KOCHI: Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the trends on social media would be aware of food’s unparalleled presence in our virtual lives. With hashtags like #foodporn, #foodgasm and #nomnom, vloggers are giving us perpetual dreams of gluttony.
One such food vlogger is Anjana Gopakumar, a Thiruvananthapuram-based youngster whose videos posted online are making her followers’ mouths water through her blog ‘Thank God I am Fat’, Anjana was always inclined towards cooking, eating and discussing food since her childhood. After school, she enrolled in a culinary institute but had to quit halfway after contracting an allergy.
“I was not good at taking pictures or shooting videos. My initial videos were not appealing but I learnt the skill eventually. Whenever I travel, I vlog the food I eat. I also try learning about the culinary culture of that place,” says Anjana. She has so far uploaded about 50 videos about the unique dishes of cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
Anjana started food vlogging after her first food video, the one in which she relishes a banana fritter with beef curry from an eatery in Sasthamangalam went viral on the internet. “I received some great comments for the video and I realised that people enjoyed watching me eat,” says this 22-year-old. Her second video on ‘chatti oonu’ where she relishes rice meals on an earthen vessel also became a major hit with many reposting it.
Sharing her thoughts on the food vloggers in Kerala, Anjana says, “There were many vloggers in Kerala who are doing a great job documenting food. I think Malayaees appreciate food a great deal and many restaurants are also popping up in the state. I have been trying to incorporate stories along with the food videos I make,” says Anjana.