, or follow your dreams now by surviving on no money but laying down the groundwork for your future. Either way, you have to hustle hard, and I don’t know if either of us are doing that. We planned out what we need to do and we’re going to start putting our plans into motion this week.
By the end of the night, I had a tiny buzz going. I think I hit that hookah pipe a little too hard, but I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. It makes me wonder how many other opportunities I’ve had in my years in LA to experience something I’d enjoy but I just let them pass right by.
Cafe Dahab
1638-1640 Sawtelle Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Google Maps link