Why We Love to Watch People Eat为何我们爱看吃播

达娜·吉文斯 唐昉

Bethany Gaskin1， aka Blove， sits in front of the screen with a wide smile on her face， casually chatting with her audience as she indulges in a fresh Cajun seafood boil2. You can hear the cracking sound of the hard shell crab legs breaking as Blove extracts the delectable， juicy crab meat. Her loyal fanbase of over one million viewers loves watching her eat， but they also enjoy her funny running commentary.

Within recent years， food obsessives have turned to a new video genre taking over YouTube. Its launched personalities with hundreds of thousands， even millions of followers. This is mukbang.

The word mukbang is a mash-up of the Korean words “muk-ja” （lets eat） and “bang-song” （broadcast）. If youre unfamiliar with the video genre， its （often） live footage of a host eating copious amounts of food in front of a camera while interacting with their audience. The trend originated in South Korea， where the videos became popular via live stream channels like Afreeca TV and Twitch.

It was virtually unheard of in the United States until 2015， when Fine Brothers Entertainment3 uploaded their video of popular YouTube stars reacting to the Korean eating shows. As a result， the term skyrocketed4 on Google searches with people wanting to learn more about mukbang.

American YouTube content creators took notice and started doing their own spin5 on the trend. Mukbang went viral and a new crop of content creators started their own channels. Bethany Gaskin， who runs Bloveslife and Bloves ASMR Eating Her Way， has garnered over 2 million subscribers for her YouTube channels with her lively chats. She often hosts celebrity guests over a sprawling6 seafood boil—a popular choice of food in the American mukbang community.

While the trend originates from South Korea， the American iterations have some significant differences. Unlike Korean mukbangers， Americans do not typically livestream. Koreans plan their streams around dinnertime hours so viewers can feel like they are sharing a meal with a friend. And yet Americans tend to be more conversational in their videos， even though their performances are pre-recorded. This conversational aspect gives the audience a deeper connection with the host beyond the food.

American YouTubers vary more widely in ethnic background， gender， and cultural background than Korean， of course， from Nicholas Perry7， also known as Nikocado Avocado （two million subscribers） to Kim Thais Eat with Kim8， （over 400，000 subscribers）.

Another difference is that Korean mukbangers tend to eat traditional Korean dishes. In contrast， American mukbangers eat a wider variety of foods， from rare tropical fruit to ramen to smoked alligator， often based on theme challenges.

But why are millions of people so drawn to watching perfect strangers eat in the first place？ Its a combination of sensory， psychological， social， emotional， environmental—even neurological factors， says Rachel Herz， a neuroscientist and adjunct professor9 at Brown University Alpert Medical School as well as the author of Why You Eat What You Eat. Her specialty is analyzing how food triggers our senses and develops our behavior when it comes to what we like to eat.

A big part of that neurological factor is the ASMR （autonomous sensory-motor response）10 mukbang videos can elicit. ASMR is commonly described as a brain-tingling feeling， and people find it very relaxing. The familiar sounds of eating （slurping， chewing） and the imagery of mukbang videos supposedly trigger ASMR for many viewers.

“The sound has a huge impact [and] is an extremely [important] aspect of it because you are not getting the sensory piece part of the experience yourself，” says Herz.

This genre has proven to be very lucrative for content creators， often earning them sponsorships from popular food chains and restaurants in exchange for the exposure. According to NPR， Korean mukbang hosts reportedly can earn up to $10，000 per month and that standard is quickly traveling to America， with brands like DoorDash and Popeyes Chicken sponsoring the most popular YouTubers. Kim Thai， for example， has been earning upwards of $100，000 a year.

The trend has not come without its criticism， however， with many saying that mukbang triggers those with eating disorders， and that vulnerable viewers could potentially develop unhealthy eating habits from watching. YouTuber Nicholas Perry has received criticism from viewers over abusive behavior and raised concerns over his mental health. He later revealed in a podcast interview that he left mukbang to focus on a vegan lifestyle and minimize the health concerns that came from his extreme eating.

For YouTubers， chasing mukbang stardom means taking on a high-calorie diet， which can cause health problems. Registered dietician and wellness YouTuber Abbey Sharp has been very critical about the mukbang wave. In a viral video she condemns the negative side effects.

She points out that Korean-style mukbang is focused much more on the companionship of sharing a meal. In her video she says， “what I do have a problem with is that Americans have appropriated11 this concept of mukbang to no longer be about companionship， but rather to these over-the-top， sensationalized eating challenges，” which in a clinical setting would constitute disordered eating.

Sharp doesnt like the “restrict， binge， repent， repeat” cycle of American mukbang. And shes concerned that because many mukbangers look thin （and even， in some cases， produce wellness content in other videos）， this reinforces double standards for eating behaviors for thin people versus fat people. “We cannot judge a book by its cover when it comes to their health and wellness.”

Herz has a more nuanced12 take. “It can work in both ways. Someone with a binge eating disorder may [feel triggered] to start gorging on something. But at the same time， the vicarious13 experience of watching could resolve that urge for them to binge，” she explained to Thrillist. “It would depend on the person and how these triggers affect them.”

Food culture in the United States is complicated， to say the least. It seems like half of us are devoted to a healthy lifestyle with exercise and a nutrient-dense diet， while the other half of us are caught up in patterns of overconsumption， particularly of highly-processed， low-nutrient foods. Americans love food and we consume a lot of it. As our habits change and we spend more and more of our social engagement on social media， its only a matter of time before it affects our behavior around food. Despite the criticism， American mukbang continues to thrive on the Internet and it doesnt look like its slowing down anytime soon.

貝萨妮·加斯金，又名Blove，坐在屏幕前，脸上挂着灿烂的笑容，一边享受新鲜的美式煮海鲜，一边与观众闲聊。Blove拔出美味多汁的蟹肉时，您可以听到硬壳蟹腿断裂的声音。她的忠实粉丝群超过100万人，这些粉丝喜欢看她吃东西，也喜欢倾听她滔滔不绝的风趣解说。

近年来，吃货们转向观看一种在优兔网站流行的新视频类型，即吃播。优兔已推出不少拥有数十万甚至数百万粉丝的吃播网红。

mukbang（吃播）是由韩语muk-ja（吃东西）和bang-song（直播）构成的合成词。也许你对这种视频类型并不熟悉，其实它（通常）是一段直播影片，主播一边在镜头前狂吃食物，一边与观众互动。这一潮流起源于韩国，当时吃播通过Afreeca TV和Twitch等直播频道风行开来。

过去吃播在美国几乎不为人知，直到2015年，好兄弟娱乐上传了其制作的优兔知名网红观看韩国吃播节目的反应视频。结果，吃播一词在谷歌搜索中飙升，人们想要了解更多相关信息。

美国优兔内容创作者注意到这一趋势，并开始打造自己的吃播特色。吃播迅速走红，一批新的内容创作者开启了自己的频道。贝萨妮·加斯金经营“Blove生活”和“Blove吃播表演”频道，其优兔视频因生动的闲侃吸引了超过200万订阅者。她在节目中经常用海鲜大杂烩这一风靡美国吃播界的食物招待名人嘉宾。

虽然吃播源于韩国，但美国的迭代有一些显著差异。与韩国吃播主播不同，美国主播通常不直播。韩国主播在晚餐时间安排直播，这样观众能感到自己好像在和朋友共进晚餐。然而，即便是预先录制表演，美国主播在视频中也往往更加健谈。这种聊天模式能拉近观众与主播之间的关系，而不只是分享美食。

当然，在种族背景、性别和文化背景方面，美国优兔主播之间的差异比韩国更大。美国既有尼古拉斯·佩里（又名Nikocado Avocado，其订阅用户达200万），也有金泰主持的“和金一起吃饭”（其订阅用户超过40万）。

另一个不同之处在于韩国主播往往吃传统韩国菜。相反，美国主播吃的食物种类更多，包括稀有热带水果、拉面、烟熏鳄鱼等，通常根据视频主题挑战而定。

但是，为什么数百万人一开始就如此热衷于观看素昧平生的人吃饭呢？蕾切尔·赫茨认为，这是感官、心理、社会、情感、环境乃至神经因素的综合作用。赫茨是一位神经科学家、布朗大学阿尔珀特医学院客座教授，并著有《为什么你吃这些食物》一书。她擅长分析我们喜欢吃的食物如何触发自我感官，并塑造个人行为。

神经因素主要来自吃播视频所能引发的自发性知觉经络反应（简称ASMR）。这种反应通常被描述为一种刺激大脑的感觉，能让人极度放松。据说，熟悉的进食声音（比如啜饮、咀嚼）和吃播视频图像会触发许多观众的自发性知觉经络反应。

赫茨说：“声音具有巨大影响，[并且]是一个极其[重要]的方面，因为您并没有亲自品尝美食，获得感官体验。”

事实证明，吃播视频对内容创作者来说利润可观;他们通常会从想要换取出镜率的大众食品连锁店和餐馆那里获得赞助。据美国国家公共电台报道，韩国吃播主播每月可赚取高达1万美元的收入，并且这一标准正迅速传到美国，比如快送到家和大力水手炸鸡等品牌会赞助最受欢迎的优兔主播。例如，金泰的年收入超过10万美元。

然而，吃播盛行并非没有受到批评，许多人说吃播会引发饮食失调，易受影响的观众可能会因观看节目而养成不健康的饮食习惯。优兔主播尼古拉斯·佩里因恶言谩骂受到观众指责，并引发人们对他心理健康的担忧。他后来在播客采访中透露，他离开吃播，一心追求素食生活方式，并尽量减少暴饮暴食带来的健康问题。

对于优兔主播来说，追逐吃播明星地位意味着高热量饮食，这会导致健康问题。注册营养师和优兔健康话题主播阿比·夏普一直强烈反对吃播热潮。在一段热门视频中，她谴责了吃播的负面影响。

她指出，韩国吃播对共进晚餐的陪伴的重视程度要大很多。她在视频中说道，“我的确对此存有异议，美国人盗用了吃播概念，使其不再关乎陪伴，而是成为表演过头、追求轰动效应的饮食挑战”，这在临床环境中被视为饮食紊乱。

夏普不喜欢美国吃播呈现的“节制、暴食、忏悔、重复”循环。她担心，因为许多吃播主播看起来很瘦（甚至在某些情况下，他们还会在其他视频中推出健康内容），这会强化瘦人与胖人饮食行为的双重标准。“判断某人是否健康，我们不能光看表面。”

赫茨的看法更细致入微。“吃播有两面性：患有暴食症的人可能[受到刺激]开始大吃特吃。但与此同时，观看吃播的替代体验可以抑制他们暴饮暴食的冲动。”她在Thrillist网站上解释道，“这将取决于个人以及这些诱发暴食的因素影响他们的方式。”

至少可以說，美国饮食文化很复杂。似乎我们中有一半人致力于通过锻炼和营养丰富的饮食来保持健康生活方式，而另一半人则陷入过度饮食模式，尤其是摄入深加工的低营养食品。美国人好吃，而且食量大。随着习惯的改变，随着我们花费越来越多的时间在社交媒体上与人交往，它对饮食行为产生影响只是时间问题。尽管受到批评，美国吃播节目仍在互联网上蓬勃发展，而且看起来不会很快放缓。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）