The Side Dish

Smart people (and nutcases) around the world agree: aliens are real. We've got proof as well! 20 minutes into recording, the camera malfunctioned and we lost most of our footage.  Anyways, other topics include: chess masters (@usanamja), Jay's home-cooking habits, Jaehyun's new basil plant, and Aaron's aching Achilles' heel. 07/12/23

James and Jaehyun rejoin the podcast to talk about losing hair, jealousy in dating, and the sexist etymology of Korean words. Aaron makes bad jokes, as usual. All is right with the world. Enjoy! 07/07/23

The gang lets out their inner ajusshis to complain about Gen X slang and other bullshit we hate. Jaehyun chimes in to give her review of HBO’s “The Idol”, Aaron talks about his business trip to Jeju, and Jay reveals that one should never shake his hand. Keep it P, everyone, and enjoy!  06/15/23

Seline is back on the pod this week joined by her best friend since kindergarten, Kayla Moon, and we all find that we have something in common: there’s a theater kid inside each of us. We discuss Kayla’s unique upbringing as not only a theater director’s daughter, but also as a third-culture kid born and raised in Korea with roots in a tiny Kentucky town. We also perform some questionable scene re...

Al Pacino knocked up a 29 year old. Other topics include: an 11 million dollar lawsuit against Equinox, South Korea's false nuclear alarm,  a toilet paper commercial for @yesnobrainer, and a special shoutout to Yoda, Sue's canine godson. RIP, Yoda~  06/01/23

Remember living alone for the first time and mistakenly putting laundry detergent in your dishwasher? This week, the gang swaps embarrassing stories from our early 20s as we learned how to properly navigate adulthood, one mistake at a time. Special guest Daniel Kim talks about drinking lead in Historic South Central, getting hit on by an L.A. gangbanger, and making deposits at the wank bank. We al...

Back by popular demand, the podcast follows up with a sequel to one of its most popular episodes (Episode 32: Pee, Poo, and Sometimes Barf). Aaron's cousin Ryan Yi joins to talk about bed wetting, the most optimal foods for taking solid shits, farting in front of (or on) strangers, and having explosive diarrhea while on a hot date. Enjoy! 05/18/23

James Chung and Sue Hahn rejoin the podcast to talk about the most critically important issue of our time: the Dungeons and Dragons movie. We also talk about grown men tears, shit that pisses off Sue, encountering rude people, and sketchy ear cleaning salons. Enjoy! 05/10/23

Khloe Kim jumps on the mic to dish about immaturity, lack of communication, and all the red flags she’s discovered throughout her time on the dating apps. Aaron makes a crass joke, James summarizes the differences between coupling up in America vs Korea, and Jay claims to have NEVER been on a bad date.  Enjoy! 04/24/23

Part two is here! Jay’s younger sister Denise joins the podcast to talk about Korean dermatologists, the pitfalls of working with a sibling, Steven Yeun’s performance in Beef, sketchy karaoke bars in Busan, Sue’s voice acting career, Frank Ocean’s Coachella drama, the connection between Hogwarts Legacy and SZA, and much more.   04/17/23

Jay's older sister Kay graces the podcast to dish about family vacations and her love of romantic comedies. Aaron chimes in with his thoughts on ratchet Asians, and Jay bemoans the moose that got away.  04/10/23

A recent survey showed that South Koreans most valued "material wellbeing" as the top source of MEANING IN LIFE.  Let that sink in, and then hear us talk about the luxury shit we want but can't afford. Also, James Chung shares recently unearthed notebooks from his college years. Stayed tuned to hear his deep, brilliant thoughts!  04/03/23

For some reason, we talked about our teeth for a long time. But the majority of our episode is about CANADA! That's right, the episode you didn't know you wanted (and still don't) is finally here. Special guest Lauren Kim graces us with her insights into why Canadians are chill, learns a few Cacts (Canada Facts), and says bye to her buddies on the pod. Have a great life out there, L...

The married homies Justin and Elena help us adjudicate arguments between friends, family, and roommates, reaching stunning conclusions about whether you are, in fact, an asshole! Shout out to the "Am I the Asshole" subreddit for inspiring this episode. Tune in to see if you agree with our thoughts!  03/21/23

If you (a) like music, (b) think School of Rock is one the greatest films ever made, (c) have strong opinions about the Garden State soundtrack, (d) remember the days of Sean Kingston and Neo, (e) hate John Mayer’s face, (f) owned an iRiver MP3, (g) can name three Dashboard Confessional songs that aren’t “Hands Down”, (h) know who Engelbert Humperdinck is, then you won’t want to miss this episode!...

Our friend Julian Gari recently learned that he’s a quarter Asian—which explains a lot! Tune in to hear his story about playing competitive chess in Florida, studying statistics at Harvard, starting a successful gaming company, and his transition moving from L.A. to South Korea. Listen carefully, kids. You might learn something!  01/19/23

We were supposed to interview our friend Pauly, but he decided to do laundry instead. Whoops! Anyways, here’s the story of how Aaron proposed to his fiancé. Guest host James Chung assists with the recap (and GoPro footage, and photographs--thanks James!).  Enjoy <3 01/30/23

The podcast hosts L.A.-based filmmaker Katie Kim for an interview about art, love, and family—and she can’t remember a single question. Nevertheless, we manage to fumble our way through a conversation on part-time restaurant jobs, the origins of Katie's creativity, her thoughts on the Korean-American Hollywood scene, and "dating" emotionally unavailable, horned up bros. Get ready fo...

Ever had a neighbor that annoyed the shit out of you? How about a psychotic madman wanted by the police? If you answered “yes” to either, then this is your episode! Join us for a terrifying discussion about the best and worst neighborhoods we’ve lived in (Korea, CA, NYC), the meaning of communities both chosen and inherited, and a very special announcement from co-host Seline Jung!  01/12/23

Dating is hard, even for L.A. native Sam Sun. Join us for a lovely conversation about Sam’s dating life (both domestic and abroad), red flag love languages, Asian Baby Girls, the lack of dick pics on Sue’s phone, and how to tell if a guy really (REALLY, really) likes you. Thanks for coming on, Sam! Best of luck out there, bud.  01/09/23

Jaehyun Paik joins us for the first episode of 2023! She dishes about her holiday break and shares a film-worthy tale of her date with an “insanely hot” white dude—much to Aaron’s chagrin. Other topics include: Jay’s weight (it’s a secret), Aaron accomplishing his New Year’s Resolution to start smoking again, and how much we love our brother-in-laws. Thanks for coming on, Jaehyun! The first of man...

To close out year, we pick random photos from our phones and tell the stories behind them. Turns out that 2022 was filled with aquatic creatures, themed birthday parties, drunk weddings, forgotten dance sessions, and lots of photos of Seline’s cat.  Thank you guys so much for listening this year, and we'll see you in 2023!  12/21/22

What is the true meaning of Christmas? Charity? Good will among men (and women)? Chestnuts roasting on an open fire? Friends of the podcast James Chung and Sue Hahn join us to (badly) sing our favorite Christmas carols, go Grinch-mode on the worst Christmas traditions, and get properly drunk on mulled wine and tequila. It’s the holidays, you filthy animals! Enjoy!  12/14/22

Jay, Aaron, and Sue chat about the World Cup, do some bad improv, and eventually get around to interviewing their special guest, Daniel Kim, about working at fine dining restaurants in Oakland, LA, and Seoul. They discuss mental health in the food industry, talk shit about food influencers, and come to the conclusion that Guy Fieri’s a really good dude.  12/06/22

Welcome to our book club! We talk about things we’re reading/have read that are worth sharing, and maybe get off track a little bit at one point. Enjoy! 11/30/22