The Side Dish

William Butler Yeats once wrote: "There are no strangers here; only friends you haven't yet met." 

In this week's episode we share our worst interactions with these so called "friends". We discuss sliding into DMs, being courted by sexy cultists, whether we are good judges of character, and much more. Notable stories include: Jay befriending an ajumma, Andrew getting trolled abroad, Chris hating Indian scammers, and Aaron meeting a stranger with a foot fetish. The episode concludes with a few "confessions" from Reddit that you won't wanna miss. Enjoy!

06/29/21

In what can only be described as our shittiest episode, the gang shares its gnarliest pee, poo, and barf stories. And yeah, it’s kinda gross! Topics include: waxing hairy assholes, pooping in public restrooms, pissing our pants, the best way to fold toilet paper, developing the ability to puke on-demand, and an ass-whole lot more. Enjoy! 

06/21/21

If you’ve ever wanted to know more about Chris (a.k.a. “the 26-year-old-intern”), this is your chance! Originally published right after he graduated from UCLA in December 2020, this episode is with all seriousness one of our best. In it, Chris recounts his struggles with depression and addiction, subsisting off of Taco Bell and bong rips for the better half of his college career. But in those struggles also lies critical honesty, vulnerability, and ultimately--triumph. We’re proud of our boy, and after you listen to this episode we promise you’ll be too. 

12/29/20

Everyone's back! The podcast reunites for the first time in a couple of weeks to dish about traveling to America, vaccination stories, Andrew's gripes with Seoul city folk, how to deal with a murder of bros, another cringe-y crush story, a traumatizing Tinder date, and much more. Full disclosure: this episode has nothing to do with the actual "Friends" reunion special, but we're gunning for similar numbers. 

06/08/21

The year was 2020. The month: November. Jay was taking Korean classes at Sogang University, the Intern was slogging through his last semester at UCLA, Aaron was learning how to host a podcast, and Seline came on as a special guest. 

You don’t want to miss this legendary rerelease! Not only does it mark the first time Seline and Aaron joined forces on the mic, but it’s also replete with an array of topics: horoscope compatibility, people who suck at communication, first date nightmares, and stories of cheating in high school (don’t lie…you did it too). The stars perfectly aligned for this one, folks. Check out The Side Dish’s fate in the making. 

Original air date: 11/19/20

On this week’s episode, we talk about all things crush-y. For instance, are you the serial crusher or the one getting crushed? What IS crushing, and do you do it as an adult? Jay and Seline discuss the magic, the humiliation, and the ridiculousness of crushing with friends of the podcast Elaine Shin and Elena Kim. We dish on being late bloomers, obsessing over strangers at WeWork, and how at the end of the day, reality will never live up to the fantasies we construct in our minds. We end the episode with a heated discussion on how Balto the dog is hot af and discover that all our childhood celebrity crushes were basic ass white men.

05/11/21

Living in a human body means having hang-ups about your physical appearance -- that's just the rules of science! In this episode, special guest Khloe Kim visits the studio to discuss how these insecurities manifest individually and how to live with them. We touch on the differences between Korean and American beauty standards, insecurities in the "face department," bloated stomachs and flat butts, the merits of plastic surgery, and more. We conclude the episode with how we perceive our bodies when dating and looking for sexual or romantic validation. 

05/04/21

What makes something cool? Subversiveness? Ironic detachment? Chain-link wallets and nautical tattoos? In this week’s episode, we unpack the aesthetics of cool and rate things ranging from virginity and Russian literature, to pilates and Elon Musk. We also touch on indie rock and hip hop, mainstream skateboard trends, those people who always have cracked phone screens, and debate whether California is, indeed, the coolest U.S. state. 

04/27/21

Korea has changed a lot over the last 21 years. In other respects, it’s stayed exactly the same. Join us as we compare our childhood impressions of Seoul (either visiting or living here) to what it’s become today: a pretty awesome place to call home! Topics include: hiking culture and horny grandmas, the dark side of hailing a taxi after 12AM, Seline’s sexy (“I like to dress like a slut”) fashion sensibilities, the conveniences of Korean apartment living, and how Andrew is either really good at making older friends, or is being seduced by a cult. 

04/20/21

As opposed to parents or friends, your siblings are typically the people who have known (and will know) you for the longest time. And yet, there’s a neglected discourse surrounding the impact siblings have on each other, whether through the power of birth order, gender dynamics, or serving as role models or rivals. Join our conversation with Elaine Shin as we reminisce about shared living quarters, shit-stained road trips, and our favorite childhood movies.

We also debate whether you’d help your siblings bury a dead body. 

04/13/21