14 DAY TRIAL // A woman in South Korea has managed to find a very imaginative way to bring home the bacon, and it all boils down to eating it (plus other treats) in front of a webcam for about three hours each day.
In a video report, Reuters details that this woman is called Park Seo-yeon. She used to work as a consultant but, shortly after she got into the business of letting others watch her stuff her face, she quit this rather tedious job.
The woman now makes about $9,000 (€6,579) each and every month by doing nothing except eating.
It may very well be that she has to spend some money on buying ingredients for the food she consumes in front of the camera, but odds are she still makes a fairly hefty profit.
The woman is known as The Dive in the online community, and several thousand people log in to watch her eat every day she goes to work.
Apart from chatting with her while she is busy eating, these viewers send Park Seo-yeon virtual bubbles that translate into money.
The woman suspects that her show is this successful because it helps people feel less alone, and because it brings some comfort to those who, for one reason or another, cannot gulp down loads of food.
“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 says.
“Loneliness is another crucial factor. The show is addictive as you can communicate with thousands of people at home,” she adds.
What's interesting is that The Diva is not the only person to make a living by eating and letting others watch her while doing so.
Thus, it is estimated that some 3,500 food-eating shows are now up and running on the Internet, and that some of them are actually sponsored by restaurants.
This craze is referred to as gastronomic voyeurism, and appears to be gaining lots of popularity in South Korea.
Check out Reuter's report in the video below, and share your thoughts on this craze in the comments section below.
