Ask a Somali

This last week a coworker had some questions for me.  She'd been to a Somali wedding and saw several of the women there dressed in much more revealing clothes than she'd ever seen Somali women wearing.  She wanted me to shed some light on this.

Q: What kind of music do young Somali-Americans listen to? Are there Somali or Somali-American pop stars?

A: Like most immigrants before us, young Somali kids try to fit in rather than stand out. More likely than not you'll see the car next to you on the road with the window down and loud rap music blaring out. Our young boys wear baggy clothes and imitate rap stars like 50 Cent, Young Money, and Lil Wayne. They adopt a lot faster than their elders, or their older siblings. This of course creates a huge rift between the young population and the older generation. Among the many things that divide them is music, clothing style, religion of course, and almost everything that is perceived as an Americanization.

Q: A few weeks ago a coworker of mine took me to a restaurant called Safari.  It was my first time having Somali food, and I loved it!  I'm interested in getting into Somali food.  I've found a few other restaurants around the Twin Cities, but it seems Somali food is really underrepresented here among all the other cultures.  I'd like to try making a few things at home.  Are there any books on Somali cooking that you know of?

To my knowledge, there is only one Somali cookbook that’s ever been written.

The holidays are not my favorite time of the year for two reasons. One, it is the time that I am constantly aware of how much I miss my family who are scattered all over the world. Two, I am guilty if I celebrate Christmas because that is not what Somalis do, and I am still guilty if I don’t celebrate it because my friends say I am different from your typical Somali and do everything else and am always preaching to them how we should integrate and assimilate.