Hi everyone and welcome back to Happy Hour.

Lately a lot of people online have been criticizing this set of parents who had been broadcasting their three-year-old daughter eating a massive amount of food in front of an online audience.

Because she eats so much, she's already really overweight. She is over 30 kg at the age of three, which is way over the healthy weight range. But before you jump to criticize the parents for being irresponsible, let's not forget the reason why they are doing it, is because there is an audience who are watching it, or even willing to pay to watch this type of show.

So what exactly is this eating show and why is it so popular? Let's find out in today's episode.

And nowadays on any social media or streaming platforms, you just can't get away from these eating shows whether you are on Wechat, Weibo, Bilibili or even, chances are you have at least come across these type of eating shows a few times in the past.

Worldwide, especially in the English speaking world, this type of shows are usually referred to as Mukbang, M-U-K-B-A-N-G.

You might say this doesn't sound English at all. Well, you're right. It is a Korean word. And it literally means eating broadcast.

Mukbang or eating show is defined as an online audio visual broadcast in which a host consumes large quantities of food while interacting with the audience.

The reason why worldwide is using the Korean word is because it first became popular in South Korea in 2010, so 10 years ago. And since then, it has become a worldwide trend.

This type of show might be prerecorded short videos or vlogs.

But why are people making it? It's not just because they love food. It's obviously because it's profitable, they can make money from it. But how do they do that?

Well, first of all, you have to remember on the internet especially on social media and streaming platforms, traffic is everything. As long as your eating show is popular, you can attract more traffic, and you will get paid by platforms like any other popular broadcasters.

And of course you can do advertisements or endorsement. One type of advertising they do is product review. So they would try out a product in front of an online audience.

For the host of an eating show, they're definitely trying something related to food and drink. And of course, they also get paid or tipped by their fans and followers.

Usually when you mention eating show, some people they love it, they will watch all types of eating show. But the people who don't like it fail to see the point, they would say “It's such a waste of time. I just don't get the point. ”

But of course there are many reasons why this type of show got so popular all over the world. So let's delve deeper into the reasons why they are popular.

So of course there is the social aspect, in an increasingly atomized society, we are becoming more and more alone. According to statistics in South Korea where this trend started, one quarter of the population live on their own. And this type of show is a way to counteract loneliness and isolation by connecting and sharing a similar interest with a virtual community.

Don't have friends for dinner? No worries, watch an eating show. You immediately get a virtual eating partner, and you are also connected to other people who are watching the show. And that sense of emotional connection and interaction is really precious in a society where people feel increasingly alone.

Apart from the social aspect, of course there is the eating aspect. Because nowadays we are focusing more and more unhealthy eating and fitness, many of us are constantly on a diet. We try very hard to control what we eat.

That doesn't mean we no longer have desire for these unhealthy food, these high sugar, high fat treats. So these type of eating shows they provide an opportunity for the vicarious eating. Vicarious eating here basically means you're having the food experience through another person.

Essentially they are a proxy eater, they eat on your behalf. So in that way, you get enjoyment of food, but you can remain healthy. For some, this is a great way to help satisfy food cravings.

And for some eating show host, they would let their viewers decide what he or she eats in a particular episode, so giving them more control. Although sometimes it backfires, I think for some people eating vicariously is just not enough. So after watching the eating show, they probably will order the real thing and eat it themselves.

The next is the entertainment aspect. It's not just a food you're watching, it's also the sound of someone eating food. In fact, many of these eating shows now say that they are with ASMR.

The technical term is Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, it sounds complex, but it's a feeling that we all experienced in our life. It's this tingling sensation that typically begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine, and is usually triggered by specific auditory or visual stimuli.

And in an eating show, they usually use very good recording system, so the sound would come in of someone chewing, of someone slurping, and that would trigger that ASMR. If you go on any streaming site and type in eating show ASMR, you will find a lot of search results.

There is another reason which is escapism. We're now having an increasingly fast paced, hyper-competitive way of life, for some people they're watching the eating show simply to blow off some steam to reduce stress level.

Some people also believe in modern society we're constantly bothered by the guilt and stress of being fat. Being fat is some sort of original sin. So a lot of people already have this guilty relationship with food, and watching the eating show is an escape from this guilt, because this is a time when the desire for food and more food is celebrated.

Of course, there is the sexual aspect. Food always has a very sensual sight, especially watching an attractive woman eating a massive amount of food and still keeping their figure, and for some people that is the attraction itself.

Some people describe the feeling towards watching the eating show as a mixture of pleasure, desire, longing, envy, horror, disgust and shame. So all of these mix together, whether people love it or hate it, a lot of them will keep watching it.

But of course despite its popularity, this type of shows have its own problems.

First of all, it's definitely linked with food waste, especially now it has been revealed some of these hosts, they don't really eat the food, they will just record themselves eating the food and then throw up off camera, which is a real waste of food.

And the second reason of course is not really advocating healthy eating. Think about the little girl who is being encouraged by her parents to overeat. In a way these type of shows they are glorifying binge eating, they make binge eating look fun and acceptable. And psychologists are worried that some people who watch these videos, they will be encouraged to behave in the same way because they see it as normal.

And some other people are worried about this will normalize bad table manners. Because in order to create an effect, a lot of these eating show hosts will eat in a quite messy way. And in general, it's probably not advocating the best attitude towards food.

Personally, I don't have a very strong opinion towards eating shows, I can take it or leave it, but I can't understand why it is so popular.

We’ll see you next time. Bye~

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