Siddharth Ghimire is arguably the most successful food blogger in Nepal. With over 120k followers, @nepal.food is the most followed Nepali food page on Instagram. Besides curating the page, Ghimire is also pursuing a bachelors’ degree in film studies, is a food consultant at multiple restaurants as well as a member of the ‘Women In Concert’ team. All in all, you could say his life is pretty hectic but interesting.
Here, he takes The Week through a typical day in the life of a busy food blogger.
A slow start to the day
I’m not a morning person and I wake up pretty late, sometimes as late as around 9 am. Also, my mornings are pretty uneventful. I just get ready for the day and head out the door. On most days, my college classes run till 11 am. I have breakfast at the eateries around college. My usual breakfast items include chana aloo, roti, and chow mein.
Asia’s troubled water
Lunch bustle
After I’m done with my college classes, I head out for lunch. I usually visit restaurants and cafes that have invited me to review their food. Then, I get my laptop and am glued to the screen for hours as this is when I actually get most of my work for the day done. I work on promotions for all the different brands and restaurants I’m involved with. I like working by myself away from people and distractions. I also edit videos and pictures and work on promotional campaigns of ‘Women In Concert’ during this time. Occasionally, I also have to attend their meetings in the afternoon.
Evening adventures
Interesting things start after around 4:00 pm. My best friend and I plan out this part pretty vigorously. We explore different new places to eat at in the evenings. This is when the foodie inside me comes alive and it’s also kind of a treat that I give to myself because it satisfies my yearning to explore different kinds of food. This is also when get primary content for my food blog. Around this time, I also have meetings with restaurant owners who want to meet up to discuss about food reviews and promotions. You will also find me working out at the gym at least three days a week. With the amount and types of food I consume, and that too on a daily basis, I think exercising is very important.
Working late into the night
I’m also a food consultant at restaurants. So, after working out, I inspect the restaurants I’m involved with and make recommendations for changes. I also have dinner out at either a new eatery or at a restaurant where I work as a food consultant. I reach home around 9 or 10 pm. A very important night ritual that I have is watching one movie every single day before I head to bed. I’m a film student so learning, analyzing, and understanding films and film direction is very important for me. I’m finally done for the day at around midnight.
This and that
I’m not really a people’s person. I don’t hang out with a lot of people. I’m very selective about the people I surround myself with. I like a subdued day where I get to do things by myself or with those close to me. My schedule is pretty different every single day because I really enjoy traveling and, quite frequently, I travel to new destinations and that affects my schedule a lot.
I don’t really plan out my Instagram posts because I want my reviews to be very honest, sincere and candid. @nepal.food is something I opened up as a food diary and, to date, I post stuff there whenever I feel like it. I thoroughly enjoy it plus it helps both foodies and restaurants so I want everything there to be genuine.
