'Mok-bang' too much to stomach

"Mok-bang" is food voyeurism at its most bizarre.

Young, attractive Koreans stuffing their faces with delicious food daily and broadcasting it live - seriously?

Sure, the novelty factor of this online trend is rather intriguing.

I'm sure many have been drawn to the videos simply because they are curious as to how these skinny broadcast jockeys can eat so much in one sitting and not balloon in size.

But there are some netizens who get hooked on the live broadcasts because they enjoy the company of the food vloggers during dinner time.

Others simply find the process of watching the online feasting of delectable cuisine somewhat therapeutic.

Though someone who willingly and continuously tunes in would probably be a psychologist's field day.

The entire trend feels like it is a gimmick for the fame-hungry to attract attention.

Consuming thousands of calories in one sitting to impress viewers is too much for me to stomach.

Not only is the "mok-bang" trend unhealthy, it is also excessive, expensive, gratuitous and perverse.

Some will bring up the moral issue that it is disgusting to eat that way when some people are starving.

But there is a bigger question for me. Why go to all the effort to eat so much online when it will just clog arteries and add on the pounds?

Take The Diva, for example.

She said that gaining 10kg since she started her "mok-bang" career was no big deal.

But will she say the same in a few months if she becomes overweight just to feed her food fad?

And the high cost of doing so must burn a hole in these jockeys' pockets.

Can the Star Balloons currency really pay enough to cover a food budget in the thousands?

Is fame really worth that price? And why do they think being famous for eating on the Internet has any merit at all?

Call me conservative, but I say this trend should stay well within South Korea and not spread in Singapore.

We Singaporeans may love our food (a lot), but there is no need to breed a group of narcissistic Internet celebrities who thrive on attention gained by eating too much.

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