Food Discrimination

Kũganda Kerĩ

In Gĩkũyũ language, there are fewer words that are as useful in describing food conditions and bodily conditions in such a complex way than the word kùganda. In terms of food, kũganda refers to spoiled cooked food. When referring to one’s body, it refers to being numb due to anesthetics or being in a certain position that cuts the normal circulation of blood long enough to make a particular part of the body numb. 

I find that word quite interesting as it can be used with both meanings to accurately describe the global food crisis. Humans seem to have been so numb that the consumption of bad food seems to be normal. Looked at another way is that the consumption of spoiled food might have resulted in many being numb to the fact that the food being consumed is spoilt and would therefore lead to serious consequences, among them being the spoiling of the environment as well as future generations through such issues as epigenetic diseases and such.

It would be appropriate to say that our food system has attributes of “ Kũganda Squared”. That simply means that the food system demonstrates the humanistic and culinary characteristics of the word “kũganda”.

I am especially interested in the issue of food as a tool of empowerment for previously oppressed people. The topic of Black History month shouldn’t be discussed with factoring food in very deliberate ways.

Yet the topic of food is the quintessential living history. Food is not something that can be divorced from history or relegated to a museum artifact. Food is a truly living phenomenon. Previously oppressed populations cannot therefore afford to be numb to its inherent power continue the oppression of oppressed people.

That idea was the inspiration of the recipe below. The only thing that is cooked is the beans. It was a recipe made to celebrate rekindled love of the heart and love of food with a dear friend. 

The friend once took offense because I excused myself from enjoy her dinner due to my dietary restrictions against “kũganda” both of food and the culture around food. I explained that I wouldn’t willingly and knowingly consume food that is not appropriate for my health, environment and power balance. Later we became close friends as they too joined the movement towards Just Food or what I call Life Worship.

This recipe is a celebration of triumph of reason, food Justine and friendship. The meal was consumed en route, aboard a big plane amidst the very type of food that symbolizes opulence of one hand but in sustainability on the other. We celebrate victory one plate at a time. Try it and see.

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.