#75 - Notes on Foodtube, Foodbrands and Foodhistory
Education Coffee is a Newsletter on People, Ideas and Culture.
In each edition of this newsletter, I will share some inspiring web resources that I have curated after hours of research to ensure that you have the best education coffee in your inbox. In upcoming editions, I will focus on sharing insights, notes and realizations that I gather from people, ideas, books, films and podcasts. This month I have taken up a #30DaySubstackChallenge. I want to challenge myself to write a newsletter everyday for the next thirty days. I have really enjoyed writing this newsletter and this is a way for me to build my skill set as a newsletter writer. I will go back to writing a 2xWeekly Newsletter in January 2025.
1. Learning from People
My favourite type of food is Indian cuisine. I always wondered why I didn’t see as many indian restaurants in food critic lists or food award lists. I then came across Akshay Kumar at Indienne and was delighted to learn about how he takes Indian food to the world with a modern twist.
2. Learning from Ideas and Questions
Where did the samosa originate from and more in this delicious video from EPIC channel. I was fascinated to see how there was a version of the samosa in so many different countries with different names and origin stories.
3. Learning from Books, Websites and Blogs
I was always curious about the life of a food critic who uses words to share food experiences. I found two videos that gave me a glimpse of the life of a food critic.
The first video is of Pete Wells. He is an American journalist who was the restaurant critic for The New York Times from 2011 to 2024. Here is a brief description of the video from CBS Sunday Morning
With correspondent Martha Teichner, he reflects on dining out five nights a week for the past twelve years, all in the line of duty; the disguises he's worn to avoid detection by restaurant staff; and the health implications of eating at some of the world's best (and not-so-best) restaurants.
The second video is interview of Ruth Reichl. Ruth Reichl is an American chef, food writer and editor. In addition to two decades as a food critic, mainly spent at the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times. Here is a brief description of the video from Amanpour and Company.
Walter Isaacson sits down with restaurant critic Ruth Reichl to discuss her new memoir, “Save Me the Plums,” and her life-long passion for food.
4. Learning from Films, Videos and Shows
I love food channels on Youtube. I wish I could travel to different countries and cities and explore the local cuisine there. I hope to do more of this in the future. Until then, I would have to settle with my favourite #foodtubers. I share a video from my three favourite food channels from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in the list below.
Channel 1 – Gol Gappa Girl by Pooja (Food Channel from India)
Channel 2 – Street Food PK by Zia (Food Channel from Pakistan)
Channel 3 – Sheneller by Shenelle (Food Channel from Srilanka)
5. Learning from Podcasts and Music
In this episode of Breaking Bread, Deepinder Goyal, founder of Zomato sits down with Ankit Nagori, founder of Curefoods, to delve into the entrepreneurial journey. Here are some notes from the show description,
From scaling one of India’s largest e-commerce platforms (Flipkart) to now building a food company which comprises of multiple high quality brands, Ankit’s story is a masterclass in perseverance, innovation, and leadership.
I created some #ASsketchnotes on this talk. I learned a lot about how to build and sustain a food brand in India while maintaining quality and engaging customers.
Thank you for reading this edition of #EducationCoffee. I look forward to writing weekly editions of this newsletter this year. I hope to continue to share resources that will add value to your life. You can also review the archive of Education Coffee for free at this link (74 past newsletters).
Please do send me your thoughts and resources on any edition of this newsletter through email at abhishekashokshetty@gmail.com, Linkedin or on Twitter @AbhishekShetty_. You can find my work online at this website. If you would like to read pieces in the future please do consider subscribing to this newsletter by clicking the button below. I love taking these discussions forward on those platforms and look forward to hearing your feedback.
Abhishek Shetty