JEDDAH: A high percentage of youngsters are becoming addicted to smoking cigarettes and rapidly shifting to dangerous forms of smoking like dokha, a traditional Arabic tobacco mixed with herbs, spices, dried flowers, and/or fruit that is consumed using a pipe called medwakh to get lightheaded.
Getting together and smoking has become a trend among youngsters. The definition of happiness and enjoyment has changed. Psychologist Sara Rahman commented that one of the basic reasons why smoking dokha is thriving among youngsters is because many of them consider smoking medwakh safer than smoking cigarettes and less injurious to health, which is not the case.
“This form of smoking recently gained popularity and very little research has been carried out to explore the potential harms of smoking medwakh. Many are not aware of its negative effects on health for which a proper awareness campaign is required. According to the research, dohka has high nicotine content containing up to five times as much as a normal cigarette,” she said.
Several youngsters addicted to smoking claim that they smoke just for pleasure or to fit into a certain group of friends, for image or to experiment, which slowly turns into an addiction by the time they reach their adulthood.
Since Saudi Arabia ranked fourth in the world in terms of tobacco sales, this problem is considered more urgent. As per Saudi Heart Association studies, approximately 30 percent of the population of Saudi Arabia smoke. It has been shown that the 17-40 year-old category smoke the most, but the speed at which this habit is spreading is amazing among high school and first-year university students.
Jazim H., a 25-year-old Saudi, used dohka for two years and left it when he developed health issues. “Dokha has become popular among youngsters because one gets high after a few puffs. Although it doesn’t have the same results like smoking weed or marijuana, the person smoking dokha gets dizzy or high for a few second and this is what attracts youngsters,” he said, adding, “I had become so used to it that I started to do it several times a day. There were times when I felt sick and nauseated. After a long period of times, I learned the harmful effects of dokha and stopped doing it.”
Harmful dokha smoking becomes the in thing
Harmful dokha smoking becomes the in thing
Chef serves up a taste of Spain at Ithra Cultural Days in Saudi Arabia
DHAHRAN: Among the attractions of the Ithra Cultural Days: Spain at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), visitors can try a tantalizing selection of Spanish foods — none more renowned than its famous paella.
Arab News spoke with chef Jose Zafra at the event, which runs until Jan. 31, who flew in from Spain to offer a taste of his homeland to the people of Saudi Arabia.
A “master rice cook, paella researcher and promoter,” according to his business card, his logo is even designed around the recognizable cooking pan and the phrase “Pasion por la paella,” or “Passion for paella.”
“That's why the pan is round because people get around and eat all together — to share culture and passion and life,” Zafra told Arab News as foodies lined up behind him, eager to try a plateful.
“It’s not just a food. It’s a link, a connection. Paella is the symbol of unity and sharing. And people now are going to try it — authentic Spanish paella in Saudi Arabia.”
The word “paella” comes from the Latin “patella,” meaning pan.
In Spanish, it refers both to the rice dish itself and the pan in which it is cooked.
Paella was introduced to Spain during Moorish rule. It originated in Valencia, on the country’s eastern coast, as a rural peasant dish that was cooked by farm workers over open fires using local ingredients. Over time, the dish’s popularity spread and other versions evolved, for example featuring seafood and meat.
It is different to Saudi Arabia’s kabsa, a communal dish which similarly uses rice and meat. Kabsa is cooked in a deep pot to ensure the rice stays soft and aromatic from the meaty broth, whereas paella uses a wide, shallow pan to fully absorb flavors evenly, often creating a prized crispy layer at the bottom.
Visitors to Ithra’s Culture Days can enjoy the flavors of Spain made with a sprinkling of local love — true to the origins of the dish.
Find the scoops of Spanish joy near the food truck area and try chicken paella, seafood paella —or both! You will see the signs offering a plate, at SR35 ($9) for chicken and SR40 for seafood, or let your nose lead you there.
Zafra concluded: “The chicken is from here, the seafood is from here — and the passion, well, that is from Spain.”
