a shocking discovery

I was trolling through a fellow Atlantan’s blog last week and happened upon a post she’d written about a site called, ‘Stuff White People Like’. “Oh this oughta be interesting,” I thought and clicked on over to check the site out. After about 5 minutes perusing the list, I made a shocking discovery.

I’m white.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had my racial identity called into question. More than one friend has suggested on more than one occasion that I may indeed not be as black as I think I am. My former roommate (a gay white Republican from east Tennessee) even dubbed me, ‘the whitest black girl I know’. I’ve always defended myself against these unfounded accusations by pointing out that I have nappy hair, graduated from an HBCU, and have actually seen and like all of Spike Lee’s movies (well except for Summer of Sam. That sh*t was just crazy). The most I’ve ever conceded to being is Filipino. But after visiting this site, which is clearly the foremost – if not the singular – authority on the subject of what white folks like, maybe it’s time I face the facts. See the list below for why I’m convinced. Oh, and don’t get too cocky…you might just find out that you’re white too (well, I mean for those of you who aren’t already sure that you are).

flight of the conchords#77 Musical Comedy – Flight of the Conchords, anyone?
#76 Bottles of Water – though I’m usually cool with ‘Chattahoochee’s finest’, I recently became addicted to mineral water…from Poland
#70 Difficult Breakups – no comment
#73 Gentrification – not a fan of the trend itself, but I keep finding myself in these ‘transitional’ neighborhoods
#69 Mos Def – I’ve been loving Dante since Black Star and the Cosby Mysteries
memoirs of a geisha#59 Natural Medicine – is that a tumor? Put some tea tree oil on it!
#58 Japan – I just love the way the words manga, sakura, and Hayao Miyazaki roll off my tongue; I even refer to my new gig as the okiya
#50 Irony
#49 Vintage
#48 Whole Foods and Grocery Co-ops – droooool….
#44 Public Radio – NPR has been my wake-up routine since 8th grade
#43 Plays
#42 Sushi
#41 Indie Music – I can’t remember the last time I listened to music on the radio
#36 Breakfast Places
#35 The Daily Show/Colbert Report – John Stewart is my Hebrew boycrush
#33 Marijuana – how’d that get in here?
#28 Not having a TV – last year marked the 1st time in my adult life that I’ve ever even had cable
#22 Having Two Last Names – I am the artist formerly known as Demps
i duz yoga#19 Traveling
#15 Yoga – I brake for child’s pose
#14 Having Black Friends – some of my best friends are black
#9 Making you feel bad about not going outside – yep, even in the rain!
#8 Barack Obama
#7 Diversity
#5 Farmer’s Markets
#1 Coffee – only 100% arabica, delivered through an IV drip (or a french press if I’m slumming it)cheers,k

kisha solomon

Kisha Solomon is an Atlanta-based writer, self-proclaimed bon vivant and occasional expat. The Good Life Cookbook is where she shares her latest savory adventures and collected lessons on food and life.

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8 Responses

  1. Haramjada says:

    Oh, my god, cousin–I’m white. I’M WHITE! Oh, and Flight of the Conchords is just awesome. I have the first season DVD and everything! lol

  2. IndigosGroove says:

    Well..uhmmm..I’m white 2 because I can relate to more than 1/2 of this list….who would have ever thunk it! ROFL! Great blog love!

  3. ksolo says:

    dammit, cuz! y didn’t you tell me? u’ve been letting me walk around all this time suffering from a massive delusion!! btw – i’ve had the season 1 dvd for months and still haven’t watched all the episodes. not because i don’t want to, but because i want the experience to last as long as possible…yeah, sad.

  4. Melanie says:

    (screaming) I used to be white (hence the last name), but I think since coming to Georgia I have transitioned into some sort of grey meld. I no longer recycle, haven’t had a good expensive sandwich, don’t live by the water anymore, no longer hang out in indie music stores (I miss Leopold’s), I can’t drive to wine country (Chateau Elan does not count), gave up my writer’s workshop, and can’t go to the Embarcadero Farmer’s Market just to be seen. Now, I will never give up film festivals, tea, Black friends, Manhattan (every other year for plays on Broadway – so I guess Plays, too), Sushi (now that I have learned to like it), Asian Fusion food (learned to make it at home), Mos Def, difficult break ups, Oscar parties (complete with red carpet), and soccer. Humm. . . I guess I am still pretty white, but I keep it in the closet.

  5. Pam says:

    Love it! My white friend told me “You’re not black, you’re just my white friend with a huge brown birthmark covering her body.” Thankfully, I was black enough to be offended by that comment and to tell her that shit wasn’t cute.

  6. I gotta say that after reading this I am questioning just what the hell am I then?

    Here are the only ones I related with:

    Coffee
    Organic Food
    Microbreweries
    Wine
    Architecture
    Sushi
    Expensive sandwiches
    Mos Def

    You notice that 6 of those are food/drink related.

    I think that the “you’re just my white friend with a huge brown birthmark” comment is hilarious. I am so stealing that one.

  7. tye says:

    Girl, You already know – I DO NOT qualify for this position 😉

    Most of my friends call me the Blackest friend they have.

    Hey, but we can still hang…some of my closest friends are White.

  8. Davita says:

    you already know I am the whitest!!! This is a reality check. Although I have some black qualities.. I think!! 🙁

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