BLOOD POTATOES

When I learned more about the Potato Famine of 1845 in Ireland, it made think about the history of my village and the South American tuber.  The story of how the tuber left those shores and found its way to Europe is a story drenched in blood.

The first conquistadors came with a double edged sword of conversation of the indigenous people, along with their lands and culture into servants of the Vatican and the European nations that staked claims to various parts of that region. The other side of the sword was geared towards the accumulation of silver and gold. 

I can make the case that the handle of that sword was food. Many types of food found their way back into Europe and eventually to the rest of the world. Many things have changed ever since but the destructive spirit in which the food exchange seems to haunt the global food system. Some of the foods that the various came from South America from the Incas and the Aztecs are major contributors of Climate Change. Amongst those crops are corn and potatoes. 

Much has been written about the impact of corn on the global climate on one hand and on the climate of our health. To raise two of the primary issues with corn, consider the fact the corn is amongst three of the top GMO crops. That means that more Roundup and other pesticides is used on corn that almost any other crop. Secondly, the issue of diabetes due to consumption of cheap calories and sugar made from corn is a major global health problem. 

How do potatoes fair in the above ranking? The answer is a bit complex. What I can say is that the potato has made more people French than the number of French people in the world.  French fries and their arc enemies , Chips (as fries are known in regions formerly colonized by Britain) are almost as ubiquitous as corn. 

The growing of 3 types of potatoes caused a famine in Ireland which led to the death of over 1 million people, followinga potato blight. Bolivia was faced by the same potato blight but with over 500 types of potatoes, the didn't experience any famine.

These two common foods acquired unjustly might be inflicting revenge? Food justice is real and it has no statute of limitation.

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.