The food-show craze

SOUTH KOREAN men do less housework than those in any other advanced country. But Son Cheol-ju, a 40-year-old businessman, says he has overcome his “fear of the kitchen” thanks to a television show called “Mr Paek’s Home Cooking”, which started airing in May. It is full of nifty tips. When preparing a bubbling pot of kimchi jjigae, (a delicious, fiery stew of fermented cabbage), Mr Son now uses only water that has been used to wash rice, which makes it taste even better.

“Mr Paek’s Home Cooking” is the latest of a host of new food shows in South Korea. “What Shall We Eat Today?” follows two male novices in the kitchen who do away with recipes and measurements. In “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator”, chefs use basic ingredients from the fridges of Korean celebrities to rustle up dishes in 15 minutes. “Three Meals A Day” is set in mountains and remote fishing villages; guests must forage and harvest to prepare dinners from scratch. Soaps, variety shows and even news bulletins are offering up food scenes. “My Chef from the Star” (taking its name from a hit drama of 2013) is about the stars of these cookbang, or cooking broadcasts.

Many South Koreans also enjoy mokbang, online “eating broadcasts” that live-stream ordinary people gorging on heaps of takeout food. Viewers, sometimes in the thousands, interact with their favourite eaters in real-time, messaging them and sending online donations. The most entertaining noodle-slurpers can earn up to $1,000 in a three-hour stint. Some are obese teenagers; others are petite women. Dieting viewers say the appeal is vicarious gluttony; for the lonely, it is company. Though ever more South Koreans live alone, eating alone remains taboo (shikgu, Korean for family, means “mouths to feed”).

All this culinary entertainment may be having an effect. Lotte Mart, a department store, says that sales of salt, sauces and spices have shot up over the past 12 months; it has also sold 72% more woks and 63% more kitchen utensils. Men’s cooking classes have multiplied.

But Hwang Kyo-ik, who hosts a talk show called the “Wednesday Gourmet Club”, thinks Korean food fever is a symptom of widespread unhappiness amid the country’s economic doldrums. Most of the shows are less about cookery than about enjoyment, he observes. Many South Koreans have neither the time nor the means to dine elegantly. Mokbang and cookbang offer them a feast for their eyes, at least.