Buzz
Young, charming individuals showcasing their meals online, yet none of them are nude or provocative. However, before them lies an array of various dishes.
Mok-bang, that's the definition of a new word in Korean, a combination of 'eating' and 'broadcasting.' From the beginning of this year, young people in Korea have been flourishing with the trend of live-streaming the images of them devouring food online.
It's known that this trend of live-streaming eating originated from the star Jung Woo Ha, who often has delicious eating scenes in Korean TV dramas.
Among the famous 'actors' of this mok-bang trend is The Diva. She works for a consulting firm. But at night, Diva eats, and she eats a lot. Her show starts from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. In an interview, Diva said she live-streams her eating scenes because she feels bored and needs a new hobby. This hobby seems quite expensive and 'heavy.' Now, every month, Diva spends up to $3000, and when she eats exotic and expensive dishes, she has to pay about $5000 or $6000. But through her program on Afreeca TV (an interactive video platform between users in Korea. Through the mok-bang serving section shown here, performers will receive virtual money, which can be converted into real money), she also earns several thousand dollars a month.
Some nights, Diva eats up to 2 medium-sized pizzas. On other nights, she eats about 30 fried eggs and a box of king crab or 5 packs of instant noodles. There are even nights when she eats about 12 pieces of beef jerky, 12 fried eggs, 3 bowls of kimchi soup, and salad.
After every dinner, Diva often engages in conversations with her viewers and answers their questions. Watching Diva eat live is quite similar to going on a dinner date with someone you like. And in a sense, this also bears resemblance to the interests of JAV fans or the trend of 'Food Porn' (the literal translation used to describe this trend).
***
Source: Travel guide Mytour – Via GenK
MytourDecember 18, 2013
