Foreign & National

Hi friends, we’re back and kicking off Season 3 with an interview with our friend Saadia Khan from the Immigrantly Podcast. Saadia is an immigrant in America who has worked with UN women through civil society organizations and has her Master’s in Human Rights. We talk about intersectional feminism, the struggle and benefits to include women in global negotiation tables, her perspective on racial justice in America, and more.

We close out Season 2 reflecting on our experience making this podcast for the past 20 episodes and 8 quick takes. No frills, no fluff, just genuine conversation about what’s been fun, what we’ve learned, the story of how this podcast started, and our excitement for the future. We can’t wait to see where this podcast goes and thank you to everyone for your support! We’re going to be taking a break for the next 3 weeks! We’ll see you all back here on May 31st!

Indian Standard Time - the reason why your Indian friend was “30 seconds away” 42 minutes ago. It’s basically hereditary for Indian people to show up late to an event. This Quick Take we talk about why we're always late, how you never want to be the first one to a college "networking event" (party), and a conspiracy theory about why Indian parents always took us late to get-togethers.

This one is for all the people who love flavor and spice in their foods. This week we’re talking about Sriracha, one of the most popular and hyped hot sauces over the past decade. We talk about where Sriracha started from, how it became adopted by chefs and local restaurants, to its place amongst a growing hot sauce cultural trend.

Want to suggest an episode idea or share your own story? Find us on Twitter/IG (@foreignandnatl) or email us at  [email protected]!

Sujan Sarkar is a world-renowned chef who’s worked in and opened restaurants in Delhi, London, Dubai, New York, SF, Chicago, and more. This week, we sit down with him and ask him how food cultures differ in parts of the world, what diners expect from their dining experiences today, and how the job of a chef and restaurant founder has expanded to match trends like other industries.

1 victorious hero against 20 defeated villains. 1 punch that makes goons fly back 30 yards. Curving bullets out of a gun. Bolly-Holly-wood stunts are nothing short of ridiculous and nonsensical, and that’s why we love them so much. In this Quick Take we laugh about some of our favorite most insane stunts from these movie industries.

We’re starting a series called “The Brands & Culture Series,” where we’ll intermittently do (not-so) deep-dives on brands that have influenced cultures around the world. This week we start with a brand that hits home: Fair & Lovely, by Unilever. It’s a product that’s the most pervasive in a still-growing skin-lightening industry worldwide. We talk about how big this brand is, the colorist ideals it helped propagate, and indirectly give product reviews from our experiences using it as kids (hint: -1/5 stars).

Want to suggest an episode idea or share your own story? Find us on Twitter/IG (@foreignandnatl) or email us at [email protected]!

At one point, the Indian farmers’ protest had an estimated 250 million protestors, making it one of the largest in history. In this episode we discuss the high-level dynamics of this protest, from the context surrounding it, to the different viewpoints about it, and to its disappointing lack of media coverage in America (though shout out Rihanna).

Want to suggest an episode idea or share your own story? Find us on Twitter/IG (@foreignandnatl) or email us at [email protected]!

WHY. DOES. SAYING. BYE. TAKE. FOREVER??? In this Quick Take we talk about the 3 hours it takes our family friends to say goodbye (read: have an excuse to keep hanging out). Vibhu still thinks we should teach our parents to Irish goodbye. Shan still doesn't know what that is.

How open are you about your culture at home when you’re outside with the majority population? Do you ever feel like a different person in your home vs outside? This week we sit down and talk about how we used to silo our Indian and American cultures, what made us so uncomfortable being Indian at school, and introducing our parents to Western pop culture. Plus we give some good TV show recommendations.

Want to suggest an episode idea or share your own story? Find us on Twitter/IG (@foreignandnatl) or email us at [email protected]!