Meaning:

    “走” means to “walk,” “吃” is to “eat,” and “族” refers to a group of people sharing similarities. Literally, this phrase means “people who eat as they walk.” In fact, this term refers to those who eat unpacked fruits and other snacks that are not sample food in supermarkets. This group of people have come under attack in the Chinese media after they were found sampling everything in American supermarkets.

    Example:

    A: 昨天我在沃尔玛看到两个走吃族，让人叹为观止。

    Zuótiān wǒ zài wò’ěrmǎ kàndào liǎnggè zǒuchīzú, ràng rén tànwéi-guānzhǐ。

    I met two self-imposed supermarket food samplers at Walmart yesterday. They made a shocking scene.

    B: 怎样？

    Zěnyàng?

    What happened?

    A: 两个大姐，打开包装好的一袋李子，边挑边吃，完全不在意其他顾客鄙夷的目光。

    Liǎnggè dàjiě, dǎkāi bāozhuāng hǎo de yīdài lǐzi, biāntiāo biānchī, wánquán bù zàiyì qítā gùkè bǐyí de mùguāng。

    Two middle-aged women tore open a pack of plums, picked as they ate, completely ignoring the sneers from other customers.