The Side Dish

Between Southside Parlor, 448, and the now defunct High House, Bobby Kim has been slinging tacos and cocktails for more than a decade. Tune into the long-awaited interview that, for some reason, took five years to book. Topics include: getting drunk in high school, FATHERHOOD, and that time someone took a shit in the Southside elevator. Enjoy! 07/02/26

Our guest this week is Megan Peck Shub, an Emmy and Peabody Award winning producer for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver! As a highly accomplished career woman, Megan shares her journey from the check-in desk at Newark International Airport to the ~bright lights~ of New York City, while also sharing insights into sketch comedy writing, literary fiction, and life in Korea as the mother of two. Luk...

Joonho Baak is Michelin-starred sommelier and certified yogi. So obviously, he’s hella chill. Tune into our conversation about how this Ivy League educated frat bro landed his first kitchen job in San Francisco, climbed the ranks of the Bay Area fine dining scene, and made the transition to South Korea. We finish the episode with a wine tasting segment, where Joon offers simple tips to better unde...

Aaron Young (The Idol) and Tazmeena Haque (The Chef) join the podcast to talk about their past lives as boy band heartthrobs and professional cooks. We also talk about clay pigeon shooting, 23andMe results, and much, much more. Enjoy!  06/04/26

No guest this week — just three dudes yapping about self-optimization, among other things. Jay blew it big time, James entered a Make Me Laugh Challenge, and Aaron’s thinking about getting jacked.  05/28/26

The pride of Pflugerville, Hayleen Urbino (aka @pabtong), joins us to talk about Korean dating trends, the state of the Korean modeling industry, and her obsession with 3-wick candles. Other topics include: James’ hack for Mongolian BBQ, Jay getting shamed by Setlog, and our thoughts on how to be appropriately extroverted online. Also, if you catch the episode on YouTube, Aaron picked his nose lik...

Delilah Wells returns to the podcast to talk about arranged marriage, performative males, horny running clubs, and big tittied goth girlfriends. Other topics include: Dutch exhibitionism, James' college memories, and Delilah's hot take on Sally Rooney. We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it. It's a good one.   05/14/26

Mehtap Oezkan is a unique blend of Turkish, Swiss and Korean, garnering a following for her makeup videos, comedy skits, and vlogs about living as a foreigner in Korea. But there’s more to Mehtap than crazy social media numbers! Tune into our conversation that spans from The Fairly Odd Parents and SpongeBob SquarePants, to “influencer anxiety”, mewing, and Pokemon Go. Enjoy!  05/07/26

Mona joins the podcast to talk about anime BL, her embarrassing Chat GPT history, and what it was like attending Harvard throughout the pandemic. We also talk about how to tell if a boy likes you, James' dimples, and the 2021 action/comedy masterpiece, Free Guy. Enjoy! 04/30/26

Kevin Carpenter of @Spillout_Seoul joins the podcast to talk about owning an “influencer” pizza bar, the artistic merits of the 2004 film Garden State, and the definition of the word “zygomatic”. Other topics include: our first AOL screen names, Aaron’s gripe with Project Hail Mary, outdated slang from the Miles Davis autobiography, and a definitive ranking of Seoul’s pizzerias. Grab a slice and e...

Ninj is a seasoned biomedical engineer, part-time micro-influencer, and the prototype of Mongolian beauty (according to several YouTube comments). She’s also hugged a lot of goats. Don’t miss our conversation about CRISPR and antigravity cancer research, the craziest “first date” she’s ever had, and what it’s like being a beautiful person—both inside and out. Enjoy!   04/20/26

James, Jay, and Aaron share their hot takes on internet personas, restaurant gatekeepers, and whether living in New York makes you a boring person. Other topics include: what your favorite book says about your intelligence, being mean to your friends, and that time James pissed next to Tim Heidecker. Enjoy! 

Seline Jung "joins" the podcast to give us her hot take on cherry blossoms. Other topics include: James' review of America's #1 rated burger, Jay's orchestra concert, and Aaron's thoughts on the Super Mario Brothers Movie. Enjoy!  04/09/26

A few facts about George Merusi: He was the first American born in Uzbekistan. He was nearly kidnapped in the Congo. And he's probably going to heaven, given how much he knows about The Bible. Stick around for some bad improv at the end! Enjoy? 04/02/26

Model, actor, and stay-at-home-cat-dad Adam Strandt finally drops by The Side Dish studio. "Discovered" for his "natural modeling abilities" at a Rage Against the Machine concert, he's since popped up in Subway commercials, K-Pop music videos, and an array of dramas. Tune in to hear what's going on inside that handsome head. Oh, and Bran Taylor joins to do some improv...

Chris Ha make his podcast debut! He acts, he dances, he shoots photography. And he doesn’t want people knowing he’s a doctor. Tune in to find out why! Other topics include: makeover suggestions from James and a critical review of the song “Wrong Way” by Sublime.   03/19/26

Sol’s agitated, Jay bowled a 150, and James hasn’t read the Harry Potter books. Other topics include: why Millennials were such music snobs, our favorite Disney Channel original movies, Aaron’s workout hack, and much more. Enjoy!  03/12/26

The owner of @hmmmbrand blesses the podcast with her GenZ spirit, sharing (nightmare) stories from her film years at USC, working on Season 1 of Beef, launching her clothing store in Itaewon, writing/illustrating books, and much more. We end the episode with a "critique" of our Millennial aesthetic. Thanks for coming on, Katie! You're one cool kid!  03/05/26

How does a homeschooled farm kid become a professor of linguistics? Perhaps it’s the live-action-role-playing. The dungeon mastering, the hippie parenting. Or, it’s because Bazil Manietta has, by their own admission, eaten a hundred rattlesnakes and thereby grew a silver tongue. Guys, gals, and non-binary pals, this is our interview with the inimitable Bazilisk. Enjoy!    02/26/26

Tamara jumps on the mic to talk about being a youth pastor at a Korean church in Pittsburgh, her hatred of Singles Inferno, baby monkeys that make her cry, and much more.  02/19/26

Our resident Gen-Z friends Bran and Tyler drop by the studio to talk about their new sketch comedy project, swap slang words, and take (another) Millennial pop quiz. Other topics include: serving in the Korean Air Force, why Gen Z has no hope for the future, and Angelina Jolie's 2001 masterpiece, Tomb Raider. Enjoy! 02/12/26

As a “multi-instrumentalist”, Nicky wears many hats. She dances; she sings; she composes; and now, she pods! Tune into our in-depth conversation spanning her upbringing in the Philippines, how to write a musical, and her feelings on AI-generated art. Other topics include: our favorite jingles, songs that make us cry, and the 80s cult classic Mac and Me. And in a Side Dish first, we end the episode...

Today's episode is dedicated to Season 5 of Singles Inferno. But mostly, it's dedicated to Mina Sue.  01/31/26

This episode was two years in the making, but we finally did it! Mariam Ibrahim graces the podcast to talk about acting with @getinthe.van, her journalism career, and fantasizing about gay hockey players. Other topics include: grotesque AI influencers, Jay’s Irish accent, and Aaron’s criticism with One Battle After Another. Enjoy! 01/23/26

As our resident young person, Branson Taylor jumps on the mic to talk about acting, creativity, and the origins of “lowkenuinely”—among other Gen-Z slang. The second half consists of Millennial pop culture quiz, where we descend into long-winded explanations of dial-up internet, Napster, and Paris Hilton, thereby establishing our unc status. (I hope I said that right.)  01/12/26