Happy Solar New Year Everyone! Welcome back to the InfatuAsian Podcast's first episode of 2024!! New year, new look logo! What do you think? Shout out to Justin from We Are Half The World, who designed it for me. If you want to help me advertise, fill out the form that I linked in our Instagram bio, and I’ll send you one when I get them made! We’re starting 2024 with a really fun episode for you. We are talking to a content creator named Simji! Simji makes all kinds of different rugs, using a tu...
Jan 03, 2024•55 min•Ep. 152
2023 was a really great year for me as a podcaster. This year we uploaded about 50 episodes, all of them special to me in one way or another, so it was hard to boil it down to just the 5 "best." So I let the numbers do the talking and went with the top 5 episodes based on how many people listened to them. I'm joined by my co-host Jumi, to recap some of our most listened-to moments. Thanks again to all my amazing guests and co-hosts! And special thanks to all of you who listened to one or more ep...
Dec 21, 2023•53 min•Ep. 151
We picked up where we left off last week with our top 5 Chinese dishes/foods! In this part of the episode we got lots more cooking tips from Bill, Kaitlin, and Kat! We spent almost two hours making 5 picks each, but we could have gone even longer if we hadn't gotten so hungry! Thanks to my guests: Kat Lieu from @subtleasian.baking, Bill and Kaitlin from @thewoksoflife, and Lingjie from @worstasianpod They were all so knowledgeable and fun to hang out with, I hope we can break bao's together in p...
Dec 18, 2023•49 min•Ep. 150
I gave my guests an impossible task. I asked Kat from Subtle Asian Baking, Lingjie from the Worst Asian Pod, and Bill and Kaitlin from The Woks of Life to pick their top 5 Chinese dishes and place them on tiers! It was a difficult task, but we had a lot of fun doing it! This episode came out to be almost 2 hours long, so I'm splitting it into two parts. Part Two will hopefully be released later this week. Please bear with our less-than-perfect Chinese pronunciations and our lean towards Southern...
Dec 13, 2023•56 min•Ep. 149
We are speaking with Abigail Wen today. She’s the author of the Loveboat, Taipei series. Book 3 just came out last month, it’s called Loveboat, Forever! It is based on Abigail and other’s experiences at the Taiwan Study Tour trip that many people took in the 80’s and 90’s. It's called the "Loveboat" because, while touted as a study tour, it's actually more like a 6 week party in Taipei! Get any of Abigail's books wherever you get books. You can watch a film version of the first book, called Love...
Dec 06, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 148
I stumbled across the Invictus Quartet on Instagram and loved seeing and hearing their talent, energy, and creativity. Based in Melbourne, Invictus performs classical pieces, covers, and mash-ups all over Australia and beyond. There's really no limit to their creativity. I had so much fun chatting with Nyssa, Annika, Jin, and Bec. I'm so glad they agreed to come on the show with me! To see more of Invictus Quartet you can find them on social media @invictusquartet or over at their website https:...
Nov 29, 2023•47 min•Ep. 147
Need something to listen to while you're preparing your Thanksgiving feast? Here's a replay of our conversation with legendary chef Ming Tsai from November 2022! He is an Asian American legend, and a fantastic storyteller and interview. Thanks to my sister Caryl for asking Chef Ming to come on with us. He did not disappoint. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! (in the US and beyond!) Listen wherever you get your podcasts! Please follow/subscribe so you don't miss an episode! #asianamericanchef #cooking...
Nov 23, 2023•53 min•Ep. 146
Here's an episode for you data-loving nerds out there! I heard Dr. Chris Williams give a brief synopsis of one of the papers he's working on that had to do with using computer learning to understand more about racial biases in emergency room treatment. I was curious to know more about ways health professionals may leverage massive amounts of data to improve care for all, so I had to ask him to come on the show! Born in Singapore and raised in the UK, Chris trained as a physician at Cambridge and...
Nov 22, 2023•38 min•Ep. 145
Now that the SAG-AFTRA strike is over, I feel better about posting this episode with the amazing actor and musician Perry Yung!!! We recorded this on July 13th, 2023, one day before the actor's strike was declared. Perry is a Bay Area native, born and raised in Oakland, California. He graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in art. He is a master shakuhachi player and builder. You can hear his music on this episode! He got his big break playing Ping Wu in Stephen Soderberg's ...
Nov 14, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 144
Chin-Sun Lee was named one of Poets & Writers 5 over 50 (authors who publish their first books over the age of 50)! A daughter of North Korean refugees, Chin-Sun has written a deep psychological thriller called Upcountry. It is a great Fall read, so I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy! Find Upcountry wherever you get your books (or ask your local store to order you a copy)! Check Chinsunlee.com or @scribblepost on Instagram to see if Chin-Sun will be in your area for her book tour! Mus...
Nov 08, 2023•49 min•Ep. 143
It's spooky season here in the US (and increasingly overseas as well)! I don't know what it is, but I think Asia has some of the spookiest ghost stories. Today fellow teachers Jackie and Vicky helped me talk about some Asian ghost legends and stories. Make sure you are sitting alone in the dark when you listen for full effect... perhaps in a haunted forest or cemetery! Special thanks to Teddy and Michelle over @abriefcasepodcast for letting me use their story. The Burmese story of Mah Phae Wah w...
Oct 31, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 142
Rose Crelli is a classically trained violinist who travels the world to play at a wide range of events. Based in San Francisco you can find Rose playing at City Hall for weddings or at the Chase Center during Warriors games. Her repertoire spans everything from classical to hip-hop, but best of all, her joy of playing comes through regardless of the song. Found by a stranger at a bus stop in Wuhan China, Rose was adopted and raised on the outskirts of Fairbanks, Alaska. She has studied in played...
Oct 25, 2023•46 min•Ep. 141
We interviewed Linda Nguon (founder of Banh Mi Media) in 2022 on Zoom, and we could tell that we had a lot in common, even though we grew up in different countries and had different backgrounds. We both have a vision of using media to tell stories and give a voice to our Asian communities. Since then Banh Mi Media has done a LOT to bring visibility to Asian French people in France and beyond. When I found out they were coming to California for the Viet Film Fest, I couldn't pass up the opportuni...
Oct 18, 2023•40 min•Ep. 140
We're back at it again with our K-Drama Draft Show! Jennifer and Nadira are back, and we brought in another old friend from our C-Drama episode Jessica from Daebak K-Rambles Podcast. It was good fun picking dramas with these 3! To keep it fresh, we created 5 new categories: A 2023 show, A drama with a 2nd lead that you liked, A drama starring a K-Pop Idol, A drama with someone from the cast of Goblin, and an underrated drama. As usual, once a drama was picked, no one else could pick that drama. ...
Oct 11, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 139
Happy Filipino History Month!!! I was born, raised, and work in San Francisco, but I actually currently live one mile south of SF in a heavily Filipino suburb called Daly City! That said, I find it strange that I've never gone to a sit down Filipino restaurant before... until now! We also tried something else new this week! We recorded on location inside a restaurant! It was a bit noisy, but it was a good learning experience, and perhaps we'll have more "in situ" recordings in the future! Vlogge...
Oct 04, 2023•41 min•Ep. 138
I love making these compilation episodes! For the past 6 months, I've been asking my guests questions about travel in Asia. It's been so much fun hearing their answers and chatting about their travel stories! Coming along to help me break down the previous guests' responses is our old pal Isabel Wong, from the Proudly Asian Podcast (Isabel was a guest on our show way back in episode 36)! As fate would have it, we both happened to be in Los Angeles at the end of July so we were able to record thi...
Sep 27, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 137
This Chinese drama started popping up all over my Instagram feed around the end of 2022, so when Nadira suggested that I watch it curiosity got the best of me. We roped in Jessica from the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast to come along too, and my journey into Xianxia C-Dramas began! Love Between Fairy and Devil is a 2022 high fantasy drama out of China. It's available on Netflix and elsewhere. It is different than anything else I've ever watched. Listen "spoiler-free" for the first half of this episode...
Sep 19, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 136
I read Grace Lin's The Ugly Vegetables to my kids when they were little, and it quickly became one of our favorites, for so many reasons. It was an honor to speak with her over Zoom last week and I'm happy to bring you this episode! Her latest book, available September 12, 2023, is called Chinese Menu, and it is fantastic! It is a collection of about 40 American Chinese dishes. Classics like Chop Suey, General Tso's Chicken, Broccoli Beef, etc. Grace weaves the history behind the dishes, with le...
Sep 11, 2023•52 min•Ep. 135
If you get a chance to see The Harvest at a film festival or special showing, you definitely should! It is an amazing film written by and starring Doua Moua (Gran Torino, Mulan). It also stars Dawn Ying Yuen, newcomer Chrisna Chhor, and our pal Perry Yung! It is a beautiful look into a Hmong family, that you just don't see anywhere else. I had the pleasure of speaking with Ying and Chrisna during the tropical storm Hilary! The on-screen mother-daughter duo are so warm and charming, it was pure j...
Sep 06, 2023•41 min•Ep. 134
I'm so happy to bring CRAXY to you! CRAXY is a 4-member KPOP group that is on a North American Tour at the moment. They performed at K-Con LA two weeks ago, and are headed across the US on their way to perform in Puerto Rico on August 31, 2023 (If you're in Puerto Rico, it's not too late to get tickets)! I dropped by their fan meet event at our favorite KPOP store SarangHello in San Francisco, hoping to record with the girls, and luckily (for me) their flight to Texas got delayed so they had tim...
Aug 29, 2023•21 min•Ep. 133
It's hard to believe our 2-year anniversary mark came and went last June! I genuinely had no idea where this was going back in June of 2021. I just wanted to get positive stories about Asian things and Asian people out there. I never would have guessed who we would be talking with and who would be listening! It's been a really fun journey so far and I hope we can keep this going for many years to come! In this episode we reminisce a little about past episodes, what we've learned, and where we mi...
Aug 23, 2023•49 min•Ep. 132
Blackpink was the first K-Pop group that I really started listening to in 2019. Their music was so catchy, but what really sold me was when I saw them speaking English fluently on American TV shows like James Corden and Good Morning America. They had so much swagger, but were also sweet and silly. Their Born Pink tour is almost coming to an end, and they'll be playing at Oracle Park in San Francisco next week. We had fun talking about Blackpink at SarangHello, the Bay Area's first and best K-Pop...
Aug 16, 2023•55 min•Ep. 131
One of my favorite things to eat, especially when I want a quick satisfying meal any time of the day, is INSTANT RAMEN!!! As good as that is by itself, sometimes it’s nice to mix things up a little. Today we are going to try some of the most popular ramen hacks found on the internet to elevate your instant ramen experience. These recipes are all easy and yummy so we recommend that you give them a try! **Trigger Warning** There was much slurping and munching on noodles into the microphones! I’m j...
Aug 09, 2023•54 min•Ep. 130
After watching one of Estelle Fly's homemade "Silk" reels on Instagram I knew I wanted to talk with her. She's an uber-talented singer and dancer. She acts and emcees as well. Her alter ego, Cindy Moon reels are so well done it makes you hope the folks at Marvel take notice and make this happen! Follow Estelle Fly on social media @estellefly and listen to her music on Spotify and see her amazing Silk trailer on YouTube! Music We Played - Sea☆A - 3rd Single "Friendship Birthday～あらしのよるに～" Music Cl...
Aug 02, 2023•55 min•Ep. 129
I was pretty stoked to get to sit at the Cool-Asian-Kids table the other day with the founder of the streetwear brand Uprisers Michelle K. Hanabusa and men’s fashion content creator Jeff Yamazaki! Michelle is doing great things leading a community-minded fashion brand as well as being one of the co-founders of the AAPI community mobilizing group Hate Is A Virus. She’s a real force in our community, but also one of the nicest people to chat with! You can find out more about Uprisers on their webs...
Jul 19, 2023•50 min•Ep. 128
As a General Manager of an independent record label in South Korea, Han Jeong-Wook, does a little bit of everything, from booking venues around the world to taking care of the five young members of the Korean Rock Band Rolling Quartz. ( See our interview with Rolling Quartz on YouTube or listen to episode 75 for context ) Jumi and I chatted with Manager Han for about an hour, and frankly, I still had lots of questions for him about the music industry in Korea, but we’ll have to save that for ano...
Jul 12, 2023•57 min•Ep. 127
This movie! It's such a beautiful take on a "what if?" love story. It's a love story that spans over 24 years. It deals with culture, immigration, unspoken connections, and missed opportunities. Talking with me about this film is author Gina Chung (Sea Change). We loved this film and had a great time chatting about it! Go see it in theaters this summer (2023)! Learn more over @pastlivesmovie on Instagram. It's written and directed by Celine Song @helloellephanta and stars Greta Lee and Yoo Teo @...
Jul 07, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 126
Andrea Nguyen has written 7 cookbooks, including my go-to source for Vietnamese cuisine "Into the Vietnamese Kitchen." Her latest book, "Ever-Green Vietnamese," guides you towards a more plant-based Viet diet. Andrea is also a cooking teacher and podcast host herself! Helping me co-host this episode is past guest Lan Lam! Lan is a senior editor at Cooks Illustrator and is a test cook and presenter on America's Test Kitchen! The three of us had such an easy, free-flowing conversation about Vietna...
Jul 05, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 125
I came across Thanh's Instagram account and knew I wanted to talk with him. By day he is a professional fruiterer, selling fruit from around the world to retailers in Australia. When's he not selling fruit, he's on TV or the internet educating people on the best way to pick, store, and eat fresh fruit and vegetables. His enthusiasm for fruit and veg, especially those from Asia is so contagious, he is a real produce preacher! See more of Thanh's videos at his Instagram @fruitnerd, you can also ca...
Jun 28, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 124
I had a lovely time chatting with Actress Alyssa Gihee Kim about how she got into acting as well as a behind-the-scenes look at BEEF. And on top of that, Alyssa is also a mom to two little kids, amazing! Follow Alyssa on Instagram @alyssagiheekim You can see her wonderful portrayal of Veronica, Edwin's wife/Danny's ex-girlfriend in Netflix's powerfully cringy drama BEEF! She can also be found in the wacky comedy series Dave (S02E01) on Hulu. As I always mention, you can write to us at: infatuasi...
Jun 21, 2023•53 min•Ep. 123
