KANNUR: At a time when UPI and QR codes dominate even street-corner tea stalls, a small eatery in Panoor’s Poyiloor continues to thrive on barter. Here, coconuts still fetch you a meal. But what was once a quiet village tradition has now become an internet sensation, thanks to vloggers.
For decades, Sreedharan’s tea shop has run on exchange: One coconut for porota and tea, two coconuts for an upgraded meal with puzhukk (tapioca curry) or chicken curry. Farmers often pay with bananas, jackfruit, or vegetables instead of money. The system, rooted in scarcity-era practices, had long served only the locals.
Today, however, the scene looks different. Camera-wielding visitors record every detail — from porotas sizzling on the tawa to tea steaming in steel tumblers — and upload them to YouTube or Instagram, where the videos quickly go viral.“Earlier, only local labourers visited the shop.
Now, the online videos have started attracting tourists, too,” Sreedharan says, smiling as he flips dough in his dimly lit, electricity free shack. Despite the sudden fame, little has changed.
Meals are still cooked fresh daily without electricity, gas, or refrigeration. Coconuts given in barter are used in the curry or dried for oil, while the shop still opens at 9am and closes by 3pm, ensuring nothing goes to waste.
Locals say the spotlight hasn’t disturbed the old rhythm but has given their hamlet recognition.
“We bring coconuts or tapioca like always, but now when vloggers arrive, we feel proud this little shop is on the internet,” says Balan, a local resident.
For Sreedharan, fame is secondary. “People may come for the videos, but they stay for the food,” he says.
In Panur, a coconut still buys you a meal — only now, it might also get you a few thousand views online.