I wanted to prove my worth
I started as an online eating host last year. Usually, I eat takeout food because it looks more appetizing.
I am a homemaker and mother of a 22-month-old boy.
I have a lot of free time, and just taking care of my son is a little boring.
So, in order to prove my worth, I began doing something meaningful.
I like spicy food, desserts and fresh food. I will happily line up for two hours to buy baoshifu cake, a popular brand nationwide.
I am the kind of person who doesn't gain too much weight, even after eating sweet things, so I decided to try online eating.
I have three ways of making money: by advertising for food companies; through fan payments; and by promoting slimming products through my WeChat business. I make enough to support myself, though I spend most of my earnings on food.
At first, my family could not understand why I was doing this, but they accepted it after they realized that I have many fans and can earn good money.
The first video I posted online showed me eating a towel roll, a popular Chinese dessert.
I didn't buy it specifically for the video, only to satisfy my appetite, but as I like watching eating broadcasts, I decided to shoot a video.
I would have eaten it anyway, whether I was being filmed or not.
That video wasn't a success. I decided to change to spicy foods, such as hot pot, and now I have 314,000 followers.
Many broadcasters are known as "big stomach kings" because they can eat a lot.
I am not one of them.
Though I eat more than usual, I generally don't eat enormous amounts like they do.
Also, I think my table manners and facial expressions are less exaggerated than theirs.
Though I don't mean to overeat during the videos, I still feel really full and a little sick every time I make one. I realize that I still overeat every time, just to attract more fans.
Since I became an eating host, I have been really happy to eat privately, without a camera.
Now, when it comes to lunch, I don't think about food, but how to make a more popular video.
I don't have a favorite dish, because since I took up this career, I eat so many different kinds of food.
If I had to choose, though, I would opt for food from Changde, Hunan, my hometown. For example, I like to mix rice with sauce, which is my native cuisine. That way, I can eat two bowls of rice in one meal.
I am a little fatter than I was, so now I often work out at the gym to lose weight.
I plan to continue my eating career; after all, it provides a stable income.
Cao Ting spoke with Li Hongyang.
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