But Where Are You Really From?: An Asian-American Struggle
Episodes
175. What Are the Kids Saying These Days?
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nothing makes us feel older than not understanding a word that Gen Z or Gen Alpha says because the kids be changing their slang so quick, it's hard to...
174. Living Life on the Edge
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever stopped to think about if you live your life out on the edge? It sounds cliche, but how close to "average" is your life? If yo...
173. Blade Runner: 2025
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With all of the technological innovations that we live with everyday, are we already living in the future? From home help robots to invisibility cloak...
172. White Lotus S3: WTF Moments
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
White Lotus Season 3 has come to an end and we have...thoughts. We're discussing the whole season in review of our most WTF moments - the ones tha...
171. Is Creativity What Makes Us Human?
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you're an OG listener, you know we started the pod as a hobby during the pandemic. But we weren't the only people following creative pursuits - so ...
170. Can You Read My Mind?
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Do you believe in telepathy or ESP-like phenomena? This week we discuss "The Telepathy Tapes," a podcast that explores if non-verbal autisti...
169. Bethenny's Dior Bags (UAP)
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Did you hear about the SUV-sized drones, plasmoids, orbs, and other strange objects in the sky over New Jersey/the East Coast the past few months, or ...
168. But What Have You Really Been Doing?
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're back with a life update where we chat about the most fun recent things we've been up to during our off-season break, Angela being re-energized a...
167. The Happiness Curve
20 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"The Happiness Curve" is a concept that postulates that on average, a person's happiness acts as a U-shaped curve where you are happiest in your youth...
166. Should Video Games Represent Us?
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever spent hours in anticipation of your next escape, only to find that you can't quite see yourself in that narrative? If you're a gamer, ...
165. Hindsight is 20/30
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever taken a moment to look back on your actions from a different period of your life? Have you ever wondered why you made certain decisions ...
164. Bilingual Parenting ft. Sunny Horstmann
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We've often grappled with reconciling our identities as Asian-Americans, straddling two or more cultures between our family's motherland and the weste...
163. Food As A Way Into Taiwanese Culture ft. Lisa Cheng Smith (Yun Hai)
15 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We've often talked about how food is one of the most easily accessible ways into a culture, and this episode's guest is a perfect living example of th...
162. Financial (In)Dependence
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"More money, more problems" as they say. But is financial inequality in a relationship a unique problem or does it just exacerbate existing ones? Thi...
161. Election Schmelection
01 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The 2024 General Election is coming up in a matter of days... thank god because we are over it, lol. No matter which side of the political spectrum ...
160. The Call is Coming from Inside the House
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's that spooktacular time of year - Halloween! In keeping with the pod tradition, we've gone diving in the deepest, darkest recesses of the intern...
159. When Love Is More Than Words ft. Jocelyn Chung
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jocelyn Chung is a Taiwanese-American graphic designer and writer whose new children's book "When Love Is More Than Words" was just released this week...
158. Hello, Listeners!
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Your besties are back with some new topics for fall! Before we get into a slew of new conversations these next few months, we'd like to update you o...
157. Unlocking the Real You in Mandarin
20 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You've heard Angela share her struggles with trying to improve her Mandarin, being at a loss knowing simultaneously too much and nothing at all, it se...
156. The Path Towards Inner Peace
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How do you go about seeking inner peace for yourself? We've spent many past episodes diving into mental health and self-growth. But as we strive ...
155. How I Found My Voice Playing My Mom in A Movie ft. Lydia Bai
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What's it like to not only have an Olympic gold medalist mom but also have the chance to play her in a movie in China alongside the likes of Gong ...
154. Seeking the American Dream Abroad
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the pandemic recedes, the dream of remote work forever has also shrank. But for those who can still telecommute, the allure of planting roots elsew...
153. Tip, Tip, You Pay!
12 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Look, we think service and gig workers should be paid a fair wage for their work, but at what point did that responsibility shift to the consumer inst...
152. Hello Grief, My Old Friend
05 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our relationship with grief changes as we get older. The range of loss we learn to absorb over time is so large - so where do we learn how to cope? ...
151. A New Blueprint for the Modern Family
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Family structures have changed throughout time and vary depending on which part of the world you're from. Recent surveys done by Pew Research in ...
150. Three Body Problem Netflix Review
24 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Netflix has finally released its highly anticipated adaptation of the beloved sci-fi series "The Three Body Problem," and we're giving you our honest ...
149. Fake It Til You Make It: Taiwan Edition
15 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We've talked about the culture shocks & challenges we've faced being American-born kids visiting the motherland (in our case, Taiwan), but...
148. House Hunting: New York vs. Kyoto
08 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What's it like to search for and buy a house in the US vs. in Japan? Jesse purchased a co-op apartment in New York City two years ago, and Angela...
147. Election Scaries: Taiwan Edition
01 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know that there was a presidential election in Taiwan this year? While election madness is just starting in the US, it's already finished...
146. Is Democracy Worth Saving?
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Do people around the world still believe that democratic institutions represent their best interests? Recent survey data reported by the Guardian sho...
145. Is It Polyamory Or Just Being Selfish?
14 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Are polyamory and open relationships becoming popular in modern society?! ...or is the media just presenting it that way and enabling problematic pe...
144. Moving Abroad & Moving In Together
09 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's the Year of the Dragon y'all and we're looking to tap into that energy of success, power, luck, and excellence as we wade through the...
143. Starting Again
15 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The end of the year means that we're at the start of a fresh new beginning! It can be so exciting to start the year fresh, but new life chapters...
142. Canton Kiwi ft. Henry Yuen
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What do you get when you take a Hong Kong-born kid, move him to New Zealand for the next 13 years, and then have him cross over the ocean to the US as...
141. Odd Man Out ft. Nick Anderson
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What made a white college kid from the midwest decide to move to the other side of the world to live in China?! In this episode, we're joined by ...
140. Asian Kids Trying to Gentle Parent
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered what parenting in 2023 looks like? Are more parents disciplinarians or have more parents found their way to gentle parent? Our...
139. Y U No Friend
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Finding new friends is challenging at any age, but it seems to get particularly more difficult as we get older. As we age out of experiences and env...
138. Modern Problems for Modern Baby Making
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Modern science has truly come a long way with regards to fertility and alternative ways to start families. However, even with these science-aided opti...
137. Because You’re Worth It…?
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Even though we're pushing towards our mid-30s, finding a healthy sense of self and self-worth can still be challenging. Sense of self and self-w...
136. Boo, Bitch!
27 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to get scary again! Since y'all loved our scary stories from Asia episode last year, we're coming back at you with new stories...
135. Therapy for the Asian Diaspora ft. Harry Au
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Harry Au is a therapist specializing in working with Asians in the diaspora, often 1.5 and 2nd generation Asians who are either immigrants themselves,...
134. Quarter Life Crisis...Again?!
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do you define "meaning" or "value" in life? In the US we often put work above all else, thinking that career success and stat...
133. Settling Down But Not Settling
06 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There are so many things about getting older that suck. But does getting older always mean settling down? Is there even a universal meaning to the phr...
132. How Do I Chinese Again?
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Many children of immigrants grew up learning their parents' language as their first tongue. Our first language was Mandarin, but like many other i...
131. Made in Taiwan ft. Clarissa Wei
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Clarissa Wei is a Taiwan-based food journalist and author of the new cookbook "Made in Taiwan," out now. Clarissa was inspired to use this ...
130. What’s Your Definition of Happiness?
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There's a whole industry built around finding shortcuts in experiencing happiness, but do things in life actually make us happy or is it how we ex...
129. Ya Boy Was In Taiwan
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jesse recently went back to Taiwan for the first time since before the pandemic. Although for less than ideal reasons (the death of his grandfather), ...
128. Why I'm Probably Retiring in Asia
01 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After living abroad in Japan and Korea the last year, Angela's recent reverse culture shock coming back to the US has your co-hosts wondering why ...
127. Embrace Your Culture... But Not Too Much
30 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This 4th of July, we're pondering our Americanness from a different angle. As Taiwanese-Americans - in our case, born and raised in the U.S., with...
126. The Korean Adoptee Experience ft. Kristen Meinzer
23 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kristen Meinzer is a force to be reckoned with. She is an award-winning podcaster with millions of downloads, a culture critic who frequently appears ...
125. What Do We Owe Our Parents As They Age?
16 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We've talked about how and why our relationship with our parents is complicated. But as our parents get older, what level of emotional, financial,...
124. Creepy Men, Can You Just Not?
09 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we unpack our experiences with creepy men. Creepy men often approach unexpectedly and at times where we are seemingly just going abou...
123. Media Representation: From Token Gay to Everyone's Gay
02 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do you think the LGBT community is authentically portrayed in modern media - both from a quality representation standpoint, and in quantity of charact...
122. Are We All Too Sensitive?
26 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The US seems to be more divided than ever today. Especially when the topic at hand is a sensitive issue that has to do with identity and human rights,...
121. Outgrowing Your Childhood Traumas
19 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
So much of your experience as a child influences you as an adult. Having grown up in a typical Asian immigrant family, we felt like we never received ...
120. Where’s the Soul of the Modern City?
12 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
New York, Tokyo, London, Seoul - what do current modern metropolises have in common, and how does the speed of modernization change the flavor that ea...
119. Lost in Translation, Literally
05 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How deeply engaged can you be with a country's culture without being fluent in the local language? Can concepts of culture be divorced from langua...
118. Searching for Parental Love
28 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Growing up in an Asian family can feel like you're starved for attention all the time. You can never get the same exact "love" that you ...
117. Perpetual Foreigner Wherever I Go
21 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Angela has been a digital nomad for the past 2 years, and half of that time has been spent abroad in countries where she is quite literally a "fo...
116. The Cultural Impact of HMart
14 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We've chatted many times before on the pod about how food has such an intimate connection with culture. Food can evoke so many strong memories and...
115. Will ChatGPT Take Your Job?
07 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you heard of ChatGPT, the new AI chatbot that's been taking the world by storm? What exactly is ChatGPT and how is it different from past AI...
114. I’ve Got A Crush On You
31 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is it about relationships and love that pique so much interest in all of us? We know that our listeners love to hear about topics related to our ...
113. Going Down the Rabbit Hole: Alice in Borderland
24 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hot take: the Japanese sci-fi series "Alice in Borderland" is a better version of Squid Game (and came out first!) Netflix's "Alice in Borderland" Se...
112. Is Gwen Stefani Japanese?
17 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Gwen Stefani created quite the controversy in the US when she recently doubled down on her claim that she "is Japanese," but for the most part, actual...
111. Wait, Gift Giving Has Rules?
23 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's the final episode of the "season!" And what better way to close out a holiday season than to talk about quirky things around gifting? Giving gif...
110. 2 Partners, 1 Therapist
16 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How much do you know about couples counseling or couples therapy besides what you may have seen in trashy reality TV representations? To us, it feels ...
109. Fall in Love with Yourself
09 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Self-love and self-care go hand-in-hand, but how do we find a way to embrace these concepts authentically? In thinking about the self-work that...
108. Which Generation is it Anyways?
02 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Is there a reliable way to predict what's coming in the future? Sometimes, we just need to look to the past to inform what changes we might see soon!&...
107. Is Polyamory For You?
25 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We're all searching for the "one," but what if there was more than one "one" for you out there? What would it take to work it out with multiple loves ...
106. Being A Global Citizen
18 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As many of you know, Angela has been living that digital nomad life for the past year and a half. In this episode, we talk about how the pandem...
105. Affordable Healthcare Outside the U.S.
11 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by a viral TikTok video Angela made about her uninsured dental experience in Korea a few months ago, we're discussing some of the ways health...
104. Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist
04 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever thought about what racism looks like in other countries, especially Asian countries? We're exploring that this week through the lens of ...
103. See You in Your Nightmares
28 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's spooky season! Are you a fan of All Hallows' Eve? Do you love to watch horror movies and spook yourself with scary stories? If so, this week's ti...
102. Hey Sister, Soul Sister
21 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do you ever wonder where the soul goes after you die? Do you believe that there is a life between lives that you could experience as your soul-self? T...
101. The Gas Is Too Damn High ft. Ramon Recuero
14 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Are we in a recession?! Whatever you wanna call it, things sure are expensive right now! In this mini episode, we invite Angela's husband Ramon back ...
100. 100 Reasons I Love You
07 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered if you could know your best friend even more deeply? We're going to answer that question for you this week as we play 36 Questi...
99. Homage or Appropriation?
30 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With the red hot popularity of Korean content flooding the market now, did you know that Netflix's new "Money Heist: Korea" is not a standalone origin...
98. When Church Meets State ft. Keith Koo
23 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we mix two controversial topics together: religion and racism. Friend of the pod Keith Koo (previous guest on EP#21 Adulting 2.0) joi...
97. Should We Forgive & Forget?
16 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As people who struggled hard to successfully pay off our own student loan debt, we aren't thrilled with Biden's new student loan forgiveness plan, but...
96. Can Taiwan Stay Independent?
09 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tensions between Taiwan and China have been high since essentially the beginning of modern-day Taiwan as we know it (circa 1949). But if you've been f...
95. What the Heck is A Himbo?
02 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What the heck is a "himbo?!" We're discussing the rise of the Asian himbo (male bimbo) as an evolution from the traditional portrayal ...
94. Red White And You: 2022
01 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What does the promise of America look like in 2022? For some, the promise of the American dream still rings true. For others, the idea of Ameri...
93. Where the Eff is Angela: Korea Edition
24 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Where in the WORLD is Angela? Angela and her husband Ramon have been on the road for more than a year now as digital nomads! We catch up with her in ...
92. Explain Crypto to Me Like I'm 5 ft. Ramon Recuero (Angela's Husband!)
17 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have you been following the recent cascade of dumpster fires in the crypto space where the entire ecosystem has been taking one beating after another,...
91. Asians in Asia Doing Cool Sh*t ft. Sunbin Yim
10 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As a twist on our usual "Asians Doing Cool Sh*t" subtrack, while Angela is living abroad in Asia, we're finding Asians *in Asia* doing cool sh*t to he...
90. How Does One IRL?
03 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Does it feel like things are spinning out of control sometimes? You're not alone! This week we discuss how being on social media has put us in a...
89. Open for Business
20 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be in an open relationship and what it's all about? This week we put Jesse in the hot seat as we discuss the ...
88. The Dark Side of Social Media
13 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Internet has made wonderful things like our podcast possible, but what are the downsides of the world wide web? This week we discuss the shadowy w...
87. We Love You Mommy ft. Sienna Lin & Gina Lin (Our Moms!) - Mandarin Audio
06 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
**This is the Mandarin-based audio interview with our moms, available for those who are able to speak our mother language! For those who aren't able t...
87. We Love You Mommy (English Recap)
06 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Mother's Day weekend and start of Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month! To celebrate, we had two incredibly special guests on o...
86. I’ll Meet Me in My Next Life
29 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you could go back and revisit another life, would you? This week we sit down with Angela and recap her experience with past-life regression. ...
85. Belly of the Beast: Ukraine War ft. Alexey Siniavtsev (Ukrainian in Kyiv)
22 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We're following up on our first episode about the Ukraine War that featured a Russian civilian with a counter-episode featuring a Ukrainian guest from...
84. COVID-19 to COVID-22
15 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
They say the only way out is through, and we are truly still going through a lot when it comes to COVID-19. Two years after the initial rolling wave o...
83. Everything Everywhere All At Once... Indeed!
08 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Everything Everywhere All At Once is maybe one of the best movies we've ever seen...?! Starring the legendary Michelle Yeoh, this movie is seriously u...
82. Call It What It Is - War ft. Anonymous Russian Civilian
01 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There is a war being waged on Ukraine, and we need to talk about it. In this episode, we are joined by an anonymous Russian civilian to discuss the o...
81. Terrible Twos
25 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's our 2 year pod-versary!! We are truly in awe that we've made it this far, and so much of that is because of all of the support from you, d...
80. Go Home We’re Drunk: Train to Busan
25 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Must...eat...brainssss! On another edition of "Go Home We're Drunk," we raise a glass to the cinematic adventure that is Train to Busan. We wanted to ...
79. Go Home We're Drunk: Sailor Moon Crystal
18 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Who else obsessively watched Sailor Moon growing up? We did! We're rebooting our previous format of "Go Home We're Drunk" where we drink on the show a...
78. Wheel of Fortune
11 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Wheel! Of! Fortune!!! Who hasn't thought about taking a lucky spin and peering into their future? This week we talk all about traditional fortune-tell...
77. Chinese for Dummies, But I’m Still A Dummy
04 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know that there are actually two forms of written Chinese - simplified and traditional? We're bringing you a schoolin' lesson this week ...