Mukbang is the process of preparing and eating food on a live stream. It has become a fashionable event, even drawing in celebrities. We discuss this online craze in the text below.  

Eating can be a very social event. People meet up at restaurants or stay at home and share a meal as a form of bonding. We celebrate by eating together and have done so throughout history. This may go some way to explaining the cult online phenomenon of Mukbang: A live food-eating broadcast. Once confined to video streams, it is now influencing cinema.   

What Is Mukbang?  

Mukbang originated in South Korea, and roughly translates as ‘Eating Broadcast’. The craze has been going since the early 2010s and there are now hundreds of shows online broadcasting people eating. Generally, it involves the preparation and eating of food in an online stream. People select what they will eat, then sit down while others watch. Generally, this takes the form of large banquet style meals, though it is not always the case.  

There are also specialisms like ASMR broadcasts, where sensitive microphones enhance the slurping and crunching of the activity. There are also storytime broadcasts, where people will be entertained using a narrative as they work their way through the food in front of them.   

Others include interviews, where people will eat together in a social setting and discuss topics or life. It is here that the first influence on cinema can be found: There is a glut of Hollywood stars who have been involved in online Mukbang streams. Cate Blanchett has been seen online eating chicken wings in one. Even Florence Pugh can be found on the Vogue website eating a meal. 

Why Is It So Popular? 

A shared event streamed online is one that has grown in popularity quite quickly. You can find them in all walks of life, from live concerts, and even in iGaming sectors like live casino games. 

These are table games where the dealer streams the action to players. They can then make decisions, wager and bet using the built in software. In some instances they may find casino bonus offers that allow them to try it out and play for free. People get the convenience of playing at home, with all the interaction of going to a real casino. The difference is not that varied: In one people meet online to share in food, while in the other they meet to enjoy entertainment.  

In fact, the food link runs quite deep in iGaming. You only need to look at the casino games provided to see the many games themed around candy and food in slot game titles. This has also been noticeable in other casual games, with mobile themed titles related to diners and fast food restaurants.  

However, we can go back even further to see why this craze is popular. Humans have met to eat together, in both ceremonial and social settings, for thousands of years. It is a staple of religions. We eat to mark holidays, birthdays, christenings and weddings. In a world we are becoming connected but more isolated, the Mukbang craze is the digital equivalent of this.  

Mukbang Movies  

This quite inoffensive pursuit has attracted the gaze of filmmakers, though mainly in the horror and psychological thriller genre. In 2023 the short film Mukbanger was released, which focused on the drive for views, likes, and attention craved by influencers. There has also been a short included in the Shake, Rattle & Roll Extreme anthology. This famous Philippine cinema series is now in its 16th iteration and has a story about a group of shapeshifters who take part in online Mukbang broadcasts.  

In the West, the biggest foray into Mukbang-themed movies also came in 2023. The self-explanatory ‘Cannibal Mukbang’ does exactly what it says on the tin. It follows the story of a man who finds love with a mysterious woman, only to become part of her fascination with the internet trend.   

Mukbang in Social Media 

The most visible use of the Mukbang ideology in Western social media is the web series Chicken Shop Date. Presented by Amelia Dimoldenberg, the show originally was a platform for interviewing local grime artists. She did this in a fast-food chicken eatery, under the pretence it was a date. Her first episode was released online in 2014. Since then she has interviewed a host of celebrities in a seven-minute format, asking them awkward questions while they consume fried chicken.   

Another popular Mukbang-themed talk show is Hot Ones. This is available on YouTube and is presented by Sean Evans. In this, he interviews various celebrities as they eat platters of hot wings, which increase in their spiciness as the show goes on. There have been twenty-six seasons, and have contained some extremely big names. From Ricky Gervais to Pharrell Williams, the reactions of the guests to the spicy food are just as entertaining as the questions.