Featuring Kamila: university student by day, food influencer by dinnertime. We discuss the ways her content shifted amid the cost of living crisis, as food costs soar.
Kamila, 19, greeted me carrying a bag of fabrics and an art folder of illustrations, while profusely apologising for her tardiness as her tutor kept her working overtime. She was dressed like your average quirky art major, clad in a black-and-white ensemble with knee-high platform boots, layers of jewellery, and plaited red hair.
If she wasn’t working on art projects for university, Kamila would update her Instagram and TikTok page of 14.6k followers. From an innocent hobby that started in early 2019, she never expected to bear the title of a food influencer.
“I started off reviewing food on my Instagram, then made a TikTok to make cooking videos during lockdown. I gained a lot of popularity from my series where I recreated food from films.”
Kamila’s scenic TikToks and articulate reviews had also gotten her collaborations, like for a cafe pop-up in Kuala Lumpur, where she was born and raised. She moved to London in 2020 to complete her A-Levels and is now doing a foundation year at Ravensbourne University, studying fashion and textiles.
Kamila’s videos make up of Asian eats around London, intending to introduce her Western audience to dabble in different cuisine. She also films with friends, and goes out to eat in places that are good for sharing.
“I find places to eat on the internet. My mother also runs a bookshop back home and reads a lot of travel magazines. That’s how she knows places to go to and sends them to me.” Kamila answers.
Surely, having content that relies on going out to eat means spending a lot on food? Kamila contemplates the question, taking a sip of her latte. “Because of my TikTok page, I’ve had a few restaurants invite me to try their food for free.” she confesses. “As long as I film and review the place, of course. I like that I give these places exposure and they return it to me with free food.” she laughs.
Kamila mentioned she was once given a £200 voucher at a Chinatown restaurant, where she ate with her family to their hearts’ content. She revealed that they couldn’t even finish the voucher that night! I assumed it ended with lots of food to bring home in the end.
With the expensive London housing amid the cost of living crisis hiking up energy bills, Kamila lives with family. “I live in a flat with my family,” she said. “My sister and cousins used to live here too, but they’ve graduated university and are now working outside London. My parents are working in Malaysia so I’m home alone.”
Speaking of which, Kamila noticed that groceries have eaten a bigger chunk of her allowance. After a summer in Kuala Lumpur, she returned to London, noting the price of milk and cheese have gone up since the beginning of the year. “Even if it’s only a few pence over, there’s still a difference!” she exclaimed.
And she is right! This report illustrates this year’s consumer price index for food and non-alcoholic beverages. From 14.6% in September, it had increased to 16.4% this October, with the biggest change found in dairy products.
Whenever she’s back home in Kuala Lumpur, Kamila combats food expenses in London by stuffing her suitcase with seasoning packets, chilies and ikan bilis, or dried anchovies. “They last for a year, and you could top them over white rice and call it a meal.” she elaborated. “And it’s cheap! I can get a bulk of ingredients for £1 back home, but over here it would cost so much.”
What about budgeting between food for content and art equipment for school? Kamila answers, “I still need to manage my finances better! Usually it varies between spending on the two every week.”
As university applications and project deadlines loom around the corner, Kamila prioritises schoolwork over influencing. She lives on leftovers and fast food to keep herself energised and push through her packed schedule, setting aside cafe-hopping with friends.
I wondered how Kamila balances her niche content creation with her studies. “I have a huge folder of videos I haven’t uploaded, so during busy periods I just post an old video that has been edited,” she sighed in relief. “I’ve also been reviewing way less on Instagram, as it takes a lot of time to write up.”
Most students would opt for a part-time job to fund their expenses during their studies. Kamila tells me she had attempted the same thing. “I work in my uni as a student ambassador, but the pay and hours aren’t fixed. I’ve helped around once or twice since I’m too busy with uni, so it isn’t a very reliable source of income for me.”
Of course, Kamila doesn’t go out every single day, that’s unrealistic. Hence her cooking videos, which she presents simple recipes worthy to be in a restaurant menu.
“Most of my recipes are straightforward, with ingredients that are easily accessible.” she explains. “I want to encourage other students that cheap meals don’t have to be limited.”
When she’s not filming, she surfs the internet for her next homemade meal.
“You can search up a keyword on TikTok, and there are so many videos you can easily follow with the ingredients left in the fridge. I like the cost-effective meal prep videos for uni students on a budget.” Kamila says.
“My grandmother also has a cookbook that we keep in the flat, so I can always refer to it when I’m making Malaysian food. I’ve also learned from my mother. I watched her cook as a kid and she sends recipes over to me.” she fondly adds.
When questioned about the future of her food pages, Kamila says she enjoys running it and would keep it in the long term. However she’s mainly working to pursue a career in the fashion industry.
Just like many influencers online, Kamila’s day-to-day life isn’t always as quaint as her videos seem. Most days she is juggling a heavy folder of designs and fabrics, chasing deadlines, and trying to stay afloat on TikTok’s bottomless algorithm.