Introducing Mukbang!

The internet is the birthplace of many bizarre challenges and trends. For the past decade, people went crazy over various absurd trends like ‘Naked Butts In Front Of Pretty Scenery’ photography, people showing off their colored armpits and glittery beards, the ghoulish Kylie Jenner lip challenge and the freezing ice bucket challenge. These trends I’ve mentioned are equivalent to just a drop of water in a sea of hundreds of trends which went viral in the internet. Introducing Mukbang! Yet another seemingly unrealistic trend brought to life by The Internet. And has now become a full-blown viral sensation.

What is Mukbang? 👀

The word Mukbang is a blend of two Korean words: “mukja,” or “let’s eat”; and “bang song,” meaning "broadcast”. It is an internet trend that originated from South Korea where it spread amongst the masses. In this, hosts record themselves eating massive, calorie-rich spreads, large enough to feed a family in one sitting. However the interesting thing about Mukbangs is how the hosts eat their family sized meal; these Mukbangers don’t just eat the feast, they ravenously devour it, taking extremely large bites of food while making slurping and crunching sounds

This trend initially started with a single host eating by him/herself, but has now evolved to a point where you find YouTubers doing “couple mukbangs” or even mukbangs with groups of friends and family. Mukbangers may chow down on everything from dozens of bowls of spicy ramen, to buckets of fried chicken and burgers, multiple pizzas, piles of extravagant seafood like lobsters and crab, spreads of luxurious cakes and macaroons and even heaping helpings of salad. This feast is almost always accompanied by a beverage in a giant mug such as iced beer, juice, Coke or even sometimes entire cartons of milk! Because everything in Mukbang has to be extra.

What is the origin of this bizarre trend? 🍜

Mukbang first came into the scene in South Korea in about 2009. Hosts were live-streaming themselves eating heaps of food which gained more and more viewers with time. In 2010, however, it really began to pick up steam and eventually became a popular trend. According to Splinter News, mukbangs initially began airing on Afreeca TV, which is a South Korea-based live-streaming service. This provides a platform for the broadcasters or Mukbang jockeys to stream their live eating, interact with the audience and allows them to convert the virtual balloons awarded by the audience into cash. Mukbang popularity in the United States and the world owes to the “Korean Wave,” which is the term used to describe the increased popularity of Korean culture around the world.

The trend has innovated into different areas each more creative than the last. These videos are either live streamed or pre-recorded and uploaded on social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Most of the time, mukbang hosts film their videos at home in front of an electric stoves or several containers of delivered food. Sometimes, the host cooks the food on camera first, then eats it.The more adventurous ones, however, venture out into actual restaurants to film their videos.

Looking at the evolution of Mukbang, it initially started with broadcasters ravenously binge-eating large quantities of food with minimum or no interaction with the viewers. However, this trend amalgamated with another hot YouTube trend called ASMR (Autonomous sensory meridian response) which is a category of video aimed at creating noises and sounds that elicit a physical response such as a calming, tingling sensation. This resulted in Mukbangers gorging down their meal with extravagant sounds of slurping, chewing, and gulping while giving cues of satisfaction. There are usually two polar reactions to this, outright disgust or absolute relish.

Why do people find it so fascinating? 🎯

There are many reasons why mukbang has become popular, but loneliness and isolation may be a primary factor. Eating is a significant component of the social life and is considered a highly communal activity in Korea.  As the number of the single-person households increases in Korea, fewer people are eating with their families. In this generation, watching mukbang via online broadcasting is an alternative way to satisfy the yearning for communal eating. Based on YouTube comments, people are watching mukbang videos while eating their meals; in other words, many young Koreans consider mukbang as their virtual eating buddy.

Individuals who watch mukbang also seek entertainment. Spectators extract different gratifications from watching mukbangs, including the enjoyment of the eating sounds that the mukbanger made such as slurping, chewing and smacking lips out of satisfaction. Such viewers obtain pleasure from different sensations including listening to eating and cooking sounds such as chewing noises, preparing foods, and sounds from opening up food packages which is associated with ASMR content.

Apart from combating loneliness and need for company, Mukbangs have been theorized to be a form of vicarious eating. Viewers like to watch the hosts eat a variety of food that are not accessible to them, such as, viewers from a different country. Apart from that, individuals watch mukbang to have the experience of eating vicariously through mukbangers because they were on diets. The audience gained vicarious satisfaction of eating from mukbang via obtaining visual and audio stimulation.

Whatever the reasons are behind its fascination, watching other people eat has become a full-blown viral sensation on the internet making Mukbangers mini-celebrities with their own fan clubs and millions of subscribers! And what’s more, they earn thousands of dollars per video. So yes, they’re definitely living their best life!

By Sanduni Wijesiriwardana