Autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR, is a sensation that is often hard to describe and the experience is something that Hong Kong YouTuber Martin Kuok wanted to share with his viewers.
Kuok, who runs the channel MAR ASMR, a hybrid of ASMR and mukbang, where the presenter eats a certain amount of food in front of the camera.
“I searched ‘Hong Kong ASMR’ on YouTube before, but I can mainly find myself and one or two other people doing ASMR eating videos,” he told South China Morning Post.
Kuok admitted that the ASMR trend is “very hard to explain in words.”
Before starting his channel, Kuok said that he often watched ASMR in the evening before sleeping, claiming that the videos help him relax and he finds satisfaction in watching them.
Kuok explained that the whole process usually takes about two hours every day. He cooks what he wants to eat in front of the camera, records, eats and finishes his meal. He then edits and uploads the videos on YouTube and Instagram.
Kuok also noted that he usually shoots his videos during mid-afternoon.
“Hong Kong is very noisy,” he said. “I usually record videos around 2-3 p.m. every day because from 12 -2 p.m. people usually have their lunch. It’s very noisy to me.”
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Kuok has reportedly amassed more than 4 million views on his YouTube channel in less than a year.
“I start making money on YouTube, but just a little bit money,” he said. “It’s not like a full-time job of course, but I hope I can do it (full-time) before 2020.”
In terms of content, Kuok’s main dish that he likes to eat in front of the camera is spicy noodles. He also consumes fruits, sushi, sashimi as well as fast food from McDonald’s.
But eating large amounts of fast food over a long period of time can lead to health problems, which Kuok tackles by preparing a day before.
“If I’m going to eat McDonald’s, I won’t eat much at dinner or I do exercises later to burn the fat and calories,” he said, adding, “I don’t want to get fat.”
Kuok also eats desserts, including cakes…
chocolate bars…
And Nutella-covered bananas.
