The latest internet craze in South Korea is known as “gastronomic voyeurism” — watching people eat online — and one woman is making a killing from it.
Park Seo-yeon — known as “The Diva” — cooks elaborate dishes and sets them in front of her webcam. Then she sits down and begins eating, broadcasting her meals over the Internet. People tune in to chat with her and send her virtual gifts that translate into cash. She makes more than $9,000 every month from the venture — and has quit her full-time job at a consulting firm as a result.
Why do so many people tune in to watch one woman eat? Park says the show is for those who “can’t eat that much, or don’t want to eat food at night, or are on a diet.”
Meanwhile, a viewer interviewed in the Reuters report below says it’s more about the company. “It feels as if I am eating that much food with her. I think that’s what the show is about. And probably, it’s comforting for people who eat alone.”
Reuters via News.com.au