'Eating hosts' providing a visual feast for viewers

Virtual companions

With the exception of a few hosts who don't speak, but try to attract an audience through exaggerated noises and odd table manners, most of the broadcasters chat with their audience while eating. To their fans, who are mostly introverts, the hosts are more than eating idols; they are virtual companions.

Wang Xiaoshan, a 30-year-old engineer in Beijing, spends much of her leisure time watching muk-bang. However, she is never bored, because the hosts communicate via real-time comments.

The single mother lives alone in the capital, while her son stays with his grandparents in Wuyuan, Jiangxi province. Wang is a foodie and she always has takeout in the virtual company of an online eater at weekends.

"I like malatang, a Sichuan snack of meat and vegetables cooked in spicy broth. My favorite broadcast was when a young woman compared meals from two famous malatang brands by eating them bite for bite. Her expression was impressive and funny," she said.

"I plan to do eating broadcasts myself, and I am expecting many viewers to come into my living room. I want people to be with me, even it's only a virtual meeting."

Wang is typical of the type of viewer who watches to dispel feelings of loneliness and to promote nostalgia. Having realized that this kind of viewer exists, the hosts have invented various video formats to attract followers.