We all have weaknesses, am I right? Let me guess one – FOOD!
We tend to become sluggish and unproductive if we cannot eat the food that we want, especially when you have those “cravings.” They say, “When you crave for a particular food, it means that your brain is telling you that your body really needs it.”
The sizzle of thin beef strips when you put them on the grill. The crackle of the shrimp when you remove its shell (excuse to those who have allergies). The satisfying squishy texture of the tapioca pearls when you chew them with a cold refreshing milk tea – tell me, you fell for it, right?
Unfortunately, you don’t have the ability to satisfy yourself and just give in to all your cravings because there are certain limitations. Hence, you look for another way to, say, “pleasure yourself.”
While you were browsing your phone, you saw a video of someone indulging themselves on food. You gulped and swallowed your own saliva halfheartedly. Your emotions went uncontrollable until such time that your cravings became aggressive, and yet, you keep on watching the video with the same feeling of contentment. It is like a trap wherein you fall into a deep black hole full of agony and jealousy.
I cannot save you from that, but the least I could do for you is to join you on that bottomless pit and give you options of Mukbang channels to torture yourself more from those nasty cravings. (Sorry not sorry)
This oddly satisfying online performance is currently one of the most popular internet video trends that everybody is a huge fan of. The term came from two Korean words, “먹는” (Meokneun) and “방송” (Bangsong), which means “eating” and “broadcast” respectively. The combination of the two words gave birth to what we now know as, “Mukbang.”
Basically in each broadcast, the host, also known as, ‘Broadcast Jockeys” or “Mukbangers,” would binge-eat humongous amount of food in one sitting while interacting with the viewers in front of the camera. Most of the mukbangers show how they cook the food first before consuming it. While some others just order fast food.
On the other hand, the audience has the chance to ask the host to do something extra while having mukbang. They post their instructions in a public chat where everyone actively suggests and exchanges ideas openly.
The trend is believed to have started in 2010 in South Korea among streaming channels. Surprisingly, top broadcast jockeys earn at least $10,000 a month as donations poured in and that rate even excludes sponsorships. Livestreaming platforms, like AfreecaTV, allowed viewers to send payments to their favorite streamers real-time. No wonder they can avail of such amount of food. Nowadays, mukbang is being done by everyone around the world in their own style and signature.
In the following years, mukbangers entered YouTube. They pro-actively integrated ASMR or “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response” in their performance. The “ASMR-ic feeling” is the major aspect of mukbang. This is a fancy way of saying you enjoy relaxing sounds of biting, chewing, drinking, and more, although some may find it uncomfortable and consider it as a pet peeve. Some hosts explain their food first and some just consume it quietly while moaning in every bite unconsciously.
Here are some top feisty mukbangers that everyone love to watch!
Jung Mansoo, also known as, “Banzz” from Daejeon is considered as one of the pioneers of mukbang. He is famous for being able to eat massive amount of food while retaining his impressive physique. Fans all over the world admire his calm, polite, and soft spoken personality – not to mention his eating etiquette – although he speaks Korean in all of his videos.
Boki of “Eat with Boki” channel only started last April 2019 and is already getting extremely high views. She includes a special introduction to every video that she makes. She also put a lot of thoughts and comments on her videos. Her signature is to take a big piece of food and to put it whole in her mouth. Can you swallow and fit almost one whole corndog in your mouth? I bet you can’t.
Zach Choi is another superstar in the mukbang world. His reputation is that of a good guy. He never talks while doing mukbang. Unlike others, he whispers — in ASMR way — into the microphone to please his viewers. His signature are his chewing and slurping noise that make his fans enjoy his videos even more.
Hamzy is one of the popular female mukbang warriors. She is famous because the audience can feel the real expression of her satisfaction and that she’s not faking it at all! People keep saying that they love the way she shows her true self and not like other mukbangers who make cute faces while eating. In addition to that, she believes that home-cooked food is the best. That is why most of her food in her videos are especially made by herself. Another signature style of hers is that she can eat really fast. This makes the audience wonder if she cuts her videos to trick them. Try watching her videos and be the judge yourself.
UDT TV is famous because of his drastic physical transformation aside from his boundless eating abilities. He started his career in making mukbang contents after his service in the military. He was recognized by AfreecaTV in 2016 as one of the best broadcast jockers. Surprisingly, he gained 120 kilos a year later. He started working out and maintaining his muscular “power macho eater” image nowadays because of the incident. Many admire him because of his discipline and his love for fried food!
Ssoyoung is famous because aside from eating big servings of food, she entertains the audience by showing how she prepares them. In addition, she usually accepts challenges to eat exotic food or simply, by showing how fresh and raw her food are. However, it received a lot of criticism for inflicting apparent cruelty to live sea creatures before eating them. Although, she once stated in a video that in their culture, Koreans usually eat live sea creatures such as octopus and squids casually.
As a matter of fact, mukbang, at one point, became a trailblazer in the Hallyu Wave. That is why some Korean dramas features mukbang as part of their plots.
The Korean drama trilogy, “Let’s Eat,” which first aired in 2013, is about four single people who are brought together by their love for food. In the second season, which aired in 2015, only Highlight’s member, Yoon Doojoon, reprised his role as Goo Daeyoung who moved to Sejong City and befriends his new neighbors. On the third season, which aired last 2018, the character of Yoon Doojoon has fallen into a slump in his thirties. He asked his former college classmate Lee Jiwoo (acted by Baek Jinhee) to revisit the food that he loved in his twenties.
Aside from Lee Yikyung’s scene in “Welcome to Waikiki”, another appetizing, and yet, a trigger warning for all of those who are now restless because of their cravings. The Korean drama, “Weightlifting Kim Bok-joo” also shows a lot of scenes where Kim Bokjoo (acted by Lee Sungkyung) had – technically – a mukbang. Watch the video below:
The relationship between human and food is essential yet complicated. It gives us the key nutrients we need for us to stay strong and healthy. Also, it can provide us the energy to use throughout the day. Although these are true, we cannot escape the immeasurable complications of excessive eating.
The South Korean Government recently announced that it would create and regulate mukbang guidelines by launching the “National Obesity Management Comprehensive Measures” to address the harm it may cause to the public health. According to New York Times’ interview with Theresa Kinsella (Dietician), “The short-term health risks are physical discomfort, gastrointestinal distress, lethargy, and fatigue.” She added that, in the long-term, mukbangers may see weight gain, heart disease, and diabetes.
Moreover, the popularity of mukbang also sparked controversies such as Korean societal and gender norms. Most of the hosts are native Koreans who are attractive and thin. They use it as a part of their appeal. It shows contrast because they can maintain their figure even after hulking food.
Many theorize that mukbang began because of the increasing loneliness of single Koreans in the digital age. In South Korea, it is rare for them to eat alone. But, with the growing number of Koreans living alone, they used their social media and began filming themselves eating.
Given these points, we cannot deny that mukbang is oddly interesting to watch than trying it by yourself. However, it is not recommended to be done by an average person, so, think wisely if you can do it in reality. We should always remember that a balanced diet is very important. As long as you can get all the needed nutrients for your body, regardless how many servings you can consume, you are in good shape.
Written by KREW Member: Raven Lester Esperanza
THE KREW | MNL 