The Side Dish

It’s only natural to ponder the “what ifs” of life. But as we break down in this week’s episode, such ruminations are actually “low energy” thoughts that lead—at worst—to self-pity and regret. So instead, the podcast celebrates decisive moments that, for better or worse, led us all to the present. Topics include: Jay choosing to break up with a long-term girlfriend, the moment Aaron decided to eschew K-Pop, yet another cringe-y story from the 26-year-old intern, and a heartwarming tale from Seline about why the podcast made her cry. 

04/06/21

Once a social work major at NYU, Katie Kim is now a filmmaker finishing her last year at Columbia University’s MFA program. As a highly empathetic and perceptive person, Katie details how her creative process hinges on the simple--yet powerful--premise that beauty and humor can heal both viewers and creators alike. She also talks about what she learned about directing and writing from her two short films (“egg” and “Blue Grey”), her love of Miyazaki, her current feature, and more. Jay, Andrew, and the 26-year-old intern intermittently chime in with movies that make them cry, their favorite musicals, and why Pixar films are quite possibly the apex of cinematic art.

04/06/21

The 26-year-old intern originally pitched this “food draft” idea in a drunken stupor. It sounded pretty low-commitment and fun, plus we were too lazy/drunk to suggest anything better. 

Well, thanks to the intern’s initiative and panache, this dish came out great! We touch on how modernization influenced Korea’s food culture, the utilitarian vs artistic aspects of cooking, whether we ought to eat animals, and how truffle oil makes us go #3. The actual food draft has us arguing over our #1 fast food chains, all-time top Asian foods, savory meals from TV and film, and much, much more. Seline even raps for us! 

03/16/21

This week, Seline, Jay, Chris and Aaron celebrate their podcast friendship by drinking tequila and dishing about--wait for it... friendship! The conversation jumps around from synced up menstrual cycles, our friends not inviting us to karaoke (you know who you are), middle school crushes, and NOT Seline’s love life. We also talk about friendship breakups, that one insufferable guy/girl your friend is dating, and the hottest Disney Prince of all time: Eric. 

Lastly, for listeners who like juicy gossip and friend-on-friend drama: The intern apparently had secret beef with Aaron—did it ever get resolved? Tune in to find out! 

03/30/21

In this episode we sit down to discuss the senseless attacks against Asians in the United States, talking openly about the complicated internal and external reckonings so many Asian Americans are forced to experience under the domain of white supremacy. We especially take time to focus on misogyny against Asian women, and how that comes in the form of sexual abuse and fetishization.

What does it mean to be visible and invisible in the U.S., and how do we move forward in a country that disregards AAPI experiences, despite our so-called "integration" into white society? We stand in solidarity with the families of the victims in Atlanta, and our hearts are with AAPI women, immigrants, and workers who experience the highest rates of violence in our community.

03/23/21

Conspiracy theories have long captured our collective imaginations and, in some cases, even turned out to be true. If you’ve ever wondered where conspiracy thinking stems from, or just want to hear us debate their veracity, then allow us to enter your minds.

Dropping buzz words like “magical thinking”, “intuition”, “malicious intent” and “Ted Bundy’s pajamas”, we come to learn that while some beliefs are benign, others can lead to insidious distortions of reality with real-life consequences.  And yet, they all stem from a very human desire to find meaning in an otherwise chaotic and irrational world. 

03/08/21

Insecurities, selfish impulses, and mean streaks. From childhood, we are taught to repress these Jungian “shadow” traits, conditioned instead to be prosocial in all aspects of life. The problem is, these traits tend to leak out as we get older. 

That’s right, this episode’s all about leakage. 

What triggers our shadow traits and how can we channel them in healthy ways? Join us as we also discuss the kinds of people we dislike/are turned off by, and attempt to understand why we have these feelings to begin with. We get a little vulnerable and reveal our unsavory characteristics. But that's all part of the self-awareness journey. Your shadow can be your friend, if you'll allow it. And after listening to this episode, you should probably address your own leakage too.

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03/09/21

What the hell is a third culture kid (TCK)? Our friend Elena Kim joins us in this episode to discuss her life growing up in many different cultures and eventually ending up in her mother country (Korea). We cover her journey from birth in London, adolescence in Singapore, prep school in Connecticut, college in the American South, and finally, life as a Korean American in Korea. 

Join us as we dish on the tensions between one’s own identity and the identity others presume of us, being branded the “cool Asian” by white peers, sororities, problematic parties, speaking Korean with an American accent, and much more.

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03/01/21

The podcast finally gets that coveted interview with Justin Kim, a bro of many talents. From finance consulting to the startup space, and now embarking on a new phase of his career, he shares what it takes to grow from a finance "bro" to a finance MAN. We also talk about wiping our asses at the end. Enjoy! 

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02/09/21

Friend of the podcast Sol Lee revisits the studio to share the fascinating science of Motivational Interviewing. First developed to rehabilitate unwilling drug addicts, MI has incredible applications to our everyday lives, if we allow maestros like Sol to hypnotize and fix us. Listen to this episode because it will literally change your life! (Or put you to sleep.)

Disclaimer: The demonstration at the episode's end is NOT reflective of MI techniques.

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02/16/21