Smokers’ Etiquette

– Folk Belief

“There are a lot of unofficial rules … well, let me rephrase.  There are a set of guidelines to consider when smoking in groups.  These guidelines are what I like to refer to as smokers’ etiquette.  The first and foremost rule is the puff puff pass.  When hitting a joint or blunt, the general rule is to take two hits and then pass.  You are usually expected to the pass to the left.  Sometimes, it is appropriate to take one hit, if you do not know the people you are smoking with very well.  Another rule is to avoid wetting the end of the joint or blunt.  This can be rather disgusting as no one wants to press their lips around your saliva.  It is common courtesy to not pass a bowl that you know is cashed.  Many people might take it offensively.  Of course this depends on where you are from, as on the east coast, for example, someone might be happy to be passed any bowl at all.  Usually, whoever supplies the weed gets to pack the bowl and take the first hit.  However, if the weed is rolled into a joint or a blunt, the roller usually gets to take the first hits.  Like I said, these are guidelines, and there is great variation in accepted etiquette depending upon where you are from.” (A.B.)

Informant Analysis:

“These guidelines are important because they ensure that everything runs smoothly without confusion.  The puff puff pass dynamic is important because if one person is taking six puffs, then everyone else will get less puffs overall.  It is necessary because it helps ensure that everyone gets as equally high as possible.  Passing to the left is a generally good principle because it eliminates any potential personal biases.  No one will get offended if the joint is always passed to the left.  You won’t have to play favorites this way.  Avoiding wetting the joint or blunt is a no-brainer.  The supplier of the weed will often get to smoke first, because, it is his/her weed.  He/she should have all rights to smoke first.  The roller has the right to first hits, however, because the craftsmanship of having rolled a nice joint is potentially of equal contribution to having providing the weed itself.  However, this is the most common example of grey area. Either way, these guidelines are here just to ensure a friendly smooth smoking session.  If they are broken, it is not a major deal, but for consistencies sake, they should be upheld as often as possible.” (A.B.)

Personal Analysis:

Smoking is almost always a group activity.  As a result, in order to facilitate the best possible smoking experience, one should ensure that everyone is treated fairly.  Sharing is a commonly accepted practice, and it should never be taken advantage of.  These informal rules have truly manifested themselves as a smokers’ guide to etiquette.  This is why, when smoking with new friends, it is important to relay how the group-share dynamic generally operates.  That way, there are never any questions or miscommunications.  It is truly fascinating to see how widespread some of these rules have become.  Anywhere in the US, people can be seen following the puff puff pass pattern. This has spread with the help of pop culture devices, such as music.  Alternative rock band Incubus, for example, in the song, Smoking the Herb Again, a lyric reads, “I have a friend, his name is Ted.  He has a problem going through his head.  He doesn’t know how to puff puff give, but I like him so I’ll teach him and I’ll let him live.”  This lyric truly embodies the folk belief and ritual.  Diffusion seems to have reared its head faster with smokers’ etiquette than with any other cannabis folk item, other than perhaps 420.

“A woman cooking Moi-Moi on her period must twist a piece of foil into a line, knot it, and drop it into the boiling pot of water, or the dish will stick to the bottom of the pan, and the food will not be edible because it will not set.”

Moi- Moi is a Nigerian dish made from mashed black eyed peas, corned beef, onions, tomatoes, and peppers.  The ingredients are combined and rolled into foil.  This is then placed in a pot of boiling water for about an hour.  When the mixture is done cooking, it is removed from the pot and left to cool and set.  Afterward, it is cut into patties and served.

As a child, I often cooked this dish and several others with my mother.  Not long after I began menses, I was making the dish with my mother and she asked if I was menstruating.  When I replied that I was, she told me that I was to take a piece of foil and roll it into a wire.  I was to then twist it into a knot and drop it into the pot.  When I asked her why we did it, she could not give me an answer about its origin.  She told me that she learned it as a young child in Lagos, Nigeria from her maternal grandmother.  I later witnessed several of my aunts and my grandmother do the same thing when preparing the dish for a large family gathering.  I have not witnessed anyone perform this ritual when making any other dish.

After researching many superstitions involving menstruating women, I found several that relate to cooking.  These include:

– Fruits canned by a menstruating woman will spoil in the can

–  mayonnaise made by a menstruating woman will curdle

-Wine made in the presence of a menstruating woman will turn to vinegar

– Bread made by a menstruating woman will not rise

-Butter churned, or jelly/jam made, by a menstruating woman will not set

I personally believe that these superstitions derive from misunderstandings and curiosity about menstruation.  Many societies feel that blood is an impure substance, and the fact that most often when blood is pouring from an individual it means that an injury has occurred or death is soon to follow makes the process of menstruation unnerving.  This is probably why it was thought that unless some sort of ritual was performed to prevent it, a menstruating woman touching an item could contaminate or ruin it.

Annotation: Mikkelson, Barbara. “Monthly Taboos.” Snopes. 14 June 2005. 21 Apr. 2008 <http://www.snopes.com/pregnant/menses.asp>.

“The menstrual blood of a woman put into a man’s food can cause him to fall in love with the woman who the blood belongs to.”

As the first born female child of Nigerian parents, I was often responsible for several household chores.  One of these chores was cooking dinner for the family when both of my parents were at work.  On one particular occasion, I told my mother that I was going to hire a chef when I was an adult so that I would not have to cook.  My mother looked at me very seriously and told me that it was necessary for me to learn to cook.  She told me that I should never hire a cook or maid because she might try to steal my husband.  She gave several means by which this might occur, but the story that stuck with me was of a woman who she knew who claimed that the reason her husband had divorced her was because the maid was putting blood in his food.  He was indeed married to his former maid, but I can’t really decide what to attribute that to.

In the realm of folk belief, blood is often linked to passion, strength, death, life, and courage.  Many cultures believe that blood (particularly menstrual blood) has curative properties, and many more believe that a woman’s menstrual blood holds the power to captivate a lover.  It has been said that a man who ingests the menstrual blood of a woman is bound to her forever.  It is considered the most potent substance for love potions.

These beliefs are still regarded as true by certain groups around the world.  Growing up in a Muslim family in a large city in Nigeria, my mother would probably never have been exposed to these ideas had it not been for the village children who attended boarding school in the city.  She learned this superstition from her peers as a youth.  Many who use menstrual blood in spells claim that the use of menstrual blood in rituals was very common before the fear of blood borne diseases arose.  They contend that one can surmise this from the root of the word ritual, because it is derived from the Sanskrit word meaning menses.  Other scholars argue that rtu simply refers to any regular order in nature.

Buckley, Thomas, and Alma Gottlieb. Blood Magic. CA: University of California P, 1988.

Sternbach, Ludwik  Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 98, No. 2 (Apr. – Jun., 1978), pp. 195-198  <http://www.jstor.org/sici?sici=00030279(197804%2F06)98%3A2%3C195%3ARISL%3E2.0.CO%3B2-H&cookieSet=1>

“Jinn reside in restrooms and one must keep the bathroom door closed to prevent them from entering the home.  One should also recite [“Oh God! I seek refuge with You from male and female devils”] when entering the restroom.”

[Allaahumma innee a`oodhu bika minal-khubuthi wal-khabaa’ith]

Afeez heard this superstition from his mother.  As a child he was frequently chided for leaving the bathroom door open.  He does not know whom his mother originally heard this superstition from, but he noted that he also heard it from a former ethics teacher when he went to a Muslim school.  She told him that the shaiyateen (Jinn who harm humans) live in the bathrooms of homes.

This very likely derived from the times when restrooms were simply holes in the ground.  There is a Hadith (a saying which Sunni Muslims attribute to the Prophet Mohammed) which states that one should not urinate in a hole because it is the residence of the jinn.  When modern toilets and restroom facilities were created, it is likely that the superstition followed from the former belief.

The wider belief in jinn as spirits that antagonize humans is an old Middle Eastern belief.  Many words, such as genie, derive from this and are used to describe spirits that can usually not be seen by humans yet can have an effect on outcomes for humans.  The Jinn are purportedly created from smokeless fire and have the ability to conceal both their physical form and truths from humans.  This gives them a great advantage which they use to create mischief amongst humans.

There are several classes of jinn, and they are responsible for various acts of evil amongst humans; however, jinn are said to lead lives similar to humans.  They are said to marry, have families, die, follow religions, and have free will.  The class of jinn that would reside in bathrooms is among the most abundant and longest lived.  Shaiyateen are said to dwell in deserted, dirty places, some of them are said to have been alive as far back as the seventh century.

“If your palm is itching, then you are going to receive money.”

Sierra does not remember exactly who she heard this superstition from.  She suspects that it might have been a friend.  She grew up in Wadesborough, NC.  When Sierra learned the superstition, her friend claimed that either palm itching means that the person will be receiving money.

Other versions of the superstition specify which palm must be itching for one to come into money.  In some cultures an itching right palm denotes that one will be receiving money, while an itching left palm indicates that one will be spending money on something soon.  In other cultures, the left hand must be itching for one to receive money, while the right hand itching indicates that one will be spending or losing money.

Another girl in the dorm who overheard the conversation stated that because the left palm is the passive, or receptive hand, the itching of the left hand indicates that new energy will be passing through it and money is going to be received.  The right hand is the active hand and as a result it would be used to give money.  Some versions of this superstition go as far as to state that scratching the palm will reverse one’s luck; therefore, one should not scratch the hand that indicates that money will be received, but he/she should continue to scratch the palm that indicates that money will be spent.  Other ways that one would use to counteract itching palms is to touch or rub a piece of wood to transfer his/her luck.