Chinese influencer's mukbang video leads to suspicions she ate a great white shark
Some of these influencers take things to the next level with their content...
The Mukbang (eating show) craze is real, but we have noticed that it is on steroids in many Asian countries.
The meaning of Mukbang is, "an online audiovisual broadcast in which a host consumes various quantities of food while interacting with the audience." (Wikipedia)
Can we just say that we can understand why this isn't popular in SA. Watching someone consume large amounts of food in a country where poverty is still prevalent, yeah, not ideal...
But what is shocking is that a Chinese influencer has recently come into the firing line for a piece of meat she showcased preparing and eating.
According to a report from the South China Morning Post, local authorities in southwest China are investigating an influencer on suspicion of eating an endangered great white shark in a video.
If it sounds too crazy and weird to be real, then you have to watch the video of her.
From going to what looks like a market to examine the shark, and transporting it home, she is overly ecstatic.
And honestly it feels all a bit too weird for us.
The influencer is known as Tizi and she has over "7.8 million followers on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. The video reportedly showed the streamer eating a 50kg (110 pound) fish that some believed to be a shark and saying, "This is so yummy" in Mandarin." (Business Insider)
Great White Sharks are considered a 'vulnerable' species and any form of trade with these sharks requires a special permit. "The unlawful trade of wildlife products is punishable by fines or prison terms in China, according to the nation's wildlife protection laws."
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After being reported by viewers to the authorities, it was revealed that the authorities confirmed that it is in fact a great white in Tizi's video.
Tizi denied buying the animal unlawfully. She has since deleted her Douyin account and taken down videos of her eating other questionable things after receiving criticism.
She has also been known to host extreme eating challenges and consumed other rare animals such as ostrich and crocodile.
WATCH the video clip below, courtesy of YouTube.
Not for sensitive viewers.
Image Courtesy of YouTube