Luhya Theories for Preventing Vacuum Flasks from Making Tea Get Cold: "Don't Overwork Thermos"

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Food is one of the aspects observed when defining the culture of a certain group of people in a society.

What a particular community prefer as their food is a main component of their culture besides other practices.

With different communities across the world being referenced with different types of food, the Luhya community of Kenya is not only synonymous with Ugali and Ingokho (chicken) but also, tea features dominantly in its identity.

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In the absence of water, most, if not all Luhyas would say tea is life, it being a beverage that features largely in breakfast menus, midmorning meals, as a common accompaniment for lunch, as a special drink for teetotallers in the evening and crowns the food cycle at night, especially by senior citizens.

For tea to be consistently served and be availed within few minutes whenever a visitor shows up the storage of the beverage is key.

Metallic kettles (birika) were instrumental in this line as they would be filled with tea and placed on hot coals emanating from combusting firewood, but the shortage of firewood and the campaign to save trees made the option unsustainable.

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This transition saw locals embrace vacuum flasks, popularly referred to as "thermos flasks", to keep tea hot for hours, given the notion that tea must be consumed when oozing with steam for it to taste like the real deal.

The name Thermos became a signature name for vacuum flasks courtesy of the innovators behind the technology and manufacturers of the utensil in the 1900s and it is a scenario like that of Kenyans, referring to toothpaste as Colgate or washing detergents as Omo.

Thermos is derived from the Greek word Therme which means hot.

Vacuum flasks are staple utensils that are held in high regard in Vihiga homes. They must be handled carefully given their fragile nature and children who broke their parents' thermoses could face punitive measures worth forgetting.

Whenever a vacuum flask malfunctions, happiness in homesteads is dented and thus well set structures to ensure the utensil does not break or lose its heat retention capabilities.

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Here are some myths surrounding the malfunctioning of vacuum thermos flasks which come in different brands and capacities

According Kenneth Mbogo from Jemovo in Wodanga, Vihiga county, a thermos flask is specifically meant for hot liquids.

This is another belief that members of the Luhya community hold dearly when it comes to efficiency of thermos flasks.

Mbogo observed that many tea fanatics have the tendency to clean the flask with only hot water before its let to drip dry for a couple of hours.

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He noted that washing the flask in cold water makes it weaken and reduce its power of heat conservation.

According to Julius Abungana, an Isukha elder from Kakamega county, a vacuum flask must never be have its cork back on when it is empty for it to last longer.'

Abungana said the rule was to make sure it is kept aerated for some time before it is washed and used again.

Instead, a flask is kept open before and after it is washed in hot water, kept dry for some hours before being filled with tea again.

Wilson Gwaduka, a resident of Likuyani, Kakamega county, told TUKO.co.ke that a flask’s bottom/base was not supposed to come into contact with floor.

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By neglecting this measure, it would not function properly since some of its heat is being ‘lost’ to the floor, according to Gwaduka.

Among the Maragolis, keeping beverages in the flask on a daily basis risks it from becoming feeble which would eventually ground it.

A flask in Maragoli land is supposed to work on an average timetable and rather not a tight 24-hour routine.

Jackline Muhonga told TUKO.co.ke:

This rule strictly dictates that if tea is served from a flask, there shall be no other tea added into it until it's completely empty.

It is believed by tea lovers that temperatures, taste and PH level of tea inside the flask is not equal to one in the kitchen awaiting to be stored in the flask.

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However, there are other procedures used by Mulembe nation locals in telling good flasks before purchasing them.

TUKO.co.ke established that most Luhyas use this technique when picking the best flask when purchasing them from the market or utensils outlets.

Jackson Anubi explained that clients are used to unscrewing the flask's cork, hold its brim on their ears and listen to hear if it will produce the desired humming sound, a threshold for a good flask,.

Flask business does not end at the shop or in the market, a client will be contented with their new piece of utensil at one last point; hot water.

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Before using it officially, sources who spoke with TUKO.co.ke attested that it was a rule for hot water to be kept in the newly bought flask for some hours before it commences its shift to keep tea and other liquids hot.

A good number of clients from the Luhya community have had instances of returning newly bought flasks to the market/shop store on discovering that they didn’t function properly and this has regularly been a cause of conflict between traders and customers.

Additional Reporting, Collins Mmbulika, TUKO Correspondent Vihiga County.

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Source: TUKO.co.ke

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