Edible Poetry

I recently posted a story of my first experience of my taste buds first experience of America. To my big surprise, many people shared their feedback. I really shouldn’t have been that surprised by again I was. The biggest surprise of all was that of Carol Akui, a poet I greatly respect. She shared the following poem about my work. It was a pleasant surprise on two accounts.

while I am not well known to the poet, she seemed to describe me better than my own sibling might have done. That is the power of the artist, one who is able to capture the essence of life and display it to us that which exists but is hidden from us by our own inability to perceive it. The artist then becomes almost like a 6th sense or at least an enhancer of the senses that already exist. Along with joy, love, kindness, courage and memory, art makes life, well, life. Along with art, the previous acts accentuate life and make it worth living.

Secondly, I am a lover of poetry and have had many discussions about all types of aspects of poetry. Whenever I travel, I have a bit of searching out for bookstores, mostly local and those that carry used books, and spend some time browsing books, hoping to learn about an author or poet I might not have known. For that reason, whenever I remember my travels, I can’t help but have big sections of those memories tied to poets, authors. In my younger days musicians and visuals artists had equal pull but as I age, time becomes more precious and I tend towards poets and authors.

Since Akui lives in New Zealand, I hope to visit the country one day and walk into a book store only to find a book that knows me. Especially a poem that know about me through my taste buds.

The poem captures all that I think makes life what it is and also why some work tirelessly to preserve the best aspect of it and to shout down those angels of the gloom that delight it making those stars that makes life bright ever dimmer.

EATS WITH HIS MIND 

He came, he saw, he conquered

Yes, that son of the soil, grounded

By his tongue, eats with his mind

He writes his story on his palate

His words loud, clear & audible in a plate

Clearly owning it, cooks it in true identity pot 

His narrative well done in nonconformity

Discarding the stale ingredients of inferiority

And bland seasoning of stereotyped pity 

In the new world, they wanted the lion recipes 

Expected juicy jungle cooking tips 

But this person of the house, brought his wits

They didn't know that lions live in his mouth

Roaming wild and free in his mind

When the pride roars, lions echo his intellect

They command culinary respect 

They make a cultural statement

In the new world, he's a proud African giant

A well nourished son of the soil 

In his core essence, he's in touch with his soul

Channeling the greats of the African soil

©️ C Akui 2020/09/4

#Carolsinsights

#ThatAfricanGirlPoetry

Chef Kabui

The Hex Kitchen is a collaboration between Chef Kabui and the Hex community in a bid to promote food literacy, mindful eating and wealth creation. There is a natural connection between those who are fighting against fiat currency and those engaged in the struggle against fiat food. The two social ills of fiat currency and fiat food are at the heart of the tyrannic global world system we are now living in. That tyranny is directly connected to the climate crisis we face and there is no way we can solve one part of the problem without being mindful of the whole system, For a start, the Hex Kitchen is keen on addressing the issues of real money and real food as a basis on regaining our sovereign power. It is no accident that the struggle for food justice would find allies in cryptography and more specifically cryptocurrency. It is not a usual collaboration but yet it is one that makes sense on many levels. Chef Kabui has been studying and applying the power of food literacy, mindful eating and food justice in the struggle against oppression in general and specifically to people of African descent.

Chef Kabui has studied the disciplines of politics, anthropology and culinary arts and has designed a cuisine or rather an approach to food that is informed by the above experience and the indigenous knowledge that he gained from his Kenyan family’s history as sustainable farmers for generations. The combined experience and education resulted in the creation of a cuisine called Afro Futuristic Conscious Cuisine. It is a combination of the most sustainable practices in the growing, preparation of food with the goal of causing the least damage to the environment and maximizing the health benefits of the food. Those two conditions are necessary for a mindful community that ensures that justice thrives.

Chef Kabui has been pushing organic food and healthy eating based on his research and his own experience. The idea of healthy food and justice is not something that chef Kabui got into but was born in it. His family operated a farm and his father ran a restaurant in the capital city of Nairobi. Kabui grew up in the village with his mother where they grew almost all the food they consumed. It was at his family farm that he Kabui developed a love for fresh food and the art of consuming food following the natural cycles of seasons.

The collaboration aims to share the skills for healthy food to the Hex community and beyond. No community can survive without food and the Hex community is no different. The Hex Kitchen is another assembly point for the community to be nourished both physically and socially. While wealth is private, food is social and having a kitchen for the community to assemble is a great option for a community that is causing ripples across the world.

What to Expect

The Kitchen will have virtual classes, content on Youtube and other social media presence for a start. The goal is that the Kitchen will have a physical place that will have a kitchen in a farm that will grown food and have space that guest can visit. The farm will have a demonstration farm for the vegetables, fruits and herbs,

For the schedule of upcoming classes please visit our events section and find a class that is fit for your schedule.