Internet-eating craze takes over

精彩导读

在网络流行的时代，有人利用网络直播自己吃饭的实况。网络直播吃饭也变得疯狂、变得非常流行，这是为什么呢？

Eating is best when it's a social occasion.Think ofthe meal a family enjoys in the evening when everyone's together after work or school，or the big get-togethers over food at the Spring Festival.But now， in the age of the Internet and social media，anyone with an Internet connection can enjoy a social eating event.

Mukbang—aKoreanphrasemeaning “eating broadcast”—is an unusual food craze that's sweeping the country.This is a meal where only one person gets to eat，while viewers watch hosts devouring（狼吞虎咽）large quantities of food.They leave comments on the dishes the host is preparing，and the host responds to them live.

So why have peopletaken tothis unusual new food trend?Jeff Yang，an Asian-American cultural critic， thought that it's down to “the loneliness of unmarried or uncoupled Koreans”.He believed that eatingon your owncan be hard in a country like Korea，where social eating is such a long tradition.However，mukbang gives people the feeling that they are part of something larger，it seems.

Millions of peoplehave trouble withfood.Either they eat too much of it，or too little.Some said that the popularity of mukbang helps people with these disorders.Those who always eat too much andput on weightcan watch mukbang streams to satisfy their appetite.And those who don't eat enough can build their appetite by watching delicious food being eaten.

Even though mukbang is a Korean phenomenon，it's also prevailed （流行）in the US.But unlike Koreans who sit down to enjoy noodles and kimchi（泡菜 ）， Americans enjoy their own native dishes.This means that viewers of US mukbang streamers will see locals stuffing themselves with hamburgers，fries and ice cream.

阅读扫障

Ⅰ.词块积累

1.think of想；考虑

2.respond to 对……回复；响应……

3.take to 喜欢；喜爱

4.on one's own独自

5.have trouble with 在……有麻烦/困难

6.put on weight增加体重

Ⅱ.难句分析

This is a meal where only one person gets to eat，whileviewerswatch hostsdevouringlarge quantities of food.这顿饭中只有一个人在吃，而观众看到的是主持人狼吞虎咽下大量食物的情景。

句中where引导的是一个定语从句，先行词为表示抽象化、模糊化的地点名词meal，类似的名词还有scene，situation，job，及work等。 while意为“然而”，在句中表示转折。

译文助读

在社交场合吃饭是最好的。想想一家人晚上在下班或放学后聚在一起，或者在春节等大型聚会上享受的晚餐，但现在，在互联网和社交媒体时代，任何与互联网有联系的人都可以享受社交饮食活动。

Mukbang——一个意为 “饮食直播”的韩国短语——是一种异乎寻常的食品热，正在席卷韩国。这顿饭中只有一个人在吃，而观众看到的是主播狼吞虎咽下大量食物的情景，他们会在主播正在准备的菜肴上留下评论，主播会现场对他们做出回应。

那么，为什么人们会喜欢这种不寻常的新食品趋势呢？亚裔美国文化评论家（Jeff Yang）认为，这归因于“未婚或离群索居的韩国人的孤独”。他认为，在韩国这样的国家，独自吃饭是很难的，因为在韩国，社交饮食是一种悠久的传统。然而，Mukbang似乎让人们觉得自己是更大的东西的一部分。

数以百万计的人在控制饮食量方面有困难。他们要么吃得太多，要么吃得太少。有些人说，饮食直播的流行有助于解决饮食紊乱的问题。那些经常吃得太多、体重增加的人，可以观看Mukbang来满足他们的食欲。而那些吃得不够的人可以通过观看美味的食物来增强食欲。

尽管饮食直播是韩国的一种现象，但它在美国也很流行。但与坐下来吃面条和泡菜的韩国人不同，美国人喜欢吃自己的本土菜肴，这意味着，观看美国Mukbang的观众会看到当地人在吃汉堡包、薯条和冰激凌。