Gastronomic voyeurism: The South Korean trend that means you'll never eat alone

Live-streams of meals can attract viewers of thousands night after night - with audiences donating enough money for the host to live on

Western media and bloggers have dubbed it ‘food porn’ or ‘gastronomic voyeurism’, but in its home country of South Korea it’s known simply as meok-bang: ‘broadcast eating’.

This trend from the world’s most connected nation sees solo diners live-streaming their evening meals to audiences of thousands. In a country where a quarter of households are occupied by just one individual, a sit-down dinner with a familiar face can be a godsend, even if it is virtual.

"People enjoy the vicarious pleasure when they can't eat this much or find that food at night or are on a diet," Park Seo-yeon, one of the country’s most popular ‘broadcast jockeys’, told Reuters.

In Japan it's similar in that majority of those living are over 65.  Given its rapid aging and declining population one could see how this trend might become popular here.