A story is told of one traditional Kikuyu woman who was so selfish on matters food that one day she decided that whenever she cooks porridge, even her own husband would not have a taste of it.
So, every time that the husband would ask for a cup of porridge, the woman would lie to him that the porridge had spilled over from the pot while cooking as she knew Kikuyu men do not take such porridge.
So, why were Gikuyu men forbidden from taking porridge that has boiled over?
Well, Gikuyu Centre for Cultural Studies (GCCS) documents that among the Agikuyu, the cooking pot (nyungu) had a symbolic meaning.
"Among the Gikuyu, the pot is a habitation of the soul as it also stands for the woman’s womb which bears the same name ‘nyungu’ in Gikuyu," writes GCCS.
It adds: "When a woman is in her periods, that is to mean that the 'nyungu' is overflowing, she could not have sexual relations with her husband and thus the reason men do not drink porridge that has overflowed while cooking."
The cultural centre notes that for a woman to refuse with her porridge for a long period of time while offering the same excuse, it would mean a breakdown in the marital relationship.
Unless something is done to restore harmony between the couple involved, GCCS further notes, the relationship can end up breaking up leading to a bitter divorce.
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