Pass the Poutine

Helen is a Korean Canadian living in Toronto. She shares her story about her struggles with culture, spirituality, and sexuality. Timestamps: Asians in Vancouver been wearing masks (1:40), we met in Vietnam (2:10), life in Korea (4:19), adapting to Canada (7:38), choosing identity (12:00), North Vancouver (13:48), rich kids in West Vancouver (16:00), BIPOC (18:05), first time realizing that you are different because of a culture (19:30), language barrier shame (21:50), Koreans be killing it (23:45), culture, religion and sexuality (25:55), shaving her head to repel men (31:03), accidentally attracting women (34:11), mental breakdown (39:40), single pride (45:50) and more.

Zoey is on the podcast today! We talk: Chinese people in South America (00:40), growing up Asian French (2:45), outcasted by Asian community (6:38), associating more with Black culture than Chinese culture (7:10), model minority (7:40), figuring out identity (8:50), Vancouver helped Zoey embrace her Asian identity (10:00), American wearing Canadian flags in France (12:00), French women (15:00), gender roles (17:58), French people v. Catholicism (19:10), Korean cult mentality (22:08), French peoples opinion on Quebecois (22:43), Assumptions based on race (26:05), culture shocks in Canada (28:32), not needing to speak English in Richmond (29:15), translating for parents (31:20), flaky Vancouverites (32:40), Tinder (34:30), dating Asian men for the first time (42:19), Canadian guys do not approach women in bars (47:35), dating multiple people at the same time (53:25) and more.

Andy Chen, a gym owner, shares his story of how his business during covid19 in Vancouver, BC. Timestamps: Growing up in Waterloo (2:05), going from being a minority to the majority (6:45), differences between Vancouver and Waterloo (8:40), love for fitness and fight club (13:30), opening a crossfit gym (17:20), Asian parents thoughts on son opening a gym (21:35), being a gym owner during the coronavirus pandemic (25:16), gyms could have operated during covid19 this whole time?! (26:20), gym owners thoughts on covid19 hitting (30:20), phase 2 (33:25), training through zoom calls (35:10), lending people gym equipment (36:37), how has the pandemic changed the gym industry (42:20) and more.

Robin, host of Rap Nerd Problems and hip hop head, joins me on the show today. Timestamps: Vancouverites love mushrooms (00:40), how do you pronounce Toronto (4:14), Are Vancouverites more proper than Torontonians? (5:08), Moving from Hong Kong to Toronto (13:10), being cool in Asian dominate schools versus non Asian dominant schools (20:15), bring Asian lunches to school (23:00), are Asians cool now? (39:00), dating apps (45:20), hitting on strangers in public (55:35), can women date men they are not physically attracted to? (59:15), Are artists narcissists? (1:16:25), art needs an audience (1:20:14), rap nerd problems (1:21:15) and more.

The Vancouver Vietnamese coalition unite and we talk about pharmacists in the pandemic (1:28), racism against Asians in Vancouver (7:15), eating at restaurants in phase 2 (11:00), social distancing? (12:20), dim sum during a pandemic (14:35), missing friends during the pandemic (17:20), animal crossing (18:40), ranking Viet food (20:32), Vietnamese Canadians rank Viet food (22:50), why Vietnamese food is better in Vietnam (24:05), foods in Vietnam (27:23), pharmacies in Vietnam (32:40), Vietnamese Curry (39:05), top five Viet foods (42:40), snake 7 ways (52:42), tiger penis (54:25), does Alberta have the highest rates of chlamydia (58:30), north and southern Vietnamese (01:06:14) and more.

Alicia is on the podcast today! We talk: Subtle Viet Traits (1:45), Vietnamese people and gambling (2:12), Vietnamese-American abgs (4:06), Vietnamese shame (10:30), What does Asian American even mean (11:45), Vietnamese as a geographic location versus as a culture (16:15), Canadian v Americans (20:20), living in Vietnam (37:10), staring culture in Vietnam (41:00), sex work in Vietnam (54:30), karaoke bars (56:25), loanshark gets money back (1:05:30) and more.

My brothers generously share their story on the podcast today. They recount being drugged as children and put on a boat, spending 30 days at sea before arriving at Hong Kong where they spent the following four years of their lives, and seeing snow for the first time in Canada. Timestamps: The start (1:20), US sanctions (1:55), preparing to escape Vietnam (2:50), getting drugged as kids (3:23), sleeping on a sail boat for 28 days (4:50), asking US ships to take us as refugees (6:20), being stripped naked and hosed down for quarantine (8:40), feels weird sleeping on a bed for the first time in a month (10:20), life in a refugee camp as a 6 year old kid (11:50), fights and stabbings in the refugee camp (12:00), given English names (13:35), refugee camp economic society (15:00), donated toys for refugee children (16:40), interviews to go to Canada (17:50), throwing glass bottles to prevent others from freeloading off television time (19:50), studying for the interview with the United Nations (22:46), getting on an airplane for the first time ever (25:18), arriving in Quebec (25:45), seeing snow in real life for the first time (26:30), falling in love with hockey (28:40), getting bullied in school (29:25), driving from Quebec to Vancouver (33:25), pirates on sea (34:55), PTSD (36:00) and more.

Sia, my European representative is on the show today. We talk tiger King (1:13), redneck culture (3:05), Carole’s reaction to the show (7:55), Joe framed? (16:20), quarantine in Germany (31:20), noodle patrol (33:48), police on horses in Germany (34:45), park closures (38:00), is covid19 a health or political issue (39:15), police state in the grocery store (44:10), quiet hospitals (49:02) and more.