Mukbang from South Korea
If you watch youtube regularly you definitely have come across the word “mukbang.” However, did you know that “mukbang” originated from South Korea?
“Mukbang” is an abbreviation for meogneum bangsong, which is eating broadcasting in Korean. These eating videos started to trend in South Korea ever since bj Taehyun, a streamer, started to stream himself eating his dinner. Then, it quickly became one of the leading contents on a famous South Korean streaming platform called Afreeca TV, later transitioning into Youtube. Well, how did this “mukbang” from South Korea transition successfully into the United States?
In the obvious, mukbang started to trend in the United States for the same reason it did in South Korea. Eating is a commonplace for everyone, and it is quite entertaining to watch someone else eat. Mukbangs are also known to satisfy food cravings. Though these are some reasons why mukbang started to trend, there is a deeper reason behind its popularity worldwide including its popularity in the United States.
As individualism has started to grow in the United States, many single households have increased. This has caused many people to satisfy their sense of loneliness while eating by watching tv and other youtube videos. Well, mukbang has been a great method of coping loneliness from eating alone. It allows people to feel that they are having a meal with someone. Infact, some mukbangers purposely film their videos in a casual manner, while making small talk so that it feels as if they are eating with a friend. Some mukbangers even took a step further and started giving tips on how to use leftovers to make a new meal. For single households it is often hard to finish foods that come in large portions such as pizza and these tips have come in handy.
By extension, the “amount” of food people consume also has a connection to loneliness. The huge portions of food, mukbangers eat is “satisfying” to the brain because it fulfills a craving to fill emotional emptiness within oneself. Psychologically it has been proven that the amount of food one craves is connected to the amount of loneliness they feel. Since most people cannot finish the huge portions mukbangers finish, people feel surrogate satisfaction through mukbangs.
