Mukbang The Korean Culture Take On Social Eating

“What is Mukbang?” ━ my manager asked when some of us were talking about it at work. Ha! For someone who judges me for taking pictures of my food before eating, he was in for a treat.

Mukbang, you said…

Originating from South Korea, Mukbang is a mix of the Korean words’ Mukja’, which translates as ‘let’s eat’ and ‘Bang Song’, translating as ‘broadcast’. Essentially, it involves people eating vast amounts of food online and living while interacting with their audience.

Mukbang Culture

In Korean culture, the meals generally include one big communal dish for all to tuck in.

However, as well as the sizeable communal dish, Korean food includes smaller ‘banchan’ dishes (side dishes). And it’s nearly always based on sharing everything on the table instead of having your plate. Also, typical of Asian culture, in Korea, it’s a norm to wait for the elders and the guests to start eating their food before you do.

Eating is valued as a primarily social and family-orientated practice. Therefore, in Korea, it’s not common for people to go out for a meal alone. Mukbang then becomes the answer to the times when you don’t have anyone to eat with at home but still want to be social. It allows people to eat their dinner and watch someone live stream as they eat food while (sometimes) chatting with them.

Many think it’s weird ━ meanwhile, I find a community of strangers in online food culture utterly fascinating.

The Ginormous Portions

The most famous Mukbang Youtube channels online feature an enormous amount of food that the Youtubers consume. It has been reported that some are scoffing 4,000 plus calories in one sitting, and what’s more, many are getting paid top dollar to do so.

My Korean friend said that’s another pull of Mukbang; to see these Mukbang-ers eat an absurd amount of food in one sitting and for the visitors to feel phantom satisfaction over it whilst not being negatively impacted by the overeating. Errr.. okay.

Unique Mukbangers

Some pretty unusual Mukbangers keep the industry, and their channels remain interesting. Such as, YAMMoo eats oversized food; he once drank a giant homemade bubble tea; Julie, a student Mukbanger, is just the cutest of the bunch; and of course, Pitashow is a female Indonesian Mukbanger.

Then there is Mommy Tang, who promotes vegan food through her Mukbang Channel; Stephanie Soo, who talks about true crime while eating and HyuneeEats, who eat super spicy food on their respective channels.

After skincare and TV drama, Mukbang has become a fascinating Korean culture export. And think of the amount of money they make out of it!

It made me wonder if anyone wants to watch a daily video of me eating leftover food for lunch at my cubicle.

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