ODE TO TASTE

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Japanese ginger is a great garnish in fine dinning. It doesn't produce a tuber underground but rather a cream flower that slightly resembles an orchid flower.

I found the story of orchids to be quite interesting considering that even Charles Darwin died with the hope that these sneaky plants had pollen or smell that was yet to be discovered. Darwin and his buddy and Alfred Wallace had nothing on the orchid. The plant figured that sexy is the best timeless advertising agent.

For that reason, some flowers of the orchids mimic sex organs of the insect it wants to attract.

If all chefs were flowers, I would choose to be an orchid chef. That is probably why I am growing the one garnish that closely resembles an orchid. Naivasha is the best place to grow such a gingerly flower. It had a history of licentiousness during the colonial times.

Then it graduated to the equally sinister reputation as the capital of petals of blood.

We are working hard to change that reputation to petals of taste. In the colonial days, there was a local joke in form of a questin whenever a man would meet a lady. The question was: " Are you married or are you from Naivasha."

As an orchid chef, my goal is that folks will ask, " Do you eat promiscuously or are you from Naivasha?".

Our first words will be wecome for one of the most eclectic and radical organic dinner. The garnish of choice for one of the multiples Afro Futuristic Conscious Cuisine dinner will be Japanese ginger whenever it flowers. The cycle of this flower will mark a special dinner of Renaissance.

Long live Naivasha,long live Japanese Ginger, long live orchid chef. That is my ode to taste.