Voxcali

From its Japanese origins to the rise of “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”, this is how MSG became a controversial seasoning across the United States.

For decades, MSG has always had a controversial reputation in the United States. Diners have blamed it for everything related to feeling sick after eating Chinese food, eventually even leading to the term “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”. Across the country, restaurants have signs advertising "No MSG”, but what exactly is it, why did it become so closely associated with Asian food, and is it actually bad for you?

MSG stands for monosodium glutamate, which is made up of sodium, a salt component, and glutamate, an amino acid that is naturally found in tomatoes, meat, and cheese. MSG is an FDA safe food additive that brings a savory umami taste to a dish and its story begins in Japan.

In 1908, Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese chemist and a professor at Tokyo Imperial University, became fascinated by the savory flavor of kombu dashi, a traditional Japanese broth made from kelp. Ikeda isolated glutamic acid from kombu and determined that it was responsible for a taste that didn't fit into the established categories of sweet, sour, salty, or bitter. He named the taste umami, derived from the Japanese word umai, meaning delicious or savory.

Ikeda came up with a method of combining glutamate with sodium to create a seasoning that could easily be added to food and that following year, businessman, Saburosuke Suzuki II, began commercially producing the seasoning, introducing MSG into Japanese kitchens. Today, MSG is produced through the fermentation of sugar cane, sugar beets, starch, or molasses.

Despite its widespread use, MSG developed a very different reputation in the United States. The controversy can be traced to 1968, when a letter published in The New England Journal of Medicine described symptoms the writer said he experienced after eating at Chinese restaurants. The letter proposed several possible explanations, one of them being high MSG content in the food and from there the collection of supposed symptoms became widely known as "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”. Scientific research, however, has struggled to prove the reputation MSG acquired to be true.

Even though it is associated with Chinese cuisine, MSG is also found in many processed foods, restaurant dishes, and seasonings. Its negative reputation over the years was simply fueled by cultural stereotypes rather than scientific evidence, and when consumed in normal amounts, MSG is considered safe for most people.

As he's finishing up a midnight inspection of the Jack Tang estate, Special Aide Chip Garrison is surprised by armed intruders, forcing him to fight for his life in total darkness.

Tom Kagy (00:01.038)

Hello, this is Tom Kagy with Unconventional Wisdom.

Special aide Chip Garrison is just wrapping up his midnight inspection of Jack Tang's estate when he's interrupted by a pair of intruders.

It quickly becomes apparent that these men know who Garrison is and just want to dispose of him expeditiously. No questions asked.

What ensues is the fight of Garrison's life in total darkness against men who have no trouble seeing him.

This is the second half of the very long chapter seven of Midnight in Karakorum.

Chapter SEVEN

Changing cartridges in the tiny vacuum, Garrison swept the insides of a few pairs that looked like they had actually known feet.  Suddenly his ears felt as though they were giving out.  He could hardly hear the vacuum.  They had been designed to be super-quiet, but they usually emitted a high-pitched whine that he could easily hear.  But now he could hardly hear the whine.  The sound was so faint it felt as though he were merely imagining it.  To check his ears, he rapped his knuckles against the wooden rack.  The rapping was audible but each rap sounded as though it had been cut short, sort of broken in half.  Strange.  He tried it again.  Same effect.  He turned off the vacuum and back on again.  This time he noticed that for a split second the whining sounded almost normal before quickly fading out to near inaudibility.  The unit’s vibration told him it was working all right.  Probably just the strange acoustics in the closet, Garrison told himself without quite believing it. 

He went to the door and turned off the light before opening it.  On a hunch, he turned on the vacuum still in his hand.  The sound was normal.  He turned on the light.  A split second later, the vacuum’s whine diminished down to practically nothing.  The room was equipped with a sound neutralizing device switched to the light.  That explained the furnishings.  Tang had used the closet as a conference room where he could talk without being overheard.  The neutralizer had been designed to neutralize the sounds generated in the closet for the purpose of foiling high-powered directional microphones trained on bedroom windows from the street.  The neutralizer detected sounds and generated waves identical in amplitude and frequency but out of phase, thereby canceling them.  Garrison recalled the intelligence report on Tang’s suspicious overseas calls.  He had had reason to be paranoid.

Garrison flicked off the lights again and opened the closet door.  Damn, it was solid, and heavy, requiring some shoulder to open and close.  Twenty past midnight.  He had spent way too much time in the house.  A few more minutes with the bathroom, then he’d be out of there.  Damn, the bathroom had windows.  He’d have to work darkling again.  He had just pulled out his penlight to rummage through the cabinets under the bathroom counter when he heard footsteps.  They were coming from the stairway, and were getting closer.  Sounded like two men. 

Shit, Garrison thought.  It was too late to slip out of the master suite and get back down past them.  Maybe he would duck back into the closet.  At least he knew its layout.  Worst came to worst, he would just fess up and ask their cooperation in keeping his White House connection quiet. 

Then he heard voices. 

“The fucker’s up there,” one muttered.  He didn’t sound particularly concerned about being heard.  “Right in there.”  He was practically talking in a normal voice.  Whoever they were, they weren’t afraid of him.  They either thought he was harmless or figured they had him trapped and outgunned.  But how could they be so damned sure?

“Yeah, I see him,” a deeper voice said.  “He’s in the bathroom.”

They see me? Garrison thought frantically.  How could they possibly see me?  Then it occurred to him.  Heatscopes.  His body radiated heat, creating a heat signature which could be seen by heat scopes, right through most walls and around corners, like Superman with his X-ray vision.  He couldn’t see them but they could see him as plain as day.  They sure as hell weren’t the local sheriff’s investigators, but he was a fish in a barrel.  Maybe whoever discovered him in the house had called in the nearest S.W.A.T. team.  Time to put an end to this before someone got hurt, most like him.  After all, they were all law enforcement.

“Boys, this is Chester Garrison, FBI,” said Garrison.  “I’ll come out with my hands up and you can check my badge.”  Raising his arms—which their heat scopes would show as clear as day—he took a couple of steps toward the door leading out of the bedroom suite.  That brought him alongside the open closet door, just in case.

There was a brief silence before the deep voiced guy said, “We know who you are, Garrison.  Keep coming.”

Something about the guy’s tone sent a chill down Garrison’s spine.  Law enforcement officers were trained to cut tension, not to raise it, and the guy’s voice was dripping with provocation.  That instant Garrison knew exactly what would happen when he reached that door with his hands up.  He’d get drilled.  If he dropped his hands and grabbed the 9mm in his bag, they’d run up and probably drill him anyway, seeing as how there was nowhere to run.  But at least he’d have a slim chance, as long as there weren’t more than those two.

“Guys, I’m reaching into my bag for my badge, okay?” Garrison said.  Without waiting for a reply he reached in and gripped his SIG-Sauer P220.  The damned thing, with its 9 mm ammo, only nine rounds, felt puny.  Why hadn’t he brought an extra clip?  Better yet, why hadn’t he brought his trusty Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun with 10 30-round magazines loaded with jacketed hollow-point?  And worn his bulletproof vest?

“Bullshit!” said the higher-pitched voice.  The flurry of footsteps told Garrison they were rushing the last few steps. 

They had to be carrying Uzis and wearing bulletproof vests, Garrison thought.  They had come specifically to waste him.  Otherwise nobody was that foolhardy.  In the same instant Garrison whipped out his 9 mm SIG, he slipped around the doorframe and into Tang’s closet.  Then he scrambled to put his shoulder behind the heavy door and pushed it shut.  As he reached for a deadbolt he wasn’t sure was there, Garrison felt the shockwaves from the Parabellum rounds—fired point-blank and from Uzis judging by the 10-per-second rate—against a steel-plated door.  No wonder the damned door had been so heavy.  Yes—there was a deadbolt! He latched it, grateful for Tang’s well-founded paranoia.  His closet was a pocket citadel. 

The next instant the goons were blasting the wall around the door, but that too was steel reinforced.  The steel armor rendered his cellphone useless but would buy him a little time.  Maybe Tang had equipped his desk with a phone.  Nope.  What would have been the point?  He probably figured it would only have gotten tapped like all his other lines.  A justifiably paranoid guy like Tang might have equipped the room with something useful.  It was hard to think with the deafening racket of ordinance slamming steel.  The neutralizer certainly hadn’t been designed to protect people inside the closet from the deafening rattle of gunfire.  Frantically Garrison pulled at the knobs on the drawers of the teak desk.  Maybe he had some stashed firearms, maybe some protective gear.  The drawers didn’t open, probably locked.  On closer inspection he saw they weren’t actually drawers at all, just knobs attached to an artful facade.  Then he notice that one of the knobs pulled out a couple of inches, but nothing happened.  Another knob could be pulled out as well.  Again, nothing.  Garrison tried pulling both at the same time.  The desk began swinging around slowly.  Just in time, Garrison crawled into the well beneath the desk and found himself swinging around to the other side of the wall.

When the turning stopped, Garrison was looking out at a small sheet metal landing leading to a spiraling metal stairway like the one he had once climbed as a kid to get to the Statue of Liberty’s head.  Only this one spiraled down into blackness.   It was steep as hell, too, with the steps barely wide enough for Garrison’s feet.  His heart was pounding with the thought that once the goons blasted into the closet—which wouldn’t take more than half a minute—they’d see him gone and figure out the rotating desk in seconds.  Then, if they were as mean and determined as they gave every indication of being, they could drop a couple of grenades down the stairwell.  That was the worry that kept Garrison tromping helter-skelter down a frigging spiral staircase that seemed to go on forever.  Worried the living daylights out of him, to be quite frank.  Shit!  He’d tripped down at least forty feet, he figured—equivalent to a four-story building—and the bottom wasn’t even in sight.  Of course, it being so damned dark and his penlight being so feeble, he couldn’t see more than six steps down.  But he sweated with the fear that he might be descending some kind of eighth wonder of the world—the longest spiral stairway ever built!  Maybe soon he’d start finding skeletons of guys who’d never made it all the way.  Fuck!  Why did he have to open his big mouth and get sucked into this mission?  It wasn’t even his job.  About now he could be rolling over onto Deanne for round three before dropping off to sleep.  Instead he was about to get shredded by a grenade chock full of sharp objects while, for all he knew, Deanne was getting it on with someone richer and better hung.  Maybe she was even going down on the guy, on the first date!  Just how fucking deep was this damned pit anyway!  He was now at least fifty feet below where he’d started.  That meant he was below the basement, even below the foundation. 

The muffled sound of automatic gunfire had stopped.  Another scary thought popped into Garrison’s head.  What if one or more guys had gone around to the other entrance to this bottomless pit?  The guys back upstairs had sure acted like they knew the place.  He could be rushing into an ambush!  He could be screwed on either end.  That nearly stopped him in his tracks.  But then he remembered the grenade.  Better to take his chances with a couple of guys on level ground than become minced squab on this stairway to hell.

Suddenly a shaft of light came down the stairwell from above.  The light lasted only a second or two, the time it took the desk to make its rotation.  At least one of the goons was up there now, possibly pulling the pin on a grenade.  With his teeth.  But there was no sound of a grenade clanging down.  Maybe the goon was spooked by the stairwell and was hesitating.  Just then Garrison almost fell on his face.  His right foot had reached down for the next step, but there wasn’t one.  Instead, he was on his hands and knees looking into a concrete tunnel longer than his penlight’s reach.  He must be sixty or more feet below where he had started. 

As he started trotting down the tunnel, another shaft of light reached down, then faded.  Garrison stopped and turned off his penlight.  He couldn’t make out their words through all the echoing steel surfaces between them.  In the pitch blackness Garrison shuffled into the tunnel, hands out front like a blind man.  No way they could catch him now unless they had someone waiting on this end.  He found a concrete wall and used one hand to follow it and kept the other in front.  He wasn’t about to turn on his penlight and tip off his position.  Their heatscope would be useless through the foot-thick concrete around the tunnel.  He heard no clanging of steps to suggest they were following him down the stairway.  They sounded stupid, Garrison thought, but they knew when to stop eating dust.  After going a good hundred feet into the tunnel without hearing anything, Garrison considered risking turning on his penlight

A blast of automatic gunfire came from the stairwell.  By reflex Garrison fell flat against the cold moist concrete floor.  They must have fast-roped down the gap between the stairway and the stairwell wall, regaining much of the precious fifteen-second lead Garrison had been counting on.  The fuckers were meaner and smarter than he had thought.  The next instant Garrison was on his feet, scampering down the tunnel in an erratic zigzag.  A second gun joined in the insults.  How long was this damned tunnel anyway?  He needed a fix.  Without stopping, Garrison turned on his penlight.  Good thing too.  Less than ten feet ahead was a drop.  Coming closer he saw it was only a three-foot downjog of the tunnel, but that wasn’t evident until you were right at it.  From a distance, it might as well be the Grand Canyon.  If he kept running, they’d see him as plain as day.  The only chance he had was to get some lead into them, and this could well be his last chance to do that.  And he’d somehow have to leave the penlight before the drop to give him a little light to work with.  As he reached the drop, Garrison made a show of hesitating before jumping.  Dropping the penlight so it would hopefully land shining more light toward them than him, he jumped.

Mid-jump he felt a crunching impact in his right calf that flipped out his legs, making him land on his left side just past the drop.  Hot lead hadn’t figured in his little plan, but he had to admit it definitely added a touch of realism to the fall.  He stayed flat, wondering when the pain would stab his consciousness.  Sure enough, there it was!  Now he had to stay still and pray the goons would think he had made a longer jump that put him too low to return fire.  If he stayed real flat, the solid concrete would shield his body from their heatscopes until they got to within fifteen feet or so.  Until then they would see haze from rising body heat, but no shape to give away his exact location, elevation or movement.  He slipped the 9-mm out of his shoulder bag and held it flat against his body.   

The gunfire stopped.  Garrison heard a spent clip being popped out and another being jammed in.  They were about seventy feet away and approaching at a steady walk.  If he could surprise them at inside twenty feet, he might plug them both.  But they probably had body armor, which meant he’d have to hit their faces, if their face shields were up, their bellybuttons.  Not impossible under normal circumstances, but it would be trickier while lying on his side with a right leg about to go into shock from blood loss.  Hurry up, you fuckers.  Keep coming.  Fifty feet.  Forty feet.  Thirty feet.  Suddenly the footsteps stopped. 

“That’s his flashlight,” the high-voiced one said.  “He must have dropped it when I hit him.”

“How do you know you hit him?” the deep-voiced one said.  “Maybe I hit him.”

“Wait, I think that’s him, right there,” the high-voiced one said.  “He’s playing possum.”

“That’s just haze from his trail, you nervous nellie,” sneered the deep-voiced one.  “The guy’s long gone by now.”

“I saw him take a hit,” said Nellie.  “He’s dead or playing possum.”

“So what?  There’s two of us and one of him.  Let’s go.”

“Well, there’s only one of me, John Wayne,” said Nellie.  “You go.  I’ll wait right here.”

“Yeah, stand there shaking and watch a real man work.”

Shit, Garrison thought.  At thirty feet Nellie could spray him with lead before Garrison could draw an accurate bead.  John Wayne resumed walking toward the drop.  Twenty-seven feet.  Twenty-four feet.  Twenty-one feet.  Eighteen feet.  Just as Garrison was about to jerk up, he heard John Wayne stop again.

“See?” Wayne said.  “He’s gone.  Now come on.  If we lose him I’ll tell the boss you was hanging back jerking off.”

“I’m just being professional,” Nellie said.  There was an uneasy pause.  “Okay, I’m coming.”  He began walking.  One, two, three, four steps.  Now!

Garrison jerked his head and right hand up at the same time.  The little penlight didn’t throw much light, just enough so he could figure out about where John Wayne’s face ought to be.  He popped off two rounds, saw John Wayne start falling without getting off a shot, then dropped back down just in time to hear Nellie’s chattering reply whizzing past his head.  Garrison’s right leg was practically dead weight, slowing him down dangerously.  Nellie stopped firing, conserving what was left in his 25-round clip.  He wasn’t about to run out with John Wayne out of commission, not at this range, not inside a long concrete tunnel with no cover.  The way Garrison saw it, it was a Mexican standoff.  The element of surprise was gone, but there was only one of Nellie.  Nellie had the automatic and a bulletproof vest, but he had a concrete bunker.  Couldn’t blame Nellie at all if he were getting nervous out there.

Then suddenly the odds changed horribly.  The penlight flickered and died. 

Now they were in total darkness and Nellie had the heatscope.  Dear Mother of God, Garrison thought.  Right away he could hear Nellie getting braver, shuffling forward a few inches at a time.  Once he got inside of twelve feet, Garrison would be a sitting duck, naked and blind.  He had maybe three seconds to act.  Under the circumstances, the plan he came up with wasn’t bad.  Garrison slipped off the strap of his shoulder bag.  Having been pressed against him all this time, the bag was warm and alive, at least to Nellie’s heatscope.  Moving as quickly as his dying right leg would allow, Garrison pushed the shoulder back up with his left hand and, a split second later, raised his head.  He would have a quarter second to draw a bead on the muzzle flash of Nellie’s Uzi as it killed the shoulder bag.  Hope to god Nellie’s a good shot, Garrison prayed.  He felt the shoulder bag kicked away by Nellie’s outburst as he squeezed off his remaining seven rounds two-handed and heard Nellie cry out as one or more 9 mm slugs found him in the dark.  Nellie’s Uzi clattered onto the concrete floor at the same instant his body thudded.

Now all he had to do, Garrison told himself, was somehow grope around for his shoulder bag, then drag his ass out of there before his whole body went into shock from the blood loss.  That was the last thought he managed before passing out.

As populations age and fewer babies are being born, Asia’s wealthiest countries are investing in their efforts to make parenthood more affordable. 

Imagine receiving thousands of dollars from the government after having a baby. In the United States, that sounds unreal, but in some of Asia’s wealthiest countries, that concept is being utilized to convince younger citizens that starting a family can be financially possible.

Singapore, South Korea, and Japan are all confronting historically low birth rates and fewer babies today means fewer working-age adults in the future to support growing elderly populations. So governments are spending billions on policies designed to make having children more affordable.

Singapore has just recently announced an expansion of its Baby Bonus Scheme that has been in place for years. In August 2026, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced a new support package that will eventually replace the existing Baby Bonus scheme. With Singapore’s new system, every eligible Singaporean child will receive a $10,000 Baby Gift, $32,000 in Child Credits distributed from ages one through 16, a $5,000 Child Development Account grant, up to another $5,000 in government matching, and $10,000 toward post-secondary education.

The announcement comes as Singapore’s fertility rate fell to a preliminary 0.87 children per woman in 2025, which is far below the roughly 2.1 needed for a population to replace itself without migration.

South Korea has faced an even more dramatic decreasing fertility rate as it fell to 0.72 children per woman in 2023, the lowest in the world. The country has since shown signs of recovery as the rate increased to 0.80 in 2025 and the number of babies born increased by 6.8% from the previous year.

Parents in South Korea receive a First Meeting Voucher worth 2 million won, or around $1400, for their first newborn and 3 million won for a second or third child. It was recently announced that the support will continue after birth as South Korea’s national Parent Benefit will provide families raising a child at home with 1 million won per month during the child's first year and 500,000 won per month during the second year.

Japan’s battle against population decline has been going on for decades and its government has gradually expanded its financial support for families as the number of births continues to fall. The Childbirth and Childcare Lump-Sum Allowance provides families with 500,000 yen, or about $3100, per child to help cover initial expenses. Japan has also expanded its national child allowance where families receive 15,000 yen per month for each child under three and 10,000 yen per month from age three through high-school age. For a third or subsequent child, the allowance increases to 30,000 yen per month.

In addition to financial assistance, Japan also provides free early childhood education and care for many children ages three to five. The country offers exceptional parental-leave benefits in order to make balancing careers and taking care of children easier for both mothers and fathers.

Asian countries are determining whether their governments can make parenthood affordable enough to change how many children people choose to have and the checks may help, but whether money can actually reverse decades of falling birth rates remains a much more complicated question.

After leading the nation in receiving yards at San Jose State, shifty wide receiver Danny Scudero is bringing his explosive skill set to Coach Prime and Colorado.

As college football continues to evolve through the era of the transfer portal, few stories highlight rapid ascension quite like Japanese American wide receiver Danny Scudero.  Looking ahead to the upcoming season, the shifty playmaker is making his third stop in the past three seasons, taking his elite skill set to Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes.

Scudero looks to pick up on a successful 2025 where he starred at San Jose State.  During that breakout campaign with the Spartans, he led the entire nation in receiving yards with 1,297 on 88 receptions, while hauling in 10 touchdowns.  His stellar play earned him 2025 first-team All-Mountain West honors, a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist nod, and a CBS Sports second-team All-American selection.

His collegiate journey started at Sacramento State – at the time an FCS school.  As a redshirt freshman for the Hornets, he immediately made his presence felt by tallying 664 yards and five touchdowns.

Standing 5-foot-9, the agile slot receiver is a San Jose native who was tagged a three-star recruit coming out of Archbishop Mitty High School.

Now, for the first time in his career, Scudero will play in a Power Four conference.  He joins a Colorado program looking to turn things around after a disappointing 3-9 season that revolved around a carousel of quarterbacks.  With a new offensive coordinator calling the plays and redshirt freshman Julian Lewis stepping in to take the helm at quarterback, Scudero arrives in Boulder with high expectations to serve as the Buffs’ primary weapon.

A man with a big grin and an even bigger dip keeps her coming back to the Desperado Dive.

Walked in on a Friday at the Desperado Dive, Neon buzzin' low and the fiddle comin' live, He tipped his hat and flashed that grin — Lord, I was done right then, Quick-quick, slow, slow — girl, here we go again.

[Verse 2] He offered up a calloused hand, said "Darlin', trust the beat," One turn 'round the hardwood and I lost my own two feet, That right pivot spun me like a record on a Sunday spin, Quick-quick, slow, slow — and I fell clean in.

[Chorus] He's my big-dippin' two-stepper, king of the sawdust floor, Eight counts down to heaven and I'm comin' back for more, Quick-quick, slow, slow, he rocks me like a prayer, Dips me to the rafters with my boots up in the air, Oh, that big-dippin' two-stepper's got me swept up everywhere.

[Verse 3] The jukebox jocks were watchin', all the barflies raised a glass, He waltzed me past the pool tables, smooth as polished brass, Every gal at the Desperado wished that grin was aimed her way, Quick-quick, slow, slow — but he asked ME to stay.

[Chorus] He's my big-dippin' two-stepper, king of the sawdust floor, Eight counts down to heaven and I'm comin' back for more, Quick-quick, slow, slow, he rocks me like a prayer, Dips me to the rafters with my boots up in the air, Oh, that big-dippin' two-stepper's got me swept up everywhere.

[Bridge - half time, swaying] Now I've been led by wranglers, been twirled by oil men, But none of 'em could dip me down and pull me up again, When the steel guitar goes cryin' and the lights burn low and dim, Every quick-quick, slow, slow — leads me back to him.

[Verse 4] So if you're at the Desperado when the band strikes up at nine, And you see a gal gone dizzy with a smile she can't confine, That's me down in his eight-count dip, my heart hung on his grin, Quick-quick, slow, slow — take me 'round again!

[Final Chorus - big finish, gang vocals] He's my big-dippin' two-stepper, king of the sawdust floor, Eight counts down to heaven and I'm comin' back for more, Quick-quick, slow, slow, he rocks me like a prayer, Dips me to the rafters with my boots up in the air, Oh, that big-dippin' two-stepper — (hold it now...) That big-dippin' two-stepper — (dip it low...) That big-dippin' two-stepper's got me swept up everywhere!

What started as gashapon machines has not only become one of the biggest crazes in the world, but also a multi-billion dollar market.

From SKULLPANDA to Labubu to Sonny Angel, tiny figures are being collected and traded by millions of consumers, turning the blind box trend into a multibillion dollar industry.

Blind boxes can be traced back to Japan, decades before the current craze. “Lucky bags” offered shoppers mystery assortments of merchandise, while gashapon machines let customers insert money to receive a randomly selected toy inside a capsule. Japanese toy company Bandai entered the game in 1977 and developed its GASHAPON brand around the concept of these “mystery capsules”.

These machines were originally made as fun toys for children, but eventually developed a large adult following as manufacturers introduced more popular figures and higher-priced collectibles. By 2024, Japan's capsule-toy market alone had grown to approximately 80 billion yen and the modern blind box took this element of surprise and repackaged it for the new generation.

Now consumers are buying identical sealed boxes from a collection without knowing which design is inside. Your average series contains several common characters and one extremely rare "secret" figure. This idea encourages collectors to continue buying boxes in hopes of completing the set or finding the rarest character.

No company has capitalized on this idea more than Chinese brand Pop Mart. Founded in 2010, Pop Mart’s earliest hit came from MOLLY, a wide-eyed girl created by Hong Kong artist Kenny Wong. Pop Mart turned MOLLY into one of their signature figures and began building a business model centered around artists and blind-box collections. Their strategy produced an entire universe of characters, including SKULLPANDA, HIRONO, and LABUBU and these characters are generating enormous amounts of money.

In 2025, SKULLPANDA generated approximately $490 million in revenue, while MOLLY generated $431 million and HIRONO generated nearly $259 million, making it known that the business is no longer dependent on one viral character. Altogether, Pop Mart reported 5.5 billion in revenue in 2025, but Pop Mart isn't alone. Japanese collectibles have also found an entirely new generation of fans in the U.S. with Sonny Angel and Smiski which have both gained their own followings with glow-in-the-dark figures hidden inside mystery packaging.

According to a Hong Kong Stock Exchange filing, the global pop-toy market grew from approximately $19.8 billion in 2019 to $38 billion in 2024 and is projected to surpass $104 billion by 2030. So why are adults spending so much money on these mystery toys?

Part of the reason comes from the element of surprise. A blind box creates anticipation and buyers don’t get to choose what character they will receive. Knowing that there is a figure that is more rare than others also makes the experience more exciting. Social media has amplified the craze even further as unboxing videos and rare pulls generate millions of views, basically turning each purchase into a potential viral video.

It is clear to say that blind boxes have evolved beyond a simple toy trend into a combination of art, entertainment, and collecting. These tiny characters can be hooked to your purse or be displayed on your desk, giving consumers a new form of self-expression, and with the blind box market expected to surpass $100 billion, the mystery inside each box has turned into a very big business.

As an LA native, I’m sharing the places and experiences I think are actually worth your time, from some of my favorite restaurants to the best shopping spots across the city.

Kelli (00:00)

If you're planning a trip to Los Angeles, I feel like every LA guide always tells you to do the same exact things. Go to Hollywood Boulevard to see the stars, visit Santa Monica Pier, go to Malibu and hang out on the beach, walk down Rodeo Drive to do your shopping. I'm not saying you shouldn't do these things, especially if it's your first time here. I'm just somebody who's 24. I've lived in Southern California my entire life, and I feel like there's so much.

more to do in LA than the stereotypical tourist experience.

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, which by the way, people love to say isn't LA, but I'm sorry, come on, it's LA, it's in Los Angeles County. So I will happily say that I am from Los Angeles. I've spent my entire life going all over the greater Los Angeles area, from the valley to downtown to Hollywood, to the west side to Malibu, and everywhere in between. So if one of my friends told me that they were coming to LA for a week, what should I do? This is exactly what I would tell them.

Today I'm going to talk about food, beaches, shopping, hiking, nightlife, and some of the experiences that I genuinely think are worth spending your time and money on. We're gonna begin with food. One thing I will defend Los Angeles on forever is our food.

I genuinely think we have one of the best food markets out here, and one of the best things about living in Los Angeles is just how culturally diverse the scene is. You can literally wake up and get Vietnamese food, have Mexican food for lunch, Korean barbecue for dinner, then get ramen at midnight, and somehow if you're still out at 2 a.m., you can end your night eating tacos from a taco truck.

You can find almost any cuisine here. And because LA is so cult and because LA is so diverse, you're not really getting that watered down version of it either.

There are communities throughout the entire city where you can find incredible Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Thai food, Armenian, Persian, Mexican, Salvadorian, Filipino food. The list goes on.

So if you are visiting LA, please do not spend your entire trip eating at chain restaurants that you could have just gotten at home. Try something new, try the hole in the walls. I'm going to give you a few of my personal recommendations.

In my own territory, the San Fernando Valley, if you want that very pretty, classy Los Angeles restaurant experience, I would recommend Casaléna This is where I would go if I want to get dressed up and have a very nice dinner, take some photos. The restaurant is so gorgeous and it gives you that upscale SoCal atmosphere that people picture when they think about eating out in LA.

It's Italian inspired. My favorite is definitely their vodka pasta. This would be a great place to take a date. It's great for a birthday dinner, a girls' night.

Anywhere where want to experience dinner and a warm atmosphere. It's more of a splurge than just a casual restaurant stop. But if you are visiting LA and you want that beautiful, fancy dinner where you can get your Instagrammable photos at, Casaléna is definitely one of my recommendations.

Going in a completely different direction is Crane and Elephant. This is one of those places that I love because you can come here late at night. They're open until 2 a.m. every single night, and this is the spot in the valley to get late night delicious food.

Their ramen and curry are so good. And if you've been out

All day and you're starving and you don't want fast food, Crane and elephant is where you should end your night at.

Now for some amazing Vietnamese food in the valley, my favorite is Khuu Bistro. This is a very small mom and pop shop. I'm Vietnamese, so I'm going to be a little bit pickier about Vietnamese food. I actually want the flavors to taste right, and here at Khuu Bistro, they really throw down in that kitchen.

This place right here is so delicious. It is owned by the nicest Vietnamese couple.

If you want a really authentic Vietnamese meal without having to go all the way to Little Saigon in Orange County, you need to make a stop at Khuu Bistro.

Now straying away from the valley, we're gonna go over the hill. And once you're there, there are obviously thousands of restaurants, but there are a few that have stood out to me because you're getting an experience along with the food.

That's one of the most important things that I think you should think about when you are here in Los Angeles because you also because you want to get your money's worth.

Perch is one of those places. If you're visiting downtown, you should have one meal where you can get an amazing view of the city. Perch is right in the middle of downtown LA and has beautiful panoramic views where you can sit there and look at the skyline and really think, wow, I am definitely in Los Angeles.

Perch has French-inspired food, the atmosphere is beautiful, and it is absolutely stunning if you can get a reservation around sunset or at nighttime when downtown is completely lit up.

If you're spending the day in Santa Monica, Meat on Ocean is one place that I really like. It's right by the ocean. Their steaks are to die for. And their apple dessert is one of those desserts that you will think about every single night.

Then there's Yamashiro, and if you have never heard of Yamashiro, you've definitely seen photos and videos of it online. This is one of those viral, trendy restaurants, but it is a historic Japanese-inspired restaurant sitting right above Hollywood, and you are going to also get those beautiful views that overlook the city.

Not only does Yamashiro have delicious food, I would also recommend this as a great date night spot if you're really looking to impress somebody. Because if you go when that sun is starting to set

you're gonna watch LA light up below you and that is the kind of experience that I think is worth paying for.

So moving away from food, if you want something completely different from that Beverly Hills luxury shopping, go to downtown LA because you can go to the Jewelry District to get some beautiful jewelry, or you can go to Santee Alley to get all of the fashion basics, all of your accessories, things that you do not want to pay outrageous prices for.

Sante Alley is one of those spots where the environment itself is part of the experience. There's vendors everywhere. Clothes food, shoes, accessories, handbags, beauty products, anything that you could think of. You can walk around Santee Alley for hours, and compared to a lot of the shopping that you can do in LA, you'll find things that are actually useful and affordable here.

Do not go to Santee Alley thinking it's some luxury polished shopping experience. That's not what it is. It's fun because you are walking through this busy part, negotiating deals and finding little random gems, experiencing a completely different side of Los Angeles.

Now moving on to some actual shopping centers and malls that I would visit if you need to do some shopping while you're here. These places won't absolutely destroy your bank account like Rodeo Drive would. But if you are visiting, I recommend setting a shopping budget because there's always something to buy.

I think I've been to every major mall in the Los Angeles area at this point. And if you actually want to shop and not just walk past designer stores, visit Westfield Topanga and the Grove. Westfield Topanga is in the San Fernando Valley. This mall is huge.

You have a wide range of different brands, restaurants, and there are those luxury stores there as well. You can spend hours here, they have a store for everyone.

On the other side of the 405, the Grove is definitely something worth visiting in Los Angeles. You get that shopping experience, and you also get that outdoor California day atmosphere.

You can walk around, shop, get something to eat, and on the weekends they do have the original farmers market, so you can make a whole afternoon out of that as well. It's kind of touristy, but one of those experiences that I can get on board with.

Another thing that I have done that I think is absolutely worth it, especially if you're here on a trip with your friends, is renting a boat in Marina Del Rey.

You can find a bunch of different options online for boat rentals depending on your comfort level and your group size. They have smaller boats, Duffies, and yachts, and you can also rent the boat with a captain as well.

This is such a great activity to get your friends together. You can bring your own snacks and drinks, make a playlist, bring a speaker, and just go out on the water for a couple of hours. This is another activity I would recommend to do during that sunset. It is so beautiful and it makes you totally feel like you're on vacation, even if you live here.

Also, if you're splitting the cost between your group, can be such a reasonable price for your party. This is 100% something that I would choose over spending an entire afternoon walking around Hollywood Boulevard.

Now this one might sound obvious, but if you've never been to LA, you need to go on a hike at least once. One thing that I always feel like I take for granted as somebody who grew up here is how beautiful LA actually is geographically. We have everything. We have mountains, canyons, ocean, city life, and on some trails, you can see all of it.

There are so many different hiking trails as well. You don't necessarily have to do the most popular or the most famous ones. You can find a bunch of different ones that will lead you to beautiful finds, beautiful views. My recommendation is to go early, especially if you are here during the summer. Do not start hiking around noon because it will be a hundred degrees already.

You should get up early, grab a coffee, and start your hike in the morning before that sun hits its peak and then finish it before the day gets really hot.

If you get up really early, you can have your hike done by 9 or 10 a.m. and still have your entire day ahead of you. Make sure you definitely bring water and check the weather and the trail conditions before you go.

If you're going to the beach, I definitely recommend taking the canyons. You have these winding roads that are surrounded by the mountains and it eventually opens up to the ocean. Listen to some music and spending the time to drive along the coast is something that you must do when you are here in SoCal.

Now, if you are having your beach day, I definitely think Santa Monica and Venice are a little bit overrated if your goal is to actually have a relaxing one. Santa Monica and Venice are iconic. There's so much to do over there. But if you want somewhere

That you can just relax, lay out and tan, and step into the water for a few hours, I would recommend going further towards Malibu. Once you start getting away from the very touristy areas,

There are so many beaches that you can find along the coast that is much more my version of an LA beach day. Make sure you bring some food, your sunscreen, a beach blanket, get there early, you can spend a few hours there, and you can even catch dinner on the coast afterwards. That is an absolute perfect Los Angeles day to me.

Now moving forward to nightlife. And I have something to admit about the Los Angeles nightlife because it is really not what people think anymore. People come here imagining they're going to walk into some nightclub and it's going to be like a scene from a movie with celebrities in every corner. And I will say there was a time when LA nightlife definitely felt more like that. Maybe in like 2016. But in 2026, I personally think that clubbing has gone downhill here in the

City, but there are still fun places, you just have to know where you're going. So at this point in my life, when I go out, I actually want to dance and meet new people and have a good time, not just enter the club and sit at a table where everyone just kind of looks at each other and moves their bodies a little bit.

Two places that I personally have had so much fun at are Bar Lis and Lock and Key. Bar Lis has that Hollywood rooftop atmosphere. It's stylish, it's lively, and depending on the night, you can really dance around and have some fun rather than just standing around and being a wallflower.

Lock and key is a place in Koreatown that I really like when I want more than just a night out. There's people dancing, there's people socializing, the music is great, and I really am and that's really what I'm looking for when I go out.

My biggest LA nightlife advice is to check what is happening that specific night before you go anywhere because the city is changing constantly.

A place can be amazing on a Friday night, but completely dead on a Saturday.

The event, the DJ, and the crowd will matter as much as the venue itself.

If I had friends coming to the city for seven days, I would not tell them to cram forty different attractions into their trip.

Los Angeles is huge, and I feel like that's the

Biggest mistake that people make before coming here. They'll say that we're going to Malibu in the morning, we're gonna visit downtown for lunch, we're gonna hit Disneyland in the afternoon, then go out and get dinner in Hollywood and drinks at night. No, you're not. You're going to spend your entire vacation on the 405. You need to definitely organize each day geographically and base it all off of the traffic as well.

You have to stay in an area all day if you want to make the most out of it. Have a Malibu Beach Day. Have your downtown day where you can go to Santee Alley and then visit rooftop bars and see the skyline views. Have a Hollywood day where you kind of do touristy things, visit the stars, do some shopping, go to a comedy club on Hollywood Boulevard.

Or you can have a San Fernando Valley Day where you just explore all of the valley, go through the canyons.

Visit some delicious restaurant spots, then spend another whole day shopping, spend one day hiking, spend one morning hiking, do a boat ride in the afternoon, and just leave some room to really explore. Because one of my favorite things about Los Angeles is that the best things are not famous attractions. I love being able to drive through a neighborhood that I've never been in. I love finding small restaurants that have not gone viral yet on TikTok. And even just going to a view and seeing the sunset.

After driving through the canyons, these are things that I think LA is all about.

I feel like some people visit LA sometimes thinking it's gonna function like New York, but it truly does not. LA is not one concentrated city where you can just walk outside and everything and everywhere you need to go is within five blocks.

Los Angeles is a collection of neighborhoods, culture, and communities spread across a humongous area.

Your trip here is going to completely change depending on where you are. The valley does not feel like downtown at all. Downtown does not feel like Malibu. Malibu does not feel like Koreatown, and Koreatown doesn't feel like Beverly Hills. But that's what I love about living here, because you can spend your entire life in Southern California and discover somewhere that you've never been every day.

So if you're coming to Los Angeles, my biggest advice as someone who grew up here is don't spend your entire trip chasing the version of Los Angeles that you see in the movies. Definitely make some time for those iconic things. if you're a tourist, you should be a tourist. But eat somewhere that you've never heard of. Drive through the canyons.

Explore places that people don't usually talk about. and actually give yourself enough time to enjoy where you're going instead of spending the entire trip driving because that will definitely ruin your entire trip. LA is expensive, it's chaotic, it's crowded, the traffic is as bad as everyone tells you. But I think

Those that grew up here, forget how special it is. And within one day, you can see so many different things, see so many different cultures. And that's the LA that I would want someone visiting to see for the first time.

So those are my recommendations as an LA native. Thank you guys so much for listening and we'll see you in the next podcast.

The 2025 release of Syndrome marks a pivotal shift as the soloist fully embraces an English-language sound for his global audience.

Korean pop artist Wonho launched a new chapter of his career with the release of his debut English-language studio album, Syndrome, in June 2025.  The project’s signature style was highlighted by the singles “Better Than Me” and “If You Wanna.”

This era was preceded by the 2024 release of “What Would You Do,” which served as his first English-language single and positioned him to further tap into the expanding global K-pop movement.

Between 2021 and 2022, the former boy band member expanded his discography with a series of single albums and EPs, including Love Synonym Pt.2: Right for Us, Blue Letter, Facade, Obsession and Bittersweet.  These collections, featuring hits like “Lose,” “Blue” and “Eye On You,” consistently ranked among South Korea’s top releases and secured positions on the World Charts.

Wonho’s breakout as a solo artist arrived in 2020 with the release of his debut mini album, Love Synonym Pt.1: Right for Me.  The album features his two biggest hits, “Open Mind” and “Losing You,” which have collectively accounted for over 70 million plays on Spotify.

Prior to his solo career, Wonho gained international fame as a member of the K-pop group Monsta X from 2015 to 2019.  During his tenure, they became a global fixture, highlighted by the breakout hit “Hero,” which remains the group’s most popular track today with over 200 million streams.

The 33-year-old has amassed over 5 million followers across social platforms and maintains a dedicated global fanbase that has supported his transition to a successful solo act.

Asia’s basketball stars shined on the international stage while major moves unfolded across College Football, the MLB, and the LPGA Tour.

In the most recent FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, Kai Sotto delivered down the stretch with a last-second block to seal the win for Gilas Pilipinas in overtime against Jordan, on their way to back-to-back victories.  China’s Yang Hansen also provided late game heroics against Lebanon with a bucket on the block to keep their qualification hopes alive.  Meanwhile, Japan’s stars went scorched-earth against Qatar and Saudi Arabia.  Rui Hachimura averaged 37.5 points per game, with Yuki Kawamura as the primary distributor averaging 9.5 assists per game.  Keisei Tominaga shot 67% from three which included a 25-point game.  These remarkable performances from three Asian nations forged a perfect 6-0 record in August.

In off-court developments for college hoops, Xaivian Lee committed to Gonzaga for a fifth season following a landmark NCAA eligibility ruling.  Lee previously spent three seasons starring for Princeton before transferring to Florida.  After serving as a core playmaker for the Gators, Lee suited up for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Summer League, appearing in five games before electing to return to college.

College Football’s Week 0 kicked off the season with notable quarterback play from USC’s Jayden Maiava.  The Heisman watchlist talent powered the Trojans’ offense with 286 yards and two touchdowns passing while scoring a third on the ground.  Noah Kim put up nearly identical numbers for Eastern Michigan with 279 passing yards, two TDs through the air and one on the ground, leading the Eagles to an opening MAC win over Sacramento State.

On the diamond, Blue Jays rookie slugger Kazuma Okamoto continued to display his power with his 27th and 28th home runs of the season in a weekend series sweep over the Mariners.  Okamoto became just the third player in MLB history to homer against 18 different opponents in a rookie campaign.  Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound was delayed, citing that he is not 100% yet.  The Dodgers did not commit to any further timetable of his pitching return.

On the LPGA Tour, Ruoning Yin captured the FM Championship at TPC Boston in an emotional finish.  Finishing at 14-under par, she snapped her 672-day winless streak.

Victor (00:00)

where I have developed my own principles regarding my own health and fitness, and on top of that, how I've applied a lot of the lessons I've learned in my real life, as well as some observations along the way.

Victor (00:32)

That

is when, as we all have experienced, COVID happened.

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the massive shutdowns, a lot of gyms closed, and with that a lot of people definitely had fallen off of their fitness journeys. I mean, most people I know during COVID ended up doing a lot of indoorsy activities. You know, it was mostly things like video games, baking, and just a lot of other online activities.

Victor (01:44)

as I've emphasized before in my previous editions, you can imagine somebody that sits at home and bakes sourdough all day probably doesn't look like a particularly fit individual.

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now if there's one thing that I would like to take away from my time in COVID, it definitely is how to deal with life circumstances that just throw a wrench in your training.

Victor (03:37)

I did have some setbacks during grad school that may have pushed my training down in priority, I would say that COVID was the biggest stress test of my personal systems and my principles.

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the time I had started jujitsu and I still had aspirations in powerlifting. There was definitely a part of me that wanted to qualify for nationals by getting a high enough total. However, I had no access to the necessary gym equipment to even run the programs that I needed to run in order to get strong enough to lift the weights I needed to lift to qualify for nationals.

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My

financial situation being a little bit up in the air at the time, I had difficulties a j or justifying a purchase of thousands of dollars of equipment. Especially at that time during COVID. a lot of fitness equipment was being price gouged.

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at the time I did have the luxury of having super secret underground jujitsu training sessions where I would train jujitsu with two or three other people and no but and no one else. But

Victor (06:46)

was

a benefit.

Victor (07:20)

Each week I would try to push those numbers up. And then if I were to hit a wall on any of these exercises, I'd then just change up the variations and then repeated the cycle over and over. And throughout the time in COVID, I found that there were no noticeable regressions in my physique. People still said I had a good-looking upper body.

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Rather having an open mind to the ways around the wall or possibly seeing cracks in the wall will get you much further than constantly giving the presence of the wall power.

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This process.

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two to three hundred to four hundred pound barbell? No. However,

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on any fitness journey, the biggest setback, the biggest pitfall that most people fall into is an all or nothing mentality. They think that if they don't have access to the gym or access to their regular workout routine, then they may as well not work out whatsoever. But the reality is life will throw monkey wrenches your way.

Victor (11:20)

was an old quote. It was something like man makes plans and God laughs, but that is what happens a lot. You may have the most optimal workout plan, but then a random Tuesday night happens and you do not have access to your normal gym. And what do you do then? Do you just simply not work out or do you just adjust and improvise?

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is a bicycle a an efficient way to travel a long distance? Definitely not. However, it is better than walking and it's exponentially better than sitting where you are.

Victor (12:50)

I didn't really want to spend the time to travel to a commercial gym and I was much more focused on jujitsu.

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The second one is to focus on solutions rather than the roadblocks themselves. Like I said, roadblocks will always make themselves clear. So you may as well point your time and attention towards solutions rather than acknowledging the roadblock. Because again, the roadblock will always make itself clear.

Victor (14:30)

finally, right, the ability to pivot and to find solutions I found meshed nicely with the principles that I had already built through my time in powerlifting. I already knew how to structure a training plan and how to keep track of things and to progress even in a suboptimal plan.

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those things slide, honestly, they probably did not value their fitness.

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again, strong systems and strong principles are what allow you to overcome obstacles such as this.