Would you pay to watch someone eat? This is exactly what South Korean viewers are doing when they tune into their favorite binge eating shows online, featuring strangers gobbling down enough food to feed an army: spicy noodles, spicy shrimp, steamed dumplings, fried dumplings, more spicy noodles...
In a culture where eating is seen as a highly pleasurable social activity, strangers willing to stream themselves eating have become minor celebrities and unlikely eating companions for thousands of lonely, single Koreans. The online eating phenomenon is called "mukbang" - a combination of the Korean word for eating (muk-ja) and broadcasting (bang-song).
"In the beginning I earned nearly nothing. It started out really slow, but now I'm earning more than my salary at my actual job," says Rachel Ahn, who goes by "Aebong-ee" on her broadcasts and is one of the most widely watched binge eaters in South Korea.
According to a report by NPR, every weeknight at 9 p.m., Ahn sits down at a table with enormous amounts of food. When she goes live, around 200 of her fans are already waiting for her, chatting next to her video stream. As she begins to devour her food, the number of viewers spikes to more than 1,000.
In streams that last for up to three hours, Ahn eats her food ferociously, slurping loudly and very visibly enjoying her meal.
For eating copious amounts of food - and enjoying it thoroughly - Ahn gets rewarded by her audience with virtual balloons that can be converted into money.
Afreeca TV is the social networking site that hosts her channel and allows users to buy and send the "star balloons" which can be cashed in after the site takes a 30-40% commission.
In the first half hour, she collects $200. She says that she is determined to become South Korea's No. 1 binge eater among a competition of 3,000 "mukbang" broadcast jockeys. Top-ranked eating celebrities can earn up $10,000 a month.
Since the trend emerged in 2013, the number of Koreans who tune into "mukbang" shows has grown exponentially to a current viewership of 45,000.
According to Park Seo-yeon, another one of South Korea's top binge eaters, two things are driving the trend: an obsession with food, eating and dieting, and the loneliness of urban life.
"A lot of my fans are on a diet," she says. "Watching me eat gives them a vicarious thrill."
