By: Sarah Chew
We’re all familiar with the term binge-eating. Maybe you did an extra hard workout at the gym, were too busy with work all day to eat, or let yourself go wild during the holidays–whatever the reason, we’ve all been in the situation where our guts took over our minds and we stuffed ourselves sick.
Well, what if you could get paid for binge-eating?
The word “mukbang” originated in Korea, meaning “eating broadcasts”, which describes the growing trend of people recording themselves eating large portions of food in one sitting for viewers to enjoy.
CNN wrote an article about the Korean fad in February 2014, and since then it has spread to become popular in North America, especially the U.S.
Now in 2017, countless Youtube channels focus on only producing mukbang content. Their audiences get engaged not only by the massive amounts of food they carefully display (10 burgers, 6 packs of instant noodles, etc.) but also by Youtubers’ one-sided conversations to their cameras.
Some other reasons mukbangs are rising in viewer popularity is because it satisfies cravings in a visual way.
Here are five Youtubers you should check out to understand the mukbang trend:
Stephanie Soo
Albeit small and petite, this Youtuber is no joke when it comes to eating. You can watch her eat everything from Korean instant noodles, to Indian roti and sauces, to pasta from the Cheesecake Factory. While she eats, she tells multiple interesting and hilarious stories from her past–any video about her ex-boyfriends is highly recommended.
Divine Munchies
This Youtuber has a big smile and an equally large appetite. Her constant joy in her videos is contagious, and it seems the woman has an iron stomach – you won’t regret watching her mukbangs. She doesn’t tell stories like Stephanie Soo, but her eating is entertaining enough. Watch her videos if you like fast food and ASMR.
Hyunee Eats
Hyunee is a Korean mukbanger who makes mukbang videos in English–her cultural roots give her an advantage when eating Korean food, as she explains the different flavours and sauces to her viewers. Her channel’s vibe is very cute, with a gigantic teddy bear in the background of her videos. She also likes to tell stories while eating, as well as Q&A portions. Her food spreads will make your mouth water.
Nikocado Avocado
Nikocado is a sassy and sweet Youtuber of many talents. His featured talent on his channel is his ability to eat huge amounts of food and do intense food challenges (i.e. 100 pieces of sushi challenge, the 10 thousand calorie challenge). He also can play the violin, which you can see in his intro, and cook, which he does live in some of his videos. His videos often get hundreds of thousands of views, so don’t miss out and check him out!
Mommy Tang
The attraction to Mommy Tang’s videos lies in the vegan food she features, her loud and spunky personality and her adorable kids who sometimes eat in videos with her. Mommy Tang also tells entertaining, sensational stories from her life which keeps her viewers coming back for more. Some of her videos include her cooking the dishes and sharing the recipes with her viewers – making her the mukbang Mommy chef you never knew you needed.
Don’t miss out on this growing trend and start following some mukbang foodies on Youtube today! Your stomach won’t thank you.