InfatuAsian Podcast

Our podcast pal Yowei loaned us one of her episodes of Proxy to air on our feed this week! It features an episode she produced with comedian and podcaster Mic Nguyen. In it, the episode explores what Mic calls "the biggest regret of his life," abandoning his pre-med studies to pursue a comedy career. If you've never listened to Proxy before, you're in for a treat!   Thanks to Yowei for letting us...

You might know Yowei Shaw from the NPR podcast Invisibilia, and if you do, then you know that most of the Invisibilia team got laid off in 2023. Since then, Yowei has been on a mission to continue telling stories that explore emotions and life's conundrums. This mission has turned into her new show, Proxy, an independent podcast that Yowei created, produces, funds, and hosts.  My new summer intern...

Poker is a game of strategy, numbers, psychology, and luck. Xuan Liu has been playing poker professionally on and off since college. She has had several tournament scores of over half a million dollars. In May 2025, she became the first woman to win a Triton Series Tournament, taking home over $860,000! Listen to our episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts. I'm in...

Tyrus Wong is the Chinese American artist who provided inspiration and vision for the Disney animated masterpiece, Bambi. He went on to have a long career as an artist at Warner Brothers, as well as designing cards for Hallmark. He was an amazing individual whom my guest, film scholar Karen Fang, has written a book about. It’s called Background Artist. Listen to our conversation on Spotify, Apple...

Got any questions that you're pondering at the moment? Wouldn't it be great to have someone to run it by to get some ideas? My guest Vicki Tan wrote a book for you! It's called Ask This Book a Question, and it walks you through different types of decisions you might need to make and gives stories from her life as well as biases that might be clouding your judgment. It's a very interesting and prac...

Men’s fashion influencer Jeff Yamazaki and his wife Naomi have made the trip between Los Angeles and Japan dozens of times —and they’ve learned a thing or two along the way. In this episode, the stylish duo shares their go-to travel tips for navigating Japan like a pro: from the best places to shop to eating some of the tastiest foods. Whether it’s your first visit or your fifteenth, Jeff and Naom...

Here's an episode with the Blackboard 4 (Jackie, Vicky, Loan, and me) where we talk about having Asian parents and being Asian parents. Hopefully, you can relate and join in the laughter. *Light trigger warning* We talk about old-fashioned Asian discipline.  Thanks to The Blackboard 4 for helping me all school year long. We'll be back after summer break to break down more topics. New Jersey (and a...

Are manners, good conversation skills, and etiquette out of style? My guest, Reina, and I wholeheartedly disagree! In fact, maybe these soft skills are needed more than ever! Reina Chan is an etiquette coach who was born in Hong Kong but was educated in England and Switzerland. She creates content around international etiquette and coaches clients on Eastern and Western etiquette at her company, N...

Vicky Nguyen's life arc that goes from a harrowing escape out of Vietnam to the Today show makes her book Boat Baby a real page-turner. I had a really fun chat with Vicky the day after Mother's Day, which I thought was appropriate, since her parents, husband Brian, and 3 daughters play a big part in this journey of a lifetime. As a bonus, we get Vicky's go-to Vietnamese comfort foods and a behind-...

John Wang is a leadership coach, author, speaker, and founder of Big Asian Energy, a platform dedicated to empowering Asian Americans to break through cultural and professional barriers.  We had so much fun chatting about his new book, Big Asian Energy, available May 27th, wherever you get books, or over at his website www.bigasianenergy.com  You can follow John on Instagram @johnwangofficial or @...

Want some bonus Amy Tan?  Yes please! Just when I thought I was wrapping up our chat with Amy Tan, we got into a deep conversation about life and surviving trauma. I didn't plan most of this and just went wherever Amy wanted to lead the conversation. *Trigger Warning* We talk about self-harm and assault, please use listener's discretion* Pictured in this post is Amy's grandmother (on the right). ...

It's going to be hard to beat this one! I had huge expectations about speaking with Amy Tan, and let me tell you, Amy gave me more than I could have even hoped for! She is the premier Asian American storyteller for a reason. She had me laughing one minute and contemplating the next. This is only Part 1, because we ended up chatting for over an hour and a half!  What a treat! I'll drop Part 2 next...

Jackie, Vicky, Loan, and I—a.k.a. The Blackboard 4—chat about the Greatest Of All Time Asian things! I always have a great time yapping with my teacher friends. Who knows where our next tangent will take us! In this episode, we discuss our GOATed Asian fruits and veg, movies, comedians, and more. Listen in and let us know if you agree with us or not!  As I always mention, you can write to us at: ⁠...

Nancy Kwan was one of the first Asian Hollywood stars I can remember seeing. She broke out in the hit movies "The World of Suzie Wong" and "Flower Drum Song" in the 1960s. Over the next several decades, Nancy worked in front and behind the camera in over 50 productions.  It was a real pleasure to speak with Nancy, she is as charming and lovely as ever. I really think you'll enjoy hearing from her....

Arthur Dong is an award-winning filmmaker out of San Francisco's Chinatown. One of his first films, Sewing Woman, was nominated for an Oscar. We caught up with Arthur and chatted about his youth in Chinatown and his over 50 years of filmmaking! Get the Arthur Dong Collection on Blu-Ray discs from Kino Lorber. Arthur's care for his subject matter will move you, and I promise that you will learn so...

Brandon wanted to participate in our March Madness of Chinese Cuisine, but he had a prior engagement, so we decided to bring the bracket to him! Recording in the legendary Moongate Lounge above Mr. Jiu's, Brandon and I talked about his journey and why it's been so important for him to keep pushing against the river of difficulties of running a big restaurant in SF Chinatown. Listen to this episode...

I had a quick call with Linda Tay Esposito from @flavor_explosions, who organized a bake sale to fundraise for earthquake relief efforts in Myanmar.  Here in San Francisco, Linda has gathered over 35 bakers who are donating some goods towards the relief effort. Each item will be $5 or $10, with 100% of the proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders in Myanmar. It's Sunday, April 13th, from 10AM-1PM...

The day had come on March 22nd, 2025... the day we crowned the greatest dish in Chinese Cuisine for 2025!  It was a hotly contested battle, voted on by about 60 members of our audience on a beautiful night in Chinatown. Cohosted by myself and the folks from The Worst Quality Crab Podcast and the On Waverly Bookstore, it was truly a fun night! I hope you were able to join us live, but if you weren'...

Here's a really quick interview with Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino, who star in the Filipino film My Love Will Make You Disappear! It is a fun rom-com with a fun premise and lots of ups and downs, tears and laughs.  I got to take part of the press junket, and because of my work schedule I only have a few minutes to chat with the stars. My nerves got the best of me, but the stars were so gracious and...

Sarah Ahn and her mom Nam Soon Ahn have been sharing stories and recipes on their Instagram @ahnestkitchen. Coming April 1st is their cookbook 'Umma" which is a fantastic collection of over 100 recipes, pictures, and stories from their family past and present. The stories in it will make your heart swell and your eyes water, while their recipes will help you experience Korean home cooking for your...

I'm a little ashamed to say, I don't think I've ever played a real game of mahjong!  Today's guest, Nicole Wong, wrote the perfect book for me!  It's called Mahjong: House Rules from Across the Asian Diaspora, and it has a little bit of everything for a new player like myself, or a seasoned player like you! It's available April 8th wherever you get your books.  Follow Nicole @themahjongproject on...

Mr. Prasetyo Hadi is the Consul General for Indonesia in San Francisco. I met Mr. Prasetyo Hadi at a fun celebration by the Indonesian Consulate in San Francisco. I asked if we could do an episode together, and so we got together and had a fun chat at the Consulate General, which happens to be near my work. They couldn’t have been nicer, showing me some of the warmth and hospitality Indonesia is f...

Lauren Yee is an uber-talented playwright and screenwriter originally from San Francisco. Her plays cover a wide range of topics, from life as a Yee in San Francisco Chinatown to a 1970s rock band trying to survive during the days of the Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia. Her plays are a poignant mix of family, history, and culture filled with tension and humor.  Listen to our episode wherever you...

Dr. Lydia Kang is a physician by day, and a prolific fiction and non-fiction author in her off hours. I had such a great time chatting with her about her new book Pseudoscience. We talked a little about lie detectors, cryptid creatures, crop circles, and more! Get a copy for yourself, your kids, and your kid's teachers, it's a lot of fun! Pseudoscience is available wherever you get your books. Fol...

Join us for a totally impromptu episode discussing Single's Inferno 4! I happened to be in LA and I met up with frequent co-host Katie!  We had an hour to kill so we set up the mobile studio and recorded our thoughts on this most recent season of Single's Inferno. I didn't love this season initially, but it definitely grew on me! Who were your favorites? Did the right people end up together? Are t...