E104: Saïd M'Dahoma refuses to pick one identity

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In this episode, I'm speaking with Saïd M'Dahoma, neuroscientist turned pastry chef.

For reasons I can understand, people love to flatten the immigrant experience into simple or monolithic narratives. Be one thing so we can understand you.

Saïd's story pushes back against this oversimplification. Growing up in Paris as the son of Comorian parents, he had to be French, full stop. His parents' heritage was something to minimize, not celebrate. Integration meant a silent erasure.

Then he immigrated to Canada. “I think I am French. I am Comorian. I am Canadian,” Saïd says. “Sometimes people ask you to choose, like, what are you? Which one are you out of the three? I think I'm all of them at the same time.”

Saïd’s story isn't just about Canadian multiculturalism being nice in practice. It's a story of what happens when we allow individuals to accept the various parts of themselves, to be complex, and luxuriate in all the nuances that come with being human.

In this conversation, Saïd and I chat about how long it takes to feel like you’ve truly settled into your new country. We also explore:

* His journey from a PhD holder in neuroscience to pastry chef

* Why food is one of best ways to pass on cultural heritage

* The immigrant as a monolith

* Why the immigrant experience resists categorization

Official Links

✅ Connect with Saïd M’Dahoma on LinkedIn

✅ Learn how to make pastry the French way

One Ask

If you found this story helpful, please forward or share it to one immigrant out there.

Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant.

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