Video credits: Grandpa Kitchen via YouTube
What do you feel when seeing a button on a YouTube that states skip ad? Who among us here would often click that Skip Ad button when watching videos? Most especially if we are a fan of that YouTube channel? I do.
But it is quite different when I am watching this certain YouTube channel. I will talk about him later on. Today's blog is another YouTuber feature and this or he will surely touch your hearts just like mine and will hopefully, you won't skip ads too when watching his YouTube videos.
Introducing Grandpa Kitchen
Image credits: Grandpa Kitchen's Facebook page
"Dadaji" is an Indian term for paternal grandfather. In YouTube, a channel is named Grandpa Kitchen and its story revolves around a certain Dadaji who refers to himself as the grandpa who cooks tons of food servings which he, later on, feeds to orphan kids.
Based in India, it is evident that there are kids who had never tried any lavish food like pizzas and pastries. Grandpa Kitchen would then be cooking these types of food from scratch and feed them to the orphans.
Image credits: imgur
Currently, the channel had reached three million subscribers from all over the world. There have been speculations as to its credibilities but the channel continues to show the goodness out of the heart of this 70-plus-year-old grandpa.
The Grandpa Kitchen Proceeds
Image credits: imgur
Reading on several comments and feedback on certain forums had me also thinking on why the videos are shoot in such a way. See, YouTubers gain lots of money from millions of views and with the number of subscribers Granpa Kitchen has, it is evident that he must have already gained thousands of dollars, or yet, the account holder is now already a millionaire in India.
Although there are discouraging comments, I have stayed with Grandpa Kitchen because I believe in the heart of those who had started this channel. According to their Facebook fan page, they are entertaining, educating people by cooking food and they donate the proceeds to charity. Their main goal is to provide basic necessities like food, clothing, school supplies and birthday gifts to the orphans.
Why I Watch Grandpa Kitchen?
Image credits: bookchocolate
I can't remember the exact day that I had subscribed to Grandpa Kitchen but I am pretty sure it was the end of 2017 when I found one of his videos in the suggested video section. I got pretty curious, it was about cooking Biryani. At that time, I was missing some biryani dishes because when I was in Dubai a few years back, it was that food that my friend and I would go to each time we receive our pay. It's like a celebration!
Upon watching Grandpa, I got really inspired by the effort he and his team does from cooking the meals from scratch up to the end of serving them to the orphan kids.
Video credits: Grandpa Kitchen via YouTube
But more importantly, the following are the main four reasons why I continue to watch Grandpa Kitchen with the sole YouTube channel that I just allow the ads to continue playing.
I Learn More About Indian Culture by Their Cooking Style
Image credits: cookmeal.today
The Indian and Filipino cooking style looks pretty similar in his videos. During "fiestas" or "kumbira" as for how we refer it in the Visayas region, this is the time where huge servings of food are cooked and prepared before guests from different places start arriving for either lunch or dinner.
Grandpa Kitchen also prepares and cook his recipes outside, in a scenic place where nature is at close. The filmmaker would usually feature those live animals around and the scenes in the environment where they are cooking.
Image credits: lightmomentswithjessie
What I really notice is that Indians definitely love spices and chilis. There was a certain recipe where Grandpa had added chili flakes, chili powder, and full chilis into his mixture. These were for kids and I already thought they might not be able to eat it well because it's too spicy but at the end of the video when these kids were already eating them, they didn't look like the food was spicy at all. If that was me, I might have asked for lots of water so I can swallow the food.
More importantly, watching the cooking show is also a learning process for cooking certain food. Baking is totally possible without the use of an oven or other electrical machines.
Watching the Cooking Process is Therapeutic
Image credits: cookmeal.today
I guess its just me, but when I am watching Grandpa Kitchen's cooking from scratch, like literally from the assembling of the fireplace to the cutting of the ingredients and preparing the cooking materials, he mans it together with the team of two or three men.
Grandpa doesn't use any special tools too or cooking electronics in cooking. It reminds me of my grandmother and grandfather who used to cook local Filipino foods before when they were still alive. So it is obvious how tedious the work is.
Image credits: dxshare.cf
And for that specific reasons, I find it very relaxing to see the actual and raw way of cooking. The video coverage as well is not extravagant that I can hear the sound of the environment and nature around. The sound of plates, knives and other materials during the cooking process for me is therapeutic.
Grandpa Kitchen's is Inspiring
Image credits: cookmeal.today
I always have a soft heart for the elderly not just because they remind me of my grandparents but because seeing them makes me also think of their experiences in life. Try talking to the elderly and you'll learn a lot about life and how it was living during their prime years.
Watching the lines on the grandpa's face, the hands which show hard labor and his smile at the start of the video, as well as his way of stating the ingredients, send an inspiring melody.
Grandpa usually starts the video by stating their mantra: "Caring, sharing, loving. This is my family". Then he smiles and chuckles after that part. Every now and then, he shows a happy face and laughs too while waiting for the food to be cooked.
Also, seeing the happy faces of these orphan kids is definitely satisfying and fulfilling at the same time. With this, I also become inspired by also sharing with the kids in my neighborhood. By December this year, I will also host something similar to Grandpa Kitchen's videos where James and I will cook food and give gives to the children during Christmas.
Every View Helps
Image credits: lightmomentswithjessie
And because Grandpa Kitchen is inspiring, it is the sole YouTube channel which I had allowed ads to continue playing until the end of the video. The channel's videos mostly contain an advertisement at the start of the video, in the middle part and the end, sometimes it has four video advertisements in between and I don't mind letting it play because I am pretty sure the views are important and I am helping in a way for Grandpa to continue his charitable works.
Currently, I guess the video which Grandpa Kitchen has the most views is the Chicken Pizza Cooking for 100 Kids Orphans because it now has 15M and counting views.
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Thanks for reading!
About the author:
Jean Beltran-Figues is a photography enthusiast.
A traveler who wants to promote her beloved country, the Philippines.
