Last summer during my trip back to China, I was deeply fascinated by the ubiquitous habit that seemed to have everyone in the nation in a stranglehold: Mukbangs.
Anywhere, at any time of day, if you paid enough attention, you’d be surprised by how many sped-up videos of people eating you’d be able to spot: playing on different-sized LCD screens, depicting colorful, mouth-watering plates of food, topped off with dramatic zoom-ins and extravagant munching sounds.
As I hopped off the plane from Frankfurt-Beijing and found a seat on the subway, a mere few minutes in that carriage was all it took to inform me of this trend. And, this was not only a habit of the city dwellers – as I traversed through metropolises, to suburbs, to mere villages, this was something common between almost all of the people.
This cultural shift reflects not only our collective fascination with technology and food, but also highlights the challenges it presents to health and government oversights.
This article builds on all of those aforementioned aspects, and will provide to you a foolproof, all-in-one step-by-step guide to becoming a successful mukbanger who dominates the food and entertainment industry in China.
Step 1: Where do mukbangs originate from? And how do I edit my videos?
Mukbangs (or meokbangs), are a peculiar internet phenomenon that began in South Korea in 2010, and began garnering global attention in 2014. In recent years, they have taken China by storm. These videos, mostly broadcasted live on different platforms, are characterized by hosts gorging on enormous amounts of food whilst engaging with their audience in real-time. The primary platforms responsible for this culinary wave include Douyin (TikTok’s Chinese counterpart), Kuaishou, and Bilibili, all driven by the desire for viewers’ attention and the potential for substantial earnings.
However, it is imperative to note that they owe much of their allure to cutting-edge technology. With high-quality sound in 4K Ultra-HD, sophisticated filters, and effortless streaming capabilities on different platforms, these content creators are able to lure viewers in with their larger-than-life feasts. A simple scroll through the #吃播 (chī bō, meaning mukbang) tag on Douyin will yield countless vibrantly-filtered, smoothly sped-up and close-up videos of these mukbangers’ mouths, steadfastly munching away at their delicacies.
Not only that, author Zheng Rongnan on Baidu’s Zhihu (an app similar to Quora) presented his formula for technology in mukbang videos, in order to successfully entice substantial earnings. Notable highlights of his mantra include:
- Even if you don’t have many ingredients, you can still create a dazzling effect. You can zoom in to open up the field of vision and the composition is aesthetically-pleasing. Use the fish-eye effect skillfully!
- With the manipulation of color saturation + shadows, any type of food can look too good to eat.
- The brighter the better! Or else even the most delicious dishes will look unappetizing.
As seen from above, Zheng Rongnan effectively emphasizes the crucial role technologically- enhanced visual appeal in mukbangs – creative composition and skillful manipulation of colors – plays in captivating audiences.
Step 2: What’s my target audience?
But what characterizes the audiences of these mukbang videos? As diverse as they are, personally, I believe that there are three possible ways to characterize these viewers: 1) those seeking companionship; 2) those who watch out of mere curiosity; and 3) those who seek to relieve stress.
It is undeniable that the videos mukbangers offer, in essence, a type of ‘emotional companionship’ – by providing solace to those who find themselves dining alone. In the hustle and bustle of big cities, where individuals often return to empty apartments after typical 13+ work days, mukbangs can alleviate their loneliness, due to the traditionally social and communal nature of ‘dining’. In a way, these videos satisfy their longing for shared meals, and simultaneously offer a sense of companionship.
Furthermore, mukbangs ‘cater’ to the viewers’ curiosities. Most often, the audience is intrigued by what others are consuming, whether it’s a fascination with the depicted quantity of the food, the caloric intake, or even how the mukbangers manage to stay thin, despite their daily gorging. By watching mukbang stars indulge gloriously in their dishes, viewers experience a sense of satisfaction without the repercussions of consuming such foods themselves – which appeals to individuals who are trying to manage their weight. A simple scroll through a Kuaishou mukbang video’s comment section can confirm all of the above!
Moreover, mukbangs serve as a stress-reliever. The sounds of chewing and the visual feast of food on display evoke a calming feeling within the viewers, in a way, akin to white noise. Netizens on Western social media describe such a feeling as having “tingles” – further showing that the ‘sensory experience’ of watching mukbangs offers a type of relaxation, reducing stress levels.
Step 3: What are some possible career-ending issues?
The meteoric rise of mukbangs has certainly not occurred without its share of concerns. Reports of mukbang stars suffering from health issues have become increasingly common – the most common including disordered eating habits, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.
In some cases, fatalities are even possible – in 2021, the news that famous vlogger Sun Yixuan who rose to fame from his videos of him binge-eating unhealthy food, died of a brain hemorrhage, quite literally ‘broke’ the internet. And horrifyingly, he was only 19 years of age. Many have speculated that his wildly unhealthy eating habits contributed to his unprecedented death. Unfortunate stories like these are becoming more and more prevalent by the day, and they underline to us the high price of gastronomic gluttony in the mukbangers’ pursuit of fame and fortune.
Step 4: How do I avoid getting in trouble with authorities?
China has taken a significant step to crackdown on the mukbang trend, by “banning displays of gluttony in public and on social media”. This ban targets mukbangers who film themselves consuming excessive amounts of food to entertain their fans – which is all a part of
President Xi Jinping’s broader campaign against food waste. The legislation was introduced in 2021 and resulted in the mass removal of such content from Chinese social media platforms.
As per the new law, media platforms and publishers are subject to penalties of as much as 100,000 Chinese yuan (equivalent to approximately $15,500) if they disseminate content showcasing “substantial food consumption, overindulgence,” or wastage of food.
Ok, so are the issues surrounding mukbangs really that serious?
China’s ‘addiction’ to mukbangs raises many complex questions. Because of the many negative effects, should we ban mukbangers, in a constructive step toward safeguarding public health and well-being? Or, due to the mass popularity and ‘dependance’ of the population on this type of media, should we leave it as it is? As in, is it even necessary for this ‘issue’ to be dealt with?
Despite the aforementioned mounting criticisms, and attempts at regulation, mukbangs continue to thrive. Countless content creators on many different platforms depend on the income they make from these eating shows to survive, with some even earning $8200 USD a month. Inarguably, the popularity of Mukbangs has grown to a point where they have become an integral part of Chinese culture and daily life.
In this case, the Chinese saying, “存在就合理” (cúnzài jiù hélǐ) comes into play, which translates to: “everything has a reason for existing”. And, this implies that the mere existence of something suggests its rationality. Nothenless, it is worth noting that this phrase doesn’t necessarily equate to its goodness or benefit. In this situation, mukbangs are able to endure the storm of criticism and regulatory efforts, due to their ability to cater to the innate curiosity and desire for entertainment amongst a broad segment of the population. So fear not! Your successful mukbang career is waiting for you.
