Reflections | Mukbang isn’t new; how overeating caused an old Chinese soldier’s downfall 2,000 years ago
Mukbang (streaming oneself overeating) is a popular online trend, although people have been gorging to impress for at least 2,000 years
I recently came across a YouTuber whose channel description promised that she was “going to eat delicious food here for your satisfaction”.
For the next few minutes, I watched in open-mouthed horror as she gleefully shovelled fistfuls of rice, meat, chicken, eggs, all dripping with gravy and sauce, into her mouth.
As if that was not horrifying enough, strategically placed microphones amplified the sounds of her chewing, slurping and swallowing, interspersed with a few words addressed to her audience (“This is spicy, spicy, spicy!”) in between bites.
While I wasn’t new to the world of mukbang (or “eating broadcast”), having seen snippets of such videos in my social media feeds, this particular YouTuber, who has over five million subscribers, takes it to a frightening level.
Like a car wreck from which I could not look away, I watched her stuff her face until I felt my gorge rise, and had to stop the video.
Mukbang, a portmanteau of the Korean words meokda (“to eat”) and bangsong (“broadcast”), was introduced in South Korea about 15 years ago. Today, online mukbang hosts are streaming from China, India, Japan, the United States and other parts of the world.
