Guys… have you ever sat in a kinyozi and heard the kind of theories that should really be on Afro-cinema? Yesterday, during my weekly shave, one man swore that broiler chicken is the reason vijana wa siku hizi are… soft. And just like that, everyone nodded. Myth confirmed. End of story.

But let’s ask ourselves… does food really mess with masculinity, sexuality, or fertility? Or is this just another round of Kenyan gossip marinated with fear and spices?

See, Kenya is not alone. Across the world, people love linking food to sex and masculinity. Back in 2010, Bolivia’s president actually claimed that hormone-injected chicken was turning men gay. Sounds funny, right? But here at home, that’s the same thing mzee at the kiosk has been saying for years.

Think about it. Soy milk? Branded as ‘feminizing.’
Cabbage? Accused of making women barren.
Avocado? Marketed as a bedroom booster.
And of course, our legendary supu ya pweza… you already know the stories there.

But it doesn’t stop there. Have you noticed how some foods carry gender labels in Kenya?

Ice Cream: Many men fear eating ice cream in public because apparently, licking a cone makes you look “less of a man.” So instead of enjoying a double scoop on Moi Avenue, they hide in the car like undercover agents.

Spaghetti & Fries: Somehow, these are branded as “food for women.” Order spaghetti in a kibanda, and the boys will give you that look like you’ve just committed treason.

Bananas: And the funniest one… men scared of eating bananas whole in public. You’ll see a guy breaking it into tiny pieces, chewing like it’s contraband. Why? Because holding it straight to the mouth “looks suspicious.” Honestly, at this point masculinity needs a rebrand.

If all these things were true, Nairobi would look… very different by now.

Let’s break it down. Soy does have something called phytoestrogens these are plant hormones. But they’re way too weak to change anyone’s masculinity. Millions of men in Asia drink soy milk daily. No mass crisis there.

And chicken? Yes, broilers grow fast. But there’s no scientific proof that the meat carries hormones that can be transferred to you. What it carries is anti-biotics, protein, “mafuta”, maybe cholesterol — but not a magic switch for your manhood.

As for cabbage… it won’t kill your fertility. It might kill your cholesterol, but that’s about it.

So why do these myths refuse to die? Because they’re not really about food. They’re about fear. Fear that masculinity is changing. Fear of queerness. Fear of modern lifestyles. Blaming soy, chicken, or cabbage is easier than admitting society itself is evolving.

If the myths were true, Nairobi gyms would be full of men crying instead of lifting weights. Dagoretti men would all be weaklings from eating chicken. And Nyandarua would be empty — because apparently cabbage makes women barren.

But reality check: Kenya’s population is booming. Ugali is still king. And the only thing food really changes… is your waistline.

So, let’s be honest. If food could change masculinity or sexuality, ugali and omena would have turned all of us into superheroes by now.

But here on TV47, myths meet the truth… and sometimes, the truth is even funnier than the myth!