Southern Fried Asian returns with a brand new episode to kick off the new year! Joining the show is Los Angeles Times reporter and Nashville native, Frank Shyong!

Frank and Keith discuss the mystery of non-existent Southern accents (1:30) and how growing up in the South has made him comfortable being an outsider (4:00). Then, Frank talks about a recent column in the LA Times in which he wrote about growing up in Nashville and reconnecting as an adult with the food he scorned as a child (7:00). They also spend a significant amount of time talking about the merits of American Chinese food (15:00), what celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern calls "horseshit Chinese." Later, they assess the phenomenon that is Subtle Asian Traits and how it's defining Asian-ness for a whole generation -- for good or ill (22:00) and how they came to Asian pop culture through the nascent days of the internet (32:00). Finally, Frank reminisces about his favorite American Chinese dish, egg foo young, as well as his obsession with Sonic Drive-In (41:00).

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Our official theme music is the song "Top Down" by  Chops, Timothy Flu, and Mic Barz. 

Southern Fried Asian is produced by Keith Chow and Jes Vu.