KOCHI: For Terence Michael, a Thiruvananthapuram native originally based in Warwickshire in UK, Covid has come as a blessing in disguise. He could help locals in Amboori sell their cows and buffalo meat. He has recently come up with cooked meat for foodies here. Terence, 65, had come down in February, but got stuck here.
After locals in search of a livelihood approached him during the lockdown, Terence, who owns a 3.5 acre rubber plantation, asked them to bring their livestock to his farm. He sought the help of a local butcher Ameer, who had the licence from the panchayat. Then he posted information on minced meat, beef and buffalo meat on various social media groups like ‘Where in Trivandrum’ and ‘Eat@Tvm’.
“I must have catered to over 2,000 customers since the pandemic. Now, I honestly don’t feel like returning to the UK. Several of my customers are sending me return gifts,” says Terence. A logistics company manager in Kettering, UK, since 2002, Terence is ‘Terry’ to friends. With Covid spread in coastal areas forcing city dwellers to eat mostly meat and freshwater fish, Terence’s business got a major boost.
As a 16-year-old, Terence with a Pentax K1000 camera had made headlines as one of the youngest press photographers here with ‘Enaadu’. Now, residing at Keston Road with his mother, Thankamma Michael, 83, he is unsure whether indeed he can fly back to the UK.