I bet by the time you finish this episode you'll be ready to head to the backyard to do some gardening! Connie's enthusiasm and sheer joy when talking about growing Asian fruits and vegetables is positively contagious!

Get her book, Your Asian Veggie Patch, wherever you get books. It is a beautiful and informative guide to growing and cooking Asian vegetables. You can also follow Connie on Instagram @connieandluna (listen to the episode to find out who Luna is!)

As I always mention, you can write to us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠, and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast 

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

Cover Art and Logo designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half the World)

#asianvegetables #gardening #yourasianveggiepatch #gardeningbooks #asianauthor #asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #infatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian  #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

This episode took me a while to get to!  We actually recorded this in July of 2024, but it was a beast to edit, so it had been on my to-do list for a long long time.  I hope it is worth the wait!

Elaine, Mandy, Ben, Alexa, and I drove around SF for 3 hours trying some of San Francisco's most famous Asian to-go foods.  And they did not disappoint! 1) We started in Chinatown at Golden Gate Bakery for their famous daan taats which were flakey and creamy.  2) Next we went to the Tenderloin for a Saigon Sandwich banh mi, which is the best value meal in San Francisco. 3) Our third stop was Dumpling Home in Hayes Valley, for some sheng jian baos, that had the perfect combination of crispy, pillowy, salty, fatty, and a little sweet, it's such a good bite of food! 4) From there we headed into the fog of the Inner Sunset, for some Rose Indian Cuisine vegetarian samosas.  The crunchy exterior and favorable soft interior was such a great afternoon snack. 5) We headed back towards my hometown and ended our journey at Fil-Am in Daly City for some perfect lumpia Shanghai and some lumpia turon (banana lumpia).  Talk about a strong finish!  I hope you enjoy our ASMR lumpia experience!

All in all a fantastic day.  We kept it under $60 for this tasting adventure, and believe it or not, all 5 of us got pretty full off of that small expenditure! 

Special thanks to Ben who dropped us off and picked us up at each location! There's no way we would have made it if we had to park each time.  Also special thanks to ALEXA!  Alexa did some fantastic research and presented her facts like an absolute pro!  Mandy did our photography, and Elaine did a lot of the ordering (and paying) for us!  It was truly a team effort!!!

I hope you enjoy this episode.  Let me know if you want us to try any restaurants in the Bay Area, the team is definitely ready to head out again!

As I always mention, you can write to us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠, and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast 

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

Cover Art and Logo designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half the World)

#sanfranciscofood #foodcrawl #asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #infatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian  #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

I love that we've been doing this podcast long enough to have repeat guests!  It's been two and a half years since Weike's last book came out, and we talked with her about it back then.  Weike's newest novel Rental House is out December 3rd, 2024, and we're pumped that we got to speak with her last week!

This book is about an interracial couple in their mid-30's who rent a vacation home in Cape Cod, and spend a week with each of their parents/in-laws.  Keru's parents are Chinese immigrants, while Nate's are anti-vaxing Trumpers.  Both sets of parents have strong opinions and peculiar idiosyncrasies. If you've ever been on an awkward vacation with extended family, this book will ring very true!

Get Rental House, wherever you get books. It's a perfect read before your holiday gatherings! Follow Weike @weikewang on social media

As I always mention, you can write to us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠, and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast 

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

Cover Art and Logo designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half the World)

#asianauthor #bookstagram #RentalHouse #WeikeWang #LiteraryFiction #asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #infatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian  #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

It's Thanksgiving Week here in 'Merica, so we're taking a week to add a layer of insulation for our winter months by overindulging at the family table!

Here's a replay of our All-Star episode with some of my favorite people to have on the pod.  We asked Bill and Kaitlin of The Woks of Life, Kat Lieu author of Modern Asian Kitchen, and Lingjie of the Worst Asian Podcast to rank their favorite Asian dishes.  Bill was our referee and cooking encyclopedia who shared some of his wisdom and insights.

I hope you enjoy listening, perhaps while you're in the kitchen preparing your own family feast!  Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it, and talk to you soon!

PART TWO of this episode aired separately and it's in the archive if you go back to December of 2023, episode 106.

It’s a great day when you get to talk about fight scenes with an expert martial artist, actor, and stunt performer.  We bring back a friend of the program, Jon Xue Zhang!  You know Jon from his portrayal of Blood Boots in the Brothers Sun. Jon has been practicing Kung-Fun since he was 5 years old. He’s appeared in over 35 film and TV projects. For a film lover like me, this was such a joy!  I hope you enjoy it too!

Special thanks to Jon, who took some time out from his busy schedule to jump on a call.  Give Jon a follow over @jonxuezhang on Instagram.  And go watch The Brothers Sun on Netflix!

Fight Scenes we watched together:

Jet Li - Fist of Legend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHGHMd5EUJo&t=217s

Sammo Hung - Pedicab Driver

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUfrszeMu_o

Jackie Chan - Dragons Forever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8DGSQ-EktE

Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi - Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzkhVVFRIIg

As I always mention, you can write to us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠, and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast 

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

Cover Art and Logo designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half the World)

#kungfu #jetli #jackiechan #Sammohung #michelleyeoh #thebrotherssun  #asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #infatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian  #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

Susanna leans into one of her more traumatic experiences with food, getting made fun of for having a smelly lunchbox.  Now, Cantonese and Toi San dishes are a real source of pride. Susanna's website and Instagram page are full of dishes she grew up with.  If you're from the "Village," you must check her site out and cook some of her yummy recipes!

Shout out to our mutual friend Norma (@eatyourchoysf) for introducing us.   Susanna was game to meet in person, so we had lunch and recorded at a new lunch court in South San Francisco, called the Hangar (not sponsored), if you're near Oyster Point go check it out!

Follow Susanna over @smelly.lunchbox or https://smellylunchbox.com/ 

As I always mention, you can write to us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠, and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast 

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

Cover Art and Logo designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half the World)

#cantonesecooking #toisan #asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #infatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian  #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

We woke up early to join our first press junket for the Filipino movie Hello, Love, Again!  We had a quick chat with the movie's director, Cathy Garcia-Sampana.  Direk Cathy is famous in the Philippines for directing some of the biggest rom-coms out of the country. Her 2019 film Hello, Love, Goodbye swept the nation and beyond, and became the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time (at the time).  The film features two of the island's biggest stars Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards. You can watch part one on YouTube.

The sequel: Hello, Love, Again, shows what has happened in the 5 years since Joy (Kathryn Bernardo) walks away from Ethan (Alden Richards). We don't know what to expect, but Direk Cathy says to put on your seatbelts and bring your tissues!

It premiers in select cities on November 15th.  If it's in your town, go buy a ticket and see what finally happened to our favorite love team!

Thanks to Director Cathy and her team at the MRKT Co. for setting this up. Also thanks to: ABS-CBN Studios, GMA Pictures, and Star Cinema

It's time for our annual K-Drama Draft show!  This time we went with a belated Halloween theme.  We'll be picking dramas that have good villains, are a little dark, have an unexpected death, or are filled with blood, zombies or ghosts!

Joining Jennifer and me this week is Lia from the Afternoon Delight Podcast! Afternoona Delight is a fantastic K-Drama show where 3 romance authors break down your favorite K-Dramas and tropes.  Please give them a listen wherever you get podcasts and follow them over @afternoonadelight on Instagram or find their webpage of the same name.

As I always mention, please follow us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, etc... You can write to us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠, and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast 

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

Our outro this week is "Soju Over Ice" by @sonofpaper 

Cover Art and Logo designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half the World)

#kdrama #asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #infatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian  #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

The teacher cohort is back with more Asian ghost stories!  And this time... it's even spookier!  Well maybe not, but we tried.  Listen to the best Asian ghost stories Reddit has to offer, hear about Curtis' mysterious disappearing wallet, and find out if Sammo Hung's former residence is really haunted (spoiler alert:  it is)!

Also included in this episode are:  jets flying over at low altitudes, free legal advice, and tips for avoiding bad things during the Hungry Ghost Festival.

Thanks to my guests Jackie and Vicky!  It's always fun to record "after school" with you guys!  Shout out to Loan for doing her part in keeping the Asian American population growing. 

Do you have an Asian ghost story?  You can send me one and I'll read it on the air next year.  Email us at [email protected], or give a follow or direct message on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast 

Our Theme:

#asianghoststories #halloween #asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #iinfatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

Chef Shirley Chung is going through treatment for tongue cancer.  Her options were to amputate her tongue or go through a more risky and less proven route of treating it with aggressive radiation and chemo.  Being a media star and chef, losing her tongue was not an acceptable option even if it meant more risk.  Shirley and her husband Jimmy ran her restaurant together but they had to close shop while Shirley undergoes treatment.

My sister Caryl and their good friend Andy Wang (the three of them make up the infamous Dumpling Mafia), are doing what they do best, putting on a culinary event, but this time to help their good friend.  So many great chefs and organizations are coming out to support Shirley. It takes place on Sunday, October 27th, 2024.  See my bio for a link to get tickets.

If you're not in the area but would still like to help out, there's an account set up that will get your donations to Shirley.  It's @dumplingmafiaHQ on PayPal.  Please give in whatever way you can, even if it's just sending Shirley your positive healing vibes!