The following content contains spoilers from Season 1, episode 4 of KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! currently streaming on Crunchyroll. While all the KonoSuba girls are arguably quite food-motivated, Megumin's obsession with eating as much as Crimson Demon-ly possible (and for free whenever she can) has to do with the harsh poverty endured during childhood. Megumin and her family are undoubtedly not the only ones suffering as the Crimson Demon Villiage has a surplus of NEETs, whose only worthwhile contribution to society is the occasional monster slaying (not exactly a gold mine).
Fortunately, social constructs within this chuunibyou Clan apparently have very little to do with financial standing; however, that doesn't mitigate the undesirable aftertaste that the fear of starvation has left in Megumin's mouth.
Megumin's Family Dynamics
Megumin is happiest in one of two instances: when she is blowing stuff up or sitting in front of a mound of food (preferably of the gratis variety.) While the insatiable appetite trope is quite common in the anime kingdom, Goku (Dragon Ball Z), Kyojuro Rengoku (Demon Slayer), and Rurune (Fruits of Evolution) just to name a few, Megumin's case is arguably a side effect of her childhood trauma. No, she isn't being abused; her parents are quite lovely! But the family finances are nothing to boast about, despite their best efforts. Hyoizaburoo takes great pride in his work, which involves crafting quality magical items, while Yuiyui's talents lie in sweet-talking the customers. Their labor is honorable (especially according to the Crimson Demon's exceptionally low standards) but sales are slow, and the burden of feeding the family is primarily left to the kids.
Little Komekko and Megumin spend their days hunting and gathering whatever they can lay their hands on, and if their efforts are unsuccessful, there will be a lot of growling bellies at the dinner table.
"Given that I never have money as a fundamental principle..."
In episode 1 of Explosion on This Wonderful World, the thirteen-year-old Megumin and her younger sister (about four) appear to have struck gold after a prosperous crawfishing excursion and are overjoyed by their huge haul. They even have cicadas to add to the mix! That's enough food to last a couple of days; what bliss!
Money and Power! Or Food?
Following their fishing victory, the girls come across Yunyun on their merry way home and clearly don't realize that she is the Chief's daughter. The fact that Megumin automatically assumes that the stranger's strained expression implies she is hungry speaks levels of Megumin's own stresses in life. As North Korean defector, Yeonmi Park once said:
"When you're hungry, the only thing that matters is your hunger.”
As a young child in her homeland, Park and her sister would also hunt for bugs or small critters for nourishment and were often left alone to fend for themselves for months at a time. Unfortunatley, there is an element of truth to Megumin's lifestyle.
Park also states:
“In the free world, children dream about what they want to be when they grow up and how they can use their talents. When I was four and five years old, my only adult ambition was to buy as much bread as I liked and eat all of it.”
Fortunately for Megumin, the Crimson Demon Village is nothing like North Korea, and so her constant hunger did not get in the way of her ambitions, which include world domination and guzzling as much free food as possible. However, she does maintain that desperate-for-food mentality, extending from An Explosion to God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! (and probably beyond.)
Komekko's Contingency Plans
Despite the hardships, the young girls always seem to have high spirits and do not moan and complain about their problems. Every meal is a cause for celebration, and when their parents bring home the bacon, oh boy! Everyone is in for a treat! Komekko appears to have never seen an egg before the grand feast in Season 1, episode 1, and the fact that they have actual meat on their plates is mindblowing. The wholesome sentiments of this scene skillfully distract from the tragedy of the whole situation. The hungry Kiruko and Maru from Heavenly Delusion, for example, give off a much different vibe whereby the trauma is quite evident.
It's be all bad; Megumin wouldn't have her fluffy familiar if Komekko wasn't left to her own devices (after her sister's enrollment at Red Prison) as she scours the area for foodstuffs, considering the kitty to be a prized source of nourishment. But seriously, imagine being responsible for providing family dinners at the tender age of five! At least Komekko makes some beneficial friendships along her food-finding ventures, such as the unexpected companionship of Lord Hoost (also spelled Host.)
Megumin's Insatiable Appetite
Megumin's "Big Eater" aura is always seen as a running gag in KonoSuba, particularly since her chuunibyou complex refuses to play the victim by confessing that food is scarce at home, explaining why she needs help with meals. And although she is painted as a bully during Yunyun's manipulative recollections of their past (suggesting that Megumin stole her food regularly), technically speaking, that's not the case. Yunyun is constantly instigating the duels and oftentimes Megumin seeks lunch as compensation; it's not her fault she always wins! Ín Season 1, episode 4 of An Explosion on This Wonderful World! Yunyun begins to realize that her rival's obsession with Explosion Magic extends to food as well, as acquiring something to eat is evidently a top priority for the poor girl (no pun intended.)
Even when the conversation veers away from bento boxes and friendship becomes the hot topic, Megumin somehow still manages to fixate on potential munchies. This very same food-motivated mentality is not as predominant in God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!, especially next to Aqua's gluttony. However, Megumin is visibly delighted when she has something to eat, regardless of how disastrous the day's events may have been; if there's enough cash left for a meal, that's fine by this Crimson Demon!