Food has become social currency thanks to the way we post pictures and discuss them. Hashtags like #foodporn and #instaporn are the new trend while posting the mouth-watering dishes. But there are a group of professional food vloggers whose spotless presentation skills take you thorough a food journey to places unvisited.
Onmanorama catches up with three foodies who wouldn't mind travelling to the other side of the world just to unite with their love plated well on a tray.
Mrinal Das Vengalat, a globetrotting gastronomer
Mrinal Das' Facebook page is perhaps the most engaging food vlogging page. This 36-year-old management consultant hails from Udiyoor village of Kerala's Kannur district. There is barely any town in Kerala which Mrinal hasn't explored. He enters any eatery with his selfie video-cam and a hungry gourmet's belly. Every moment from Mrinal's wait for the food to his final, gratifying burp is a spectacle worth watching. The onlookers would be drooling as he mixes the main course with sides and chomps them in the most tempting manner. “There is no better review than your expressions, Mrinal...”, commented one of his fans.
For Mrinal, food is more than just food. He runs an international consultancy company that advises the restaurants and canteens in setting up a unique food culture of their own. Named HMC limited in the middle east and 'Vengalat' in India, Mrinal's food kingdom designs and manufactures customized food for eateries.
“My love for food was first discovered by my family when I was a toddler. Being an achluophobia by nature, I would stop screaming during power-cuts in the night only if I was offered some snacks,” he recalls. Mrinal says that he eats a lot when he is tensed or afraid of something. Born to a government-employee father and a headmistress mother, Mrinal is a graduate of electrical and electronics engineering. It is Mrinal's wife Anjana, a TV anchor, who motivated him to quit his highly paid job and pursue his passion – which is none other than eating and talking food.
Mrinal has travelled to several countries in search of good food. Who else would fly to the US just to taste authentic American fried chicken and halt in Australia on his way back to relish sausages?! It was the owner of Paragon hotel, Kozhikode who tempted Mrinal to relish a dish that is available in a small restaurant somewhere in the Chinese city of Hongkong. The Chinese eatery had Mrinal relishing the dish exactly three days after the conversation.
Mrinal has two words of wisdom to young food enthusiasts. One, never eat too much. “It is okay to have ten meals a day but in small quantities. Do not over-eat. Over-eating is an insult both to the food and to your body,” he said. Two, do not eat bad food. “How do small street-vendors sell a chicken biriyani for Rs 40 or 50? By nothing other than adulteration. Do not consume food of bad quality or bad taste. It is our compromising mentality that sustains such fraudulent sellers,” he said.
Mrinal's work spans from planning low-weight, compressed food packages for cargo ship employees that last for over one year, to set up a posh Italian food court with luxury ambiance and authentic recipes. The vlogger is of the opinion that paid reviews are okay if the reviewers are ready to admit that they are getting paid for their words. “But in my case, I wouldn't mind lying about anything in the world but food,” he clarified.
Anjana Gopakumar, a foodie both by passion and profession
Anjana who herself identifies her through the blog named 'Thank God I am Fat.' After quitting her degree course in culinary school half-way due to spices allergy, Anjana worked as the marketing head of 'Uber Eats Kerala' for almost a year. Now, she has quit that job too, in order to pursue food vlogging and food journalism as her profession.
The 22-year-old is a native of Thiruvananthapuram city. Having an inclination towards cooking, eating and discussing food-matters right from childhood, Anjana's parents did not stand on her way to chase her passion. It was her elder brother Ashwin, who is a musician who gave her the idea of starting a video blog. Ashwin also suggested a name for her blog tweaking a nick-name 'Thadichi' which he used to call her.
Anjana started off food vlogging after her first food video, the one in which she relishes banana fry and beef from an eatery in Shasthamangalam became viral on the internet. “People commented that they enjoyed watching me eat. I thought I would eat in front of more people,” she said. Her next, 'chatti oonu' or eating rice-combo meals from an earthen vessel, was nothing less than a rage. It received over 66,000 views and a good number of reposts. Thus, Anjana took eating, cooking, and talking food as her profession.
Anjana has her channel named 'Thank God I am Fat' on Instagram and Facebook. She owns a website in the same name, where you can watch her journeys in search of good food.
Anjana's message to the aspiring food vloggers is not to become a picky eater. “Do not limit yourself. Eat every type of food you get. Picky eaters actually restrict themselves in to a puddle at the bottom of a vast ocean,” she said.
Anjana plans to earn a degree in travel and tourism in order to facilitate her plans to emancipate her food blog.
Ebbin Jose spots Kerala links everywhere
Ebbin Jose is one of the first generation food vloggers from Kerala. There was barely any other independent food and travel vlog from Kerala when Ebbin started sharing his candid videos on YouTube and Facebook, several years ago. This 42-year-old marketing professional hails from Vakathanam of Kottayam district. After completing his MBA, Ebbin was hired by a multinational company and was posted in Bangalore. He travelled to different parts of Africa and Europe as part of his job. His inclination towards food helped him explore the local flavours of whichever country he visited.
To his surprise, Ebbin started discovering delicacies that are similar to Keralite dishes in different parts of India and the world. This motivated him to start an international expedition in search of good food and travel experiences.
“We claim Ramassery idli to be an exclusive Palakkad delicacy but what if I say that is is available in Odisha by the name Soru Chakli Pithe. Our 'Kozhukkatta' has Chinese and Portugese counterparts by similar recipes. Kerala's very own Puttu is known as Pitha in Assam. Pitha is a popular local main-course there,” Ebbin said.
Slowly, Ebbin shifted his focus to food, quit his highly paid job and started a digital marketing agency called 'Jaunt Monkey' in Kochi. Ebbin Jose has a word for the young foodies. “Consider cleanliness over taste. A dish cooked and served in a clean environment is always better than a tasty dish prepared in untidy surroundings. Also, do not burden yourself with food. Eat frequently but in small quantities. It is not the quantity of the food you eat that matters but its quality,” he said.
Ebbin plans to start a new series on his blog that introduces local flavours of Kerala's villages. “I have a group of loyal audiences worldwide. To whichever corner of the world I go, I will be welcomed by a follower of my channel. I am happy about the reception my videos get,” he said.
