Back in 2020, when mukbang (or “eating show”) channels peaked across live broadcasting platforms, South Korean YouTuber Moon Bok Hee of Eat With Boki channel faced a significant amount of hate out of nowhere…
YouTuber Boki (Moon Bok Hee) | @_luvmun/Instagram
…over accusations of “spitting” instead of swallowing and “over-editing” the videos to make it seem like she’s finishing the heaps of food.
Some of her most extreme accusers nitpicked all of her videos, time-stamping the suspicious scenes, slowing them down, and creating GIFs to “prove” that the YouTuber was not actually eating all of the food that she prepared.
[Video could not be displayed]One of the most circulated GIF as “proof” of her spitting out her food after each bite.
The backlash grew so intense that Moon Bok Hee had to address the controversial accusations in a Q&A video—though her response was not enough to quiet the heated debate.
Question: Do you still spit out your food?
Moon Bok Hee: Jeez… This whole “spitting-out-food” thing… I could have said so much about this, but I decided not to. But today, I’ll say what I have to say. In the beginning, I did not imagine that I would be caught up in this “spitting-out-food” controversy. Back in the days, I used to edit videos on my laptop. And because I was uploading a video every other day, my storage capacity was filling up real quick. The original videos were too big in size, so I deleted all of them. I honestly did not think I would need them. I wanted to edit out parts that could throw people off. I’m sure you’ll understand, based on the one-take videos that I’ve started sharing, but whether I eat for 20 minutes or 30 minutes, I try to keep my videos under 10 minutes. In my opinion, me taking tiny bites of food isn’t all that appealing to the audience. And that’s how the whole accusation started, I guess. Since January 2020, I’ve been keeping the original videos in my external hard drive. And around August of the same year, a number of YouTubers started accusing me of spitting out the food or even throwing up after I shoot.
…But the thing is, I take a big bite and drink coke to wash down the food in my mouth. A lot of my viewers like watching me take big bites. And drinking coke after a big bite became a bit of a habit for me. I’m literally just picking my teeth to make sure nothing is stuck there. And then I wipe my lips with a wet wipe. I don’t know why people are playing Sherlock Holmes. But I’ve never spat any of my food out.
While her channel and the number of her subscribers didn’t take the biggest hit, the scandal did leave “muk-baet” (or “spitting out”) tagged to Moon Bok Hee’s name for as long as she continued making videos.
Moon Bok Hee’s YouTube channel as of 2024. | @Eatwithboki/YouTube
Fast forward to 2024, though, Moon Bok Hee has pursued new content that has since gotten rid of all accusations.
I was so nervous about this first livestream, but I had so much fun! Hehe. I somehow ended up dressing up to match the ice cream. That was nice, huh? Thank you so much for watching late into the night. FYI, I did clean up the bean paste stew that I spilled.
— Moon Bok Hee
As of March 29, an unedited “full video” of her first live stream was released on her channel—showing every second of her demolishing a plate of sushi and a bowl of kimchi udon, as well as a half dozen Krispy Kreme donuts and a plate of strawberries.
[Video could not be displayed]
Her subscribers, and even non-fans, are celebrating the YouTuber’s exploration of live streaming and showering her with support for finally putting an end to the scandal.
| theqoo “It was the weirdest how people were so upset about her editing. It’s not like mukbangs are documentaries. Not all moments need to be raw and unedited. Mukbangs aren’t even serious content. It’s for fun. But people got so heated, it was like watching a new cult be formed. I think it was because Bok Hee is good-looking and successful. People made up the stupidest reason to pick on her.” “I like how she eats without making a mess.” “Some of her haters are still out there, demanding the original videos for her older content. She explained that she deleted those originals and shared what she could, but no. Haters will not stop.” “She doesn’t make a mess when she’s eating, and she eats a lot of veggies. I like her. Haha.” “I like Bok Hee because she eats well, and she’s good-looking.” “Her channel is the best when I’m on a diet. It’s like she lets me eat vicariously. Her big bites are the most satisfying.” “She’s gorgeous. And she eats well.” “She’s my favorite mukbang YouTuber!” “She’s one of my favorites… I love that she doesn’t make a mess when she’s eating. Hwaiting, Bok Hee!” “I never understood why people got so upset about her possibly spitting out her food. LOL. Like, so what if she does spit it out? It’s not like that’s illegal. I mean, if people were actually worried that she might be throwing up after shooting the videos… They would’ve expressed it differently. But it wasn’t about that all, was it? Also, Bok Hee’s videos were never about finishing a lot of food. She was more about taking big bites of food without making a huge mess. So… I’m glad she’s still getting a lot of views. I watch her channel from time to time, too.” “I love her, too. It’s so satisfying how she eats so well without making a mess. And her personality is actually so charming. I hope she keeps doing these livestreams. Haha.”
Watch the full video here.
