Meet the ‘big stomach’ internet celebrities behind China’s live-stream eating craze
Heilongjiang native Hu Tongtong is a record-devouring competitive eater whose ability to consume enough food to feed a family has made her an online celebrity
“Hello everyone! I’m Tongtong, the big stomach.”
Smiling into the video camera, 25-year-old Hu Tongtong is dwarfed by mountains of food. Today, it might be 200 dumplings. Tomorrow, perhaps 93 eggs, or several dozen kebabs.
As the camera rolls, the 43.5kg Heilongjiang native consumes enough food to satisfy a large family, pausing only briefly to wash down her meal with a soft drink or water.
Introduced from South Korea and Japan in recent years, “eating broadcasts” have rapidly gained popularity in China. The hosts are nearly all young, slim women. Some attract audiences with their exaggerated expressions and gestures, others are known for using quirky ways to make food, while those like Hu raise eyebrows because of their bottomless stomachs.
Hu’s single-sitting consumption records include 93 eggs, 200 dumplings, 76 egg tarts, 5kg of hamburgers and 48 lamb kebabs.
At an eating competition held in Chongqing in May, Hu chalked up a convincing victory over her four rivals – three men and one woman – by eating 17 bowls of noodles in 10 minutes. The rest of the pack struggled to finish between five and seven bowls each.