There is a great reverence in the art of cooking and presentation and most restaurants and pubs are innovating new ways to please the palate with nouvelle cuisine, giving the classic dishes and cocktails a welcome twist. Adding to the camaraderie and celebration of various cuisines are food bloggers and influencers, who have emerged with their robust content and visual presentation, luring food lovers far and wide with their huge outreach. The city’s obsession with food is clearly on the rise. Eating is a multi-sensory experience and the blogger brigade is using enticing ways to cash in on how you eat with your eyes. Even research suggests that it is our eyes that lead the way and our tongues merely follow. NAMITA GUPTA meets some of Bengaluru’s top food bloggers and influencers who’re doing their bit to spread the word to the ardent foodies on the lookout for spanking new hotspots to dine in and lounge at.
Name of your blog?
I run a blog called She Knows Grub. I had my friends pitching in and suggesting – and that’s how the name came about as it sums up the whole idea quite well. I write about food and whisky, because it is something I know, understand and connect well with. And most importantly I love writing about it so that it is an experience everyone can enjoy.
One thing you love about cooking and eating?
I love making things I crave for – like a Kosha Mangsho, or Calcutta style Chili Chicken. Eating food, and good food is like a conversation without speaking. There’s culture, technique, art, history – so much that can come across from the chef over a meal. So I love embracing those experiences, some as a gourmand and some as a gastronome.
How important are photographs and knowledge of food for food bloggers?
When I started writing, knowledge of food was essential as well as the ability to articulate and write. Photography, videos, social media were secondary, you could almost getaway with not caring about pictures. But things changed very fast as the social media wave caught on where visualisation is far more important than words. I wouldn’t think for a food blogger; the knowledge of food is ever optional. But other skills are very important too.
One interesting experience as a food blogger?
When we go out to eat with friends, and even colleagues – they don’t start eating until I take photos, I mean I am almost expected to always click before I eat! And when I don’t, they take up the responsibility of ensuring the world sees what we ate.
What else do you do other than food blogging? How lucrative is it being a food blogger / influencer?
I write about food mainly because I love food and love telling people where to eat and what to eat! I work as a Product Manager in a tech firm in the city. In Bengaluru, a lot of the bloggers and influencers do this part time. So, it’s driven by the passion to explore and create content. The folks who develop recipes and menus, it’s quite a good market out there, especially around the health and clean food segment. There are also events and product launches that happen, which work on barter. With growing number of food start-ups and tech food platforms, there is a lot to get around.
