From Tradition to Transition: Generational Changes in Food Practices and Cultural Identity Among Somali Immigrants in California

This paper examined the cultural changes that occur among Somali refugees when they are relocated to another country, and the impact of that relocation on food practices and the cultural identities among Somali immigrants. This paper focused on the Somali community in City Heights, San Diego. This paper starts with the treatment of refugees in camps in East Africa, the process of resettlement, adaptation after migration, and finally an examination and contrast of the food preferences between first-generation refugees and their children due to cultural differences in adaptation. My main focus in this paper was to observe the changes among first-generation Somali refugees in food practices due to the unfamiliar grocery environment and lack of the traditional ingredients they are familiar with, and how that can impact their adaptation in California. Through this research, I found that food served as a way for the first generation Somali mothers to maintain their connection to Somalia, while their children’s food preferences reflected their upbringing in California. These differences can create a disconnect of the significance of Somali foods between parent and child, although these disconnects vary for each family. Specifically, the mothers had a direct connection to Somalia, so their cultural cuisine serves as a different function of comfort for them compared to their kids, who utilize Somali foods as a way to represent familial connection to their mother.