It's just about summer! And whether you're flying out somewhere amazing or just looking for a new book to get lost in, we have a fantastic list of books by Asian Authors!

I called upon my friend Sarah-Soonling to help co-host and we chatted with 5 authors about their books and also got some of their recommendations for books you should read!

To see the complete list, go to our blog https://infatuasian.com/blog 

Special thanks to: Weike Wang, Mike Chen, Lisa Lee, Kirstin Chen, and Vanessa Hua for giving us their recommendations!

Write to us at [email protected], and follow us @infatuasianpodcast. Check out our website https://infatuasian.com/

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by @invictusquartet

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

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The Khmer Rouge almost rid the world of Cambodian rock, but it lives on in the band Dengue Fever. Founded by two American brothers and powered by the voice of Khmer American immigrant Chhom Nimol, Dengue Fever performs songs influenced by the musicians who are mostly gone.

Go see Dengue Fever live in San Francisco on June 20, 2026, at the Chapel. Find more tour stops at https://denguefevermusic.com  or at their Instagram @denguefevermusic  

Dengue Fever songs played in this episode:

"A Thousand Tears of A Trantula" (Escape from Dragon House)

"Tiger Phone Card" (Venus on Earth)

"Sni Bong" (Escape from Dragon House)

"Family Business" (Cannibal Courtship)

Check out our website www.infatuasian.com and write to us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠, and please follow us on social media @infatuasianpodcast 

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

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Asians are at a significantly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than the general population. Dr. Jonar De Guzman specializes in coaching Asians to reverse insulin resistance with lifestyle changes. I learned a lot and had a great time chatting about working on living a healthier lifestyle!  I know you will learn something if you listen to this episode!

Learn more @reversediabetesdoc on social media, or Dr. Jonar's coaching website https://4truthhealthcoaching.com/. Check out his podcast Glass Half Healthy wherever you listen to podcasts!

Check out our website for podcast updates as well as all our older episodes at www.infatuasian.com  or write to us at [email protected]

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)

#asianpodcast #asianamerican #infatuasian #representationmatters

I had a really fun time chatting with Cassandra Lam, the co-founder of Mama Lam's, a maker of authentic Malaysian sauces. Visiting from Queens, New York, Cassandra and her husband, Ken, joined me @onwaverly 's Clubhouse to share their origin story as well as their favorite ways to eat Mama Lam's sauces!

You can get Mama Lam's sauces online or perhaps locally at a store near you! Check out https://mamalams.com/ to find out where. 

Come check out our new website www.infatuasian.com and see what's new at the pod! Follow us @infatuasianpodcast on social media, or write to us at [email protected]

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by @invictusquartet

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

#asianpodcast #asianamerican #infatuasian #representationmatters

A few weeks back, we set up a few microphones in a little corner of the On Waverly Book and Gift Shop in SF Chinatown, and we interviewed whoever showed up! What a fun day! We did about 10 interviews in 90 minutes, on a whole range of topics. I definitely want to try to do another one of these!

Special thanks to my guests: @jennmchoi, @xirimpi, @kayhuixin, @leogong (@sfmolum), Kenric, @_natejlee, @h_k_c_c_6_0_3, @heycynthiahuie, Jonathan, @kachoo11 . Thanks to the staff @onwaverly, @avabava13, and my daughter Noelle and her friend Kaitlyn for helping me set up and take pictures. 

Check out our new website!  https://infatuasian.com/ follow us on social media @infatuasianpodcast or write to us at [email protected]

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

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

#asianpodcast #asianamerican #infatuasian #representationmatters

Olivia has done more before the age of 21 than most of us do in our entire lives. Currently a Junior at Harvard, she started a non-profit called @cancerkidsfirst, she's written a book, given a TED Talk, and she was the youngest person named to the 2026 Forbes' 30 under 30 list. Olivia was a real joy to speak with, and I can't wait to see what she does next!

Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviazhangofficial or @livviazhang on TikTok. Get her book "YOUth: The Young Person’s Guide to Starting a Nonprofit" wherever you get books.

You can let us know your thoughts at: [email protected], or via direct message on Instagram and Facebook @theinfatuasianpodcast, and now also check out our website https://infatuasian.com/

Our Theme:

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The Chase Center in San Francisco is one of the City's newest and greenest buildings. It is the basketball home of the Warriors and Valkyries, and it is also LEED Gold Certified, which means it meets the highest standards of sustainability. Making sure employees and fans are able to enjoy the game with minimal negative environmental impact is Kayla Hidayat, Chase Center's Sustainability Coordinator. We had a chance to sit down and chat about some of the things that make the arena so "green!"

Learn more at https://chasecenter.com/sustainability/ or @chase_center on social media. 

As I always mention, you can write to us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠, and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast Check out our NEW website https://infatuasian.com Let me know what you think of it! (it's a work in progress)

Our cold open is by @cornerclubofficial. Our theme, “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios, was arranged and performed by @invictusquartet

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

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

I can sleep a little better at night knowing that SF City Attorney David Chiu and his team are looking out for our rights and seeking justice. We had a fun chat with David about a wide range of topics, from the historical San Francisco roots of birthright citizenship to the ongoing fight to protect immigrants and some of the City's most vulnerable.  

You can learn more about David @davidchiu.sf on social media or over at his website sfcityattorney.org

Write to us at [email protected], and follow us @infatuasianpodcast on socials. Please give us a rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. 

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by @invictusquartet

We got asked if we could do a quick episode with director/writer John W. Kim about the film Reunion, which premieres in Beverly Hills next week on April 16th. And if you know me, I hate saying no to artists trying to get the word out about their projects, so we agreed to do a quick episode as a side dish.

Once we got on the call, John got on a bit of a roll speaking about all sorts of things. He emailed me after and apologized for rambling on a bit because it isn't often he gets interviewed by fellow Asians. So instead of editing this down, I decided to leave it pretty much uncut, because it captures something raw and unfiltered in a way no other interview John has done has. 

Go see Reunion in theaters if it comes near you; it really is fun. It's playing at the world-famous TCL Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd on 4/16, and in Monterey Park on 5/03 at the LAAPFF. I promise you, you'll have a good time. 

Follow the film @reunion.movie and follow John @jkinstant

Thanks for listening, and we'll be back with a new episode next Wednesday!

We had another epic battle of culinary titans over @Onwaverly on March 21st! In another joint production with @worstqualitycrab, we presented 16 of the most iconic Asian dishes from around the world. Since we did all Chinese dishes last year, this year we did Asian dishes from outside of China, and we had some really tough battles. Our live studio audience did not disappoint, providing commentary, energy, and most importantly, the votes to declare a winner!

This year, we partnered with some local producers of great products to sample or to give away as prizes to make the night really special. We were treated to @drinkapisol with refreshing honey seltzers, @mamalams yummy Malaysian sauces, @lunarbakerysf with some delicious baked tarts, @luluasiankitchen with some of their just-released frozen dumplings, and @heydoh.co with their small batch soy sauces. 

Special thanks to @xirimpi Hannah Chea (Miss SF Chinatown 2025) and @imadoniseats Adonis (Food recommender and culture keeper) for coming by and chiming in as well!  Shout out to the On Waverly staff, Sharon, Sean, and Jonathan, for staying open late with us!  Also, thanks to Steve, Suki, and Christy for doing odd jobs to make the night go smoothly! 

Pictures from: The team at Lunar Bakery SF and Alisa Wong.  Graphics compliments of Sam at Worst Quality Crab

I hope you enjoy this episode, and we really hope you'll be able to join us in person next year!  

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)

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