South Asian villagers are discovering that the world has an insatiable appetite for YouTube cooking shows—especially when the chefs are making food for an entire village.
YouTube channels such as Village Food Secrets and Village Cooking Channel have millions of subscribers and are attracting billions of views. These niche videos featuring groups of people preparing huge feasts are not only entertaining but also transforming rural village economies. The creators of these channels are building entrepreneurial and technological skills among the participants while providing employment opportunities.
In Bangladesh, the growing accessibility of the internet has given people a new way to connect with others through mealtimes. For example, Delwar Hussein, the creator of the social media channels AroundMeBD, now employs 50 people to make videos of his neighbors in Shilmuria preparing massive meals such as a 650-pound water buffalo, a 140-pound fried tilapia curry, or a 320-pound vegetable hodgepodge. These meals are then served to hundreds of children and adults.
However, access to high-speed internet is often limited to internet cafes, which are prevalent in the poorest parts of the world. Hussein himself takes a 6-12 hour bus ride from Shilmuria to Dhaka every week to edit and upload the footage of the colossal meals in the cafe run by his nephew and business partner, Liton Ali Khan.
Connecting food and people
Khan and Hussein initially started their media business by filming the vibrant and lively streets of Dhaka. Their media empire now includes six YouTube channels with over 5 million subscribers. Khan began by capturing wet markets and colorful garment districts, gaining 20,000 subscribers before pivoting to food videos.
Initially, the two friends considered their videos to be like a picnic where they would cook, eat, and film the food. They never imagined that their videos would quickly generate millions of views.
The massiveness of the dishes is meant to depict the generosity of rural life. As more ad revenue came in through the channel, the budget allowed for the expense of acquiring large game species to feed even neighboring villages. Around $3,500 is spent every month on fish alone, and another $175 for transporting the food to the village.
They were able to buy the video crew several cameras, a panoramic drone, and enough revenue to provided for 50 employees, 17 of whom are women. Furthermore, the proceeds help pay for medical care for the grandmas and grandpas who do the cooking, and in the case of a forest fire, repair and replace damaged homes.
Hussain expressed that their activities have gained popularity among people from different parts of the country and abroad. They plan to build an entrance gate to their village and install wooden planks on the way from Khoksha to guide people towards their village.
However, it is important to note that some of the videos featuring meat processing may be disturbing to some viewers who are not used to such scenes. The people in the videos are not wealthy, and the meat processing is usually done by a group of women on a tarp using whatever tools they have available.
