Videos and reels of people eating ice are a question you may be asking yourself, and wondering if this is some kind of anaemia fetish? No, it is not, but no one’s judging if you are; ice eating is classified as ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Responses), which are full-body tingles caused by external triggers such as ‘slime play,’ soap cutting, and slurping sounds of food. The social media feed is full of videos with thumbnails of ladies biting on frozen blocks of ice, ice in the shape of chips, ice as nachos, and more that will make your teeth hurt just looking at them, or you may crave it. However, upon closer investigation, you realise that these are no ordinary ice cubes; most of those presented are only partially frozen, resulting in thin, crispy exteriors and liquid centres, and they truly look like they would be enjoyable to consume. You never know when a trend starts in one corner of the world and spreads like wildfire, and weird videos are always breaching the internet. Another weird trend appears to have swept over social media. Some videos have leaked online showing individuals crunching on ice. This new fad is known as 'ice chips', but how did this particular trend emerge, and why are people so into it?
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Rise Of Eating ‘Ice Chips’ For An ASMR Crunch
People using the Vine-like Chinese video-sharing app Kwai have been submitting thousands of videos of people eating ice chips or crunchy ice with the hashtag 'chi bing', which means 'eats ice'. The cold craze is part of a new wave of autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR), which uses sounds to create relaxing feelings. For other people, the impulse to chomp on ice is overpowering, to the point that they inform their doctors. But does this have a name, and is it a disorder or disease? Well, the answer to that is this compulsive ice-chewing is actually known as pagophagia and has long been assumed to be caused by severe iron shortage, or anaemia, though experts aren't sure why. However, a new study published in the journal Medical Hypotheses suggests that ice chewing boosts alertness in anaemic people, similar to the cerebral jolt you get from a morning cup of coffee.
But that is not the case here because the entire world cannot suffer from pagophagia, right? Many of the ice-eating Instagram postings originated as Kwai videos. These posts are generating thousands of views and likes. The ice isn't limited to simple frozen water. Some videos show frozen milk desserts with chocolate. Many of the ice-eating Instagram postings originated as Kwai videos, and these posts are now generating thousands of views and likes. The ice is not restricted to just frozen water, and some videos show frozen milk desserts with chocolate and so much more.
Creative Takes On The ‘Ice Chips’ ASMR Trend
The ice in the videos is in the shapes of flowers, triangles, stars, cones, rods, and even creatures. While it's interesting to watch people eat ice, there's also a competitive element in which the participants aim to eat the ice as quickly as possible. Watching people chew ice may seem like an odd way to spend your time, but individuals who are sensitive to ASMR sounds may find it extremely pleasurable. Several Instagram accounts have been dedicated to these multicoloured ice-eating movies, and many people have uploaded them individually as well. Instagrammers have already become huge fans, and it appears to be their go-to activity for staying cool.
Ice chips and ice chewing have somehow turned into this curiously fulfilling, almost addictive craze, where the crunch element becomes the major attraction, and creativity takes over in the simplest ways possible, because anyone can do it without any actual skill. People are literally eating ice snacks by pairing crushed ice with flavoured syrups or aloe vera dips, or simply pouring cold water over ice cubes and crunching into them for that sharp, refreshing bite, making it less about food and more about texture and sound.