I started watching mukbang because I was curious about it. Then I watched a story-time mukbanger who was a little awkward and a little funny. She was telling a true crime story while eating five tacos. The story was about a girl who couldn't age and who had five identities. I was hooked.
There is something social and comforting about mukbang. Now that single-person households are growing, eating alone is more common. Watching mukbang can be a way to have someone to eat with. It allows people to connect with others even though they are home alone.
There is a dark side to mukbang, however. The way people eat food in most of these videos isn't healthy. Some mukbangers eat enough food to make their audience's stomachs hurt. This could encourage bad habits that might lead to serious eating problems. Good or bad, mukbang isn't for everyone. But I do like a good story with a good meal.
Info Cloud
pig out 狼吞虎嚥地吃
Welcome back to Info Cloud, friends. Anne Marie, recently you were telling me that in America you lived in the countryside. I was wondering, did you grow up on a farm?
I personally didn't live on a farm, but there were many farms near my home.
Were there pig farms? Have you ever been to one of those?
I sure have. And pigs can get huge. They eat a lot of food. This is a perfect time to introduce our phrase for today: pig out.
Ah, yes, to pig out. When pigs eat, they really go at it. They eat quickly and greedily.
If someone is pigging out, it means they are doing exactly that - eating too fast and too much.
This phrase is commonly used paired with the word on. You can put what you ate after. Every Friday night my family likes to watch movies and pig out on pizza.
You can also use this word in the past tense. Last night before I went to bed, I really pigged out on potato chips. Not very healthy, I know.
Hey, it happens. When I'm tired or stressed, I like to pig out on snacks, too.
How about you, students? What have you pigged out on lately?
當你看到有人正在狼吞虎嚥地吃某種食物，你可以用 pig out 來形容他。pig是豬的意思，pig out 就是像豬一樣吃得又快又急又大量，但是跟中文有點不一樣地方在於，這個字並沒有任何貶低的涵義，反而有點幽默感在裡面。We like to watch movies and pig out on pizza. 我們喜歡一邊看電影，一邊吃很多披薩。不過要提醒大家的是，pig out 並不是一種很健康的飲食習慣，大家在吃東西的時候，還是要細嚼慢嚥，適量就好。
Language Lab
awkward adj. 不靈活的、難看的、不自然的
not graceful : clumsy
- I think it’s awkward to have a plant in this corner; maybe you should move it to the balcony.
我覺得盆栽放在這個角落不好看，也許你應該要把它移到陽台去。
- Most people think Mona’s outfits are a little awkward, but she thinks they are fashionable.
大部分的人會覺得Mona的衣著有點奇怪，但是她卻認為她服裝很時尚。
awkward adj. 尷尬的
not socially graceful or confident : uneasy or uncomfortable
- Teresa felt somewhat awkward when she ran into her former boss.
當Teresa 碰到她以前的老闆時，感到有一點尷尬。
awkward adj. 一個狀況不容易處理或是很難應付
difficult to use or handle
- These large boxes aren’t heavy but they are awkward to carry up the stairs.
這些大箱子不重，但是要搬上樓梯還是有點麻煩。
comforting adj. 讓人感到安慰的
comfort v. 安慰
to cause (someone) to feel less worried, upset, frightened, etc. : to give comfort to (someone)
- When Kelly’s dog died, Kelly’s friends tried to comfort her.
Kelly的小狗死了後，她的朋友試著安慰她。
- It is comforting to know my friends will always support me.
知道我的朋友會永遠支持我，讓我感到欣慰。
- The actress loves getting letters from her fans because it is comforting to her.
女藝人很喜歡收到她粉絲的信件，因為會帶給她許多安慰。
encourage v. 鼓勵
to make (someone) more determined, hopeful, or confident
- The teacher always tries to encourage her students.
那位老師常常會鼓勵她的學生們。
encouraging adj. 令人鼓舞的、振奮人心的
causing a hopeful feeling
- The government is encouraging people to use public transportation.
政府鼓勵民眾多利用大眾運輸。
- I’m tired of hearing all these negative reports, it’s time for some encouraging news.
一直聽到負面消息讓我感到很厭煩，該是時候來一點讓人振奮的新聞了。
encouragement n. 鼓勵的話、行為
the act of making something more appealing or more likely to happen
- It’s easy for Carol to feel discouraged; she really needs a lot of encouragement.
Carol 很容易感到沮喪，她真的需要很多鼓勵。
stomach n. 肚子、胃
the organ in your body where food goes and begins to be digested after you swallow it
- Richard’s stomach wouldn’t stop growling because he was so hungry.
Richard的肚子一直咕嚕咕嚕叫，因為他實在很餓。
stomach n. 腹部 [=belly]
the part of your body that contains the stomach
- Something is bothering Ben’s stomach, but he doesn’t know what is causing the discomfort.
Ben的腹部不舒服，但是他不知道是什麼引起的。
stomach v. 忍受、容忍 [=tolerate]
to accept or experience (something unpleasant) without becoming sick, upset, etc.
- It was hard for the young reporter to stomach the violence he had seen.
年輕的記者很難容忍他所見到的暴力。
- Marianne could not stomach the thought of having to kill an animal for food.
宰殺動物來吃是一件讓Marianne無法忍受的事。
