Mukbang was virtually unknown in the United States until 2015, when Fine Brothers Entertainment uploaded a video of popular YouTube stars reacting to Korean eating shows.
Mukbang may not have the same pop-culture preeminence here in the U.S., but watching people eat thousands of calories in a single sitting has grown into a full-blown viral sensation, one that has found an American audience that is uniquely interested in watching strangers eat. In South Korea, millions tune in live every evening to watch their favorite mukbang hosts, forming a cultural phenomenon that makes its most popular creators thousands of dollars per night in advertising revenue, viewer donations, and sponsorships. They’re lonely, and they want to eat with someone.” “A lot of people are working and they don’t have someone to sit down with for dinner at night and it fills a void. “I honestly think it’s appealing because people want someone to eat with,” says California-based mukbanger Ashley Sprankles. Despite the proliferation of smartphone apps that can deliver food to fuel the most furtive binges, humans still have a natural desire to share a meal with good company. Dining has always been inherently social. Mukbang has become YouTube’s hottest food trend, and not for the fetish-related reasons you might think. Other mukbangers film themselves eating in the car after hitting up a drive-thru at Taco Bell or Sonic Drive-In. Just this week, Nikocado Avocado filmed mukbangs at Applebee's and Chick-fil-A, the latter of which took place just a few hours after he married his fiance. Sometimes, though, these personalities venture out into actual restaurants to film their videos. Most of the time, mukbang hosts film their videos at home in front of an electric burner or several containers of delivered food. The videos, which feature YouTubers eating massive, calorie-rich spreads, originated in South Korea in the mid-2000s when enterprising food enthusiasts began broadcasting live feeds of themselves eating giant portions of top-quality beef, vegetables, and other foods. Nikocado Avocado’s YouTube channel is just one of hundreds of mukbang-dedicated accounts that have cropped up in recent years. Nikocado Avocado is a “mukbanger,” or the host of his very own pre-recorded eating show. From off camera, Nikocado Avocado grabs a pan of noodles drenched in a homemade cheese sauce, twirls up a forkful, and the eating begins - not just for him, but for the thousands of viewers who queue up his videos on YouTube every day to share in the experience. Once the bacon is crisp, Nicholas, who goes by the name Nikocado Avocado on YouTube (and requests that naming convention is used here), removes it from the warm griddle and dumps on two bags of Nacho Cheese Doritos. prepares to eat an epic feast - the entire package of bacon is cooking just for him. "Now I can go grocery shopping.As 10 slices of bacon sizzle on an electric griddle, YouTube star Nicholas P. I was like, 'Oh my gosh! I can't believe this is real,'" Taniguchi told FOX 11 News. "I really just started crying, because I was so happy. " Because I'm from Hawaii, I was like, 'It's kinda cold!'" Taniguchi's heart stopped at their Christmas party when the winner of the car was plucked out of a bag.
"I was biking here every morning, so it was a little rough," the 19-year-old told FOX 11 News. Before the lucky draw, she was biking two hours to their Grand Chute restaurant every day. We were all very nervous that someone else would get chosen, but we kept our hopes up." Taniguchi, who hails from Hawaii, admits struggling in the frigid Wisconsin weather. "Our friend group and some other friends decided to all put one in for her. "The car was the only raffle where we couldn’t pool our tickets, one ticket per person," Bridges told TODAY Food. Ahead of the raffle, Bridges vowed to give the prized car to 19-year-old Hokule’a Taniguchi - a co-worker and her new "sister" - if she ever wins it. Haley Bridges, 17, won a 2008 Hyundai Elantra at a Christmas raffle organized for their branch, where she had worked for just five months at the time. A Chick-fil-A employee in Appleton, Wisconsin has made headlines after giving away a car to a co-worker in need.