For millions of Kenyans, the scent of sautéed cabbage isn’t a warm kitchen comfort—it’s a sensory trigger sending them straight back to high school dining halls, aluminum plates, and endless queues.
Content creator and chef Fred Ombachi also known as The roaming Chef ,recently tapped into this universal boarding school experience, sparking a hilarious online therapy session with a simple question: "Have you ever wondered what weevils taste like?"
In the premiere episode of his new mini-series recreating meals that "raised or traumatized us," Ombachi tackled the undisputed king of high school institutional catering: Ugali and Cabbage.
The Culinary Nightmare That Built a Nation
In Kenyan boarding schools, menu options are dictated by strict budgets and industrial-scale catering. Cabbage—affordable, shelf-stable, and virtually indestructible—became the default green side dish across the country.
The comments also highlighted how food can become a powerful reminder of a particular stage of life.
bieniamsol commented: Trauma 😢
ateka_p : You missed 1 ingredient: kerosene 😂
thee_lovechild:😭😭 let me call my therapist Viewers immediately began pitching future episodes for Ombachi’s series. "Next do ugali beans... do not forget the stones 😭😂😂," demanded one user (_danji_._), recalling the hazardous experience of biting into unwashed beans.
Despite the overwhelming chorus of complaints, a brave few admitted to secretly enjoying the simple fare, proving that nostalgia hits everyone differently.
The Great Equalizer
Whether you attended a prestigious national school or a modest day school, Ombachi’s video proved that institutional food remains Kenya's ultimate cultural equalizer. The shared struggle of surviving undercooked ugali, watery cabbage, and suspicious beans is a rite of passage that connects generations of alumni.
Ombachi's series serves as a reminder that while our palates have matured, the memories of those metal dining hall trays remain permanently scorched into our collective consciousness—burnt ugali and all.
The question now is: which school meal would instantly take you back to high school?
