Light Eaters’ Emerging Popularity May Soon Replace Mukbangs

Will eating shows, more popularly known as mukbangs, soon be replaced by ‘light eaters’ programs?

For years, mukbangs have always been a source of entertainment for audiences, whether it’s an Eat Jin episode live streamed with BTS Jin enjoying a bowl of noodles with BTS Jungkook or variety shows like Three Meals a Day, Kang’s Kitchen, or Baek Jong Won’s Alley Restaurants.

But now, a new trend is emerging. People without much of an appetite referred to as ‘light eaters’, are now getting attention for their eating habits. Quite a few celebrities have already been identified as belonging to the ‘light eaters’ category.

Broadcaster Park So Hyun tops the list for having just a vanilla latte to cover breakfast and lunch.

Hip-hop composer and music producer Code Kunst eats only two bananas and sweet potatoes for the whole day.

Comedian Ahn Young Mi consumes only a bowl of bibimpap for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Model and Actor Joo Woo Jae eats just a bite from a doughnut for breakfast.

The interest in light eaters is growing such that shows have emerged to feed into this growing trend.  A new web reality series Unnies Without Appetite, is now on its fourth episode, hosted by Sandara Park and Park So Hyun, both identified as light eaters.

The show features celebrities known for their sizeable appetites who try to influence Sandara and So Hyun to learn the art of mukbang.

Netizens give their two cents about light eaters.

I much prefer watching people who eat little to those who eat crazy amounts.

— Netizen Buzz

Moderation is the best for all! Not too little, not too much… just enough!

— Netizen Buzz

Park So Hyun was a ballet dancer when she was young, and I’m sure the diet habits of that lifestyle are still lingering. She was even diagnosed with ADHD recently. She should really be doing more for her nutrition than replacing meals with coffee or chips at her age.

— Netizen Buzz

People who eat this little are eventually going to pass out or suffer from bone loss… The cons of eating little are about as bad as binge eating. And what about protein?

— Netizen Buzz

Light eaters? They’re basically suffering from malnutrition… I hate mukbangs but let’s not try to glamorize the other side of this. It’s not something to be normalized.

— Netizen Buzz