Joe Rogan Experience #1704 - C.K. Chin

1. 0:00 – 2:29

   Birthday coincidences and family dynamics

   1. NANarrator0:00

      (drumming) Joe Rogan podcast, check it out.

   2. JRJoe Rogan0:04

      The Joe Rogan Experience. Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. (rock music) Happy birthday, my friend.

   3. CCC.K. Chin0:13

      (laughs) Thank you.

   4. JRJoe Rogan0:14

      I did-

   5. CCC.K. Chin0:15

      Appreciate that.

   6. JRJoe Rogan0:15

      ... not know it was your birthday when we scheduled this.

   7. CCC.K. Chin0:17

      Yeah, it's, uh-

   8. JRJoe Rogan0:18

      So it's exciting.

   9. CCC.K. Chin0:18

      ... uh, you know, my, uh, my sister's birthday is today's as well. She's ... we're five years apart, exactly, to the day.

   10. JRJoe Rogan0:24

       What?

   11. CCC.K. Chin0:24

       Yeah. To the day.

   12. JRJoe Rogan0:25

       How weird.

   13. CCC.K. Chin0:26

       Yeah. My mom had great timing. (clears throat)

   14. JRJoe Rogan0:27

       That's amazing timing.

   15. CCC.K. Chin0:29

       And so, yeah, so forever ... probably since I was, like, 10, it's been her birthday. Like, I wake up and say happy birthday.

   16. JRJoe Rogan0:33

       That's crazy odds.

   17. CCC.K. Chin0:35

       Yeah.

   18. JRJoe Rogan0:35

       Like, what are the odds? Like, five years apart on the same day.

   19. CCC.K. Chin0:39

       Yeah. I guess I thought about that before. I mean, I guess the odds are just one out of 365. I mean, at the end of the day, that's ... it doesn't matter.

   20. JRJoe Rogan0:45

       Are they really?

   21. CCC.K. Chin0:46

       Because 25 years apart, and 10 ... It's still ... We only have 365 days a year, so it has to be one of those days.

   22. JRJoe Rogan0:53

       I guess.

   23. CCC.K. Chin0:55

       Mathematically speaking (laughs) , I think.

   24. JRJoe Rogan0:56

       I feel like there's something missing in that equation.

   25. CCC.K. Chin0:59

       (laughs) Right.

   26. JRJoe Rogan1:00

       You know what I mean? It's like one of them trick problems.

   27. CCC.K. Chin1:02

       Right, right, right, right.

   28. JRJoe Rogan1:04

       What ... Uh ...

   29. CCC.K. Chin1:05

       Right.

   30. JRJoe Rogan1:05

       ... about that?
2. 2:29 – 5:07

   Birthdays, adulthood, and hospitality mindsets

   1. JRJoe Rogan2:29

      I always felt sorry for kids that had, like, Christmas birthdays.

   2. CCC.K. Chin2:32

      That's a totally different thing. Yeah, I agree.

   3. JRJoe Rogan2:34

      That's bullshit. (laughs)

   4. CCC.K. Chin2:34

      Then you get that, you get that Christmas/birthday gift. (laughs)

   5. JRJoe Rogan2:37

      I would just lie to my kid.

   6. CCC.K. Chin2:39

      (laughs)

   7. JRJoe Rogan2:39

      I'd be like, "Dude, you were born in July."

   8. CCC.K. Chin2:41

      (laughs) Yeah. Start over.

   9. JRJoe Rogan2:42

      Let's get the fuck out of here with this Christmas shit.

   10. CCC.K. Chin2:45

       Yeah. Yeah, for sure.

   11. JRJoe Rogan2:45

       'Cause that's, that's bullshit for a kid. 'Cause they look for that ... You know, that's a big deal, your birthday, for at least the first few years of your life.

   12. CCC.K. Chin2:53

       I, I had a ... You know, I have an interesting perspective also. My mother was a, you know, single mother, raised me and my grandmother and, um, I always thought that you should celebrate the parent for, like, the first 10 years or something. Like-

   13. JRJoe Rogan3:05

       That's a good call.

   14. CCC.K. Chin3:05

       ... as a kid, it's kind of like, I mean, what, what'd you do? Uh, in the beginning.

   15. JRJoe Rogan3:09

       Yeah, but-

   16. CCC.K. Chin3:09

       It's like, it's like your mother's ... Like, happy birthday. Congrat- good job on what you created, and then we'll see if you ... this kid is worth celebrating (laughs) later on.

   17. JRJoe Rogan3:16

       (laughs)

   18. CCC.K. Chin3:17

       Give him a little time.

   19. JRJoe Rogan3:17

       The thing is that that's the only birthdays that mean a fuck. Like, when I have a gr- see a grown man at a show going, "It's my birthday," like-

   20. CCC.K. Chin3:24

       That's right.

   21. JRJoe Rogan3:25

       ... the fuck? Bitch, your birthday was 30 fucking years ago.

   22. CCC.K. Chin3:27

       That's right.

   23. JRJoe Rogan3:27

       It is not today. You're a grown man.

   24. CCC.K. Chin3:30

       That's right. Yeah.

   25. JRJoe Rogan3:30

       You know, that's ... That is some weak shit when-

   26. CCC.K. Chin3:34

       Yeah. We all have birthdays.

   27. JRJoe Rogan3:34

       ... people get all excited about having a birthday. "It's my birthday, ka-tang."

   28. CCC.K. Chin3:39

       Yeah, especially like the people that come to the bars and ask for free, free stuff.

   29. JRJoe Rogan3:42

       Oh, fuck off, right?

   30. CCC.K. Chin3:43

       Yeah.
3. 5:07 – 6:55

   Early work, starting college young, and growing up fast

   1. JRJoe Rogan5:07

      How long you been in the restaurant business?

   2. CCC.K. Chin5:10

      I mean, I started bartending, you know, early 18, 19, so, uh, four to 24 years.

   3. JRJoe Rogan5:16

      So it was one of your first jobs ever?

   4. CCC.K. Chin5:19

      I started college early. I was 16, and then I s-

   5. JRJoe Rogan5:22

      Ooh, Mr. Smarty Pants.

   6. CCC.K. Chin5:24

      I, I ... It was because I ... I was born in September, and then my family wasn't like, "Well, you're supposed to wait another year." They're like, "Nope. We'll put you in a Montessori school." (laughs) "We'll get you started now." And then went into, went into school and, um, my last year in high school, they switched over to this block scheduling thing, so I ran outta classes. And my family, um, also my mother, we ... put me in summer school every year because she heard about summer school and was like, "Yeah, go to school. Continue going to school."

   7. JRJoe Rogan5:53

      Wow.

   8. CCC.K. Chin5:53

      And I ran outta classes. And so we were a- I was able to take some college classes and then I got accepted in a college and went, went that summer before I turned, you know, 17.

   9. JRJoe Rogan6:02

      What was that like being in ... around a bunch of fucking grown-ass kids when you're basically 16?

   10. CCC.K. Chin6:07

       I was a-... I was an old man. I, I, I really... It's weird. I have this kind of juxtaposition, I feel like, too, also off of my upbringing and everything like that. I've always been kind of an old mindset. I kinda walk, walk around and look at these kids, like, "What are you-

   11. JRJoe Rogan6:21

       (laughs)

   12. CCC.K. Chin6:22

       ... "What are you..." Like, "What are y'all doing?"

   13. JRJoe Rogan6:23

       How come?

   14. CCC.K. Chin6:24

       I don't know. A- and I think, but that's where the, the, the thing was. I think I was forced to kinda grow up a little bit faster with single parent and-

   15. JRJoe Rogan6:32

       Mm-hmm.

   16. CCC.K. Chin6:32

       ... my grandmother raised me and then having to help, you know, with my sister and everything. And so... But I'm also very childlike in that way, because I think a lot of that kind of got ex- you know, taken away a little bit. So I still, you know, I still enjoy cartoons and Marvel movies or whatever it is and these type of things, these escapism stuff that I feel like I just never really kinda fully got out of the way. And so it's like I, you grew up fast and now it's like you're making up for lost time and doing that kinda stuff now.

4. 6:55 – 12:52

   Superhero movies as “junk food” and the Watchmen debate

   1. JRJoe Rogan6:55

      I, I started embracing them again. I thought they were foolish, like comic books and comic book movies and stuff like that.

   2. CCC.K. Chin7:01

      Yeah.

   3. JRJoe Rogan7:01

      I thought they were foolish for a while, and then I got, as I got older, I go, "But wait a minute, I liked those." And then I started embracing them as I got in, I guess into my 30s.

   4. CCC.K. Chin7:11

      Yeah. I think, I think you have a better understanding, and again, not to get so super deep on superhero movies. But I think there is something that, that really kinda shines a mirror on people to... If you have this blank canvas and be able to create something as to whatever you wanted and then you can create this person. It's kind of interesting. I remember, uh, I forgot there was an essay going around or something that's talking about, like, Superman for instance and, like, how there is some interesting psychology behind it. The idea that everyone on Krypton is Superman, and his alter ego is actually a human as opposed to every other superhero whose alter ego is their superhero, but he actually has to pretend to be normal 'cause he just himself is-

   5. JRJoe Rogan7:57

      Hmm.

   6. CCC.K. Chin7:57

      ... you know, whatever. It's like this weird kinda thing and I remember reading that kinda stuff and thinking about that and thinking about how, like, um, most recently I think Spider-Man, they finally cast a young, young guy as opposed to, like, a grown man. And there's like what kind of stuff would you go through as a teenager that all of a sudden discovered that you have all this stuff going on? And they did a good job in the most recent movies about him going to high school and telling his best friend and getting caught about it and getting all this sort of stuff. I feel like there's, like... As an adult watching it, it's not the same. I think I really enjoy it on a different level. But it's cool.

   7. JRJoe Rogan8:32

      Yeah, well, it's just... Superhero movies, they're just fun. That's all it is.

   8. CCC.K. Chin8:38

      That's right.

   9. JRJoe Rogan8:39

      It's just fun.

   10. CCC.K. Chin8:40

       It's junk food.

   11. JRJoe Rogan8:41

       Yeah.

   12. CCC.K. Chin8:41

       Yeah. Enjoy it.

   13. JRJoe Rogan8:42

       Exactly.

   14. CCC.K. Chin8:42

       Right. Yeah.

   15. JRJoe Rogan8:42

       Junk food for the mind.

   16. CCC.K. Chin8:43

       Yeah, I think that there's, there's a time... Like, when people would come by and say this didn't have any s- It's like are you arguing the realism? Like go... The people who pick it apart like that? It's just kind of strange.

   17. JRJoe Rogan8:53

       They can do whatever they want. Like if they-

   18. CCC.K. Chin8:55

       Yeah.

   19. JRJoe Rogan8:55

       ... if that's what you wanna do with a superhero movie-

   20. CCC.K. Chin8:57

       Yeah. (laughs)

   21. JRJoe Rogan8:57

       ... go back and do that about Bugs Bunny too, stupid.

   22. CCC.K. Chin8:59

       That's right. (laughs) Exactly, exactly.

   23. JRJoe Rogan9:00

       (laughs)

   24. CCC.K. Chin9:00

       "Oh, he got shot in the face, he could totally not-"

   25. JRJoe Rogan9:02

       Yeah.

   26. CCC.K. Chin9:02

       "... survive that." Like, yeah, exactly.

   27. JRJoe Rogan9:04

       Yeah.

   28. CCC.K. Chin9:04

       He's a talking rabbit, bro.

   29. JRJoe Rogan9:05

       Yeah, exactly. None of it makes any sense. You know what I watched the other day that I haven't seen in a long time? The Watchmen.

   30. CCC.K. Chin9:12

       Yes.
5. 12:52 – 18:39

   Opening restaurants in Austin and pandemic-era concept problems

   1. JRJoe Rogan12:52

      It's a, it's a weird time for that. Y- when, uh... H- so how long have you opened your restaurant for? How, how long has it been open for?

   2. CCC.K. Chin12:59

      So, the first mo-

   3. JRJoe Rogan12:59

      Is this your first re- was Woo Chow your first place?

   4. CCC.K. Chin13:02

      Swiss Addict was. That's when I first met you. Aubrey actually brought you in for dinner.

   5. JRJoe Rogan13:05

      When was this?

   6. CCC.K. Chin13:06

      I mean, 2012.

   7. JRJoe Rogan13:10

      Really?

   8. CCC.K. Chin13:10

      Probably 2013, something like that.

   9. JRJoe Rogan13:12

      And where was that at?

   10. CCC.K. Chin13:13

       Uh, it's upstairs on Congress. Upstairs, uh, above The Elephant Room. Um...

   11. JRJoe Rogan13:19

       The Elephant Room?

   12. CCC.K. Chin13:20

       The jazz bar right there on Congress.

   13. JRJoe Rogan13:22

       Oh, okay. I know where that is.

   14. CCC.K. Chin13:23

       Yeah, yeah. So right there on the 4th and Congress. Yeah. So-

   15. JRJoe Rogan13:26

       God, I forgot about that place.

   16. CCC.K. Chin13:27

       Yeah, came in, uh... You were in town randomly. I think it was just right when he was f- starting up on it and, uh-

   17. JRJoe Rogan13:31

       Mm.

   18. CCC.K. Chin13:31

       ... and brought you in for dinner. I think that was the first time, uh, like I said, b- I was working.

   19. JRJoe Rogan13:35

       So, that was your first spot?

   20. CCC.K. Chin13:36

       That was my first spot.

   21. JRJoe Rogan13:37

       And what happened to that spot?

   22. CCC.K. Chin13:38

       And it was good. Still there. Yeah, it's existing. We just... We were a... It's a small upstairs (laughs) spot that was very kind of aiming towards crowded, high-energy sharing food, which is probably the least type of place that you wanna open up in the last two years (laughs) . Like that-

   23. JRJoe Rogan13:55

       Right.

   24. CCC.K. Chin13:55

       ... that dynamic really-

   25. JRJoe Rogan13:57

       Yeah.

   26. CCC.K. Chin13:57

       ... exposed like, yeah, this is not what I think a lot of people want. But we've, you know, we've... As we've kind of gauged into it, calmed down a little bit and, and spread some people out a little bit, I think people are obviously more, more okay with it now. But early on, it was like, "Man, how, how in the world are we gonna pivot from this?"

   27. JRJoe Rogan14:13

       The... Why, why the idea of, like, sharing food? Like, the idea of, like, doing things family-style? Is that...

   28. CCC.K. Chin14:19

       Yeah, it was... The... So, are you talking about why it was bad or why-

   29. JRJoe Rogan14:23

       Yeah.

   30. CCC.K. Chin14:23

       ... how that... Well, why did I ch- just pick that way?
6. 18:39 – 21:25

   Curating local food for touring artists (and Austin burger scouting)

   1. JRJoe Rogan18:39

      Well, one of the things that I liked about doing, uh, Stubb's when we, uh, were doing shows there was, uh, you would always come by with all kinds of different food from different restaurants.

   2. CCC.K. Chin18:52

      Right.

   3. JRJoe Rogan18:53

      You really celebrate all the local places and establishments, and it seemed like you would really take pride in bringing us, like, these burgers from this one local spot or pizza from another local spot or that kind of stuff.

   4. CCC.K. Chin19:08

      Yeah, that's how it got started. I mean, I met Dave years ago. Um, got introduced to him through, uh, Questlove, Ahmir, who is a friend of mine who is also a foodie. And that's... We met through food as well. And, um, I just remember he was coming here and, and, you know, no, no shade on corporate-type restaurants, but it was like one of the conversations we have, especially for people who are on tour, it's like you can... A lot of times that kind of experience is comforting, like, it's like, but people eat McDonald's on the road because it always tastes exactly the same or whatever it is. But at the same time, I'm like, if you had somebody to just guide you through whatever city you're in, like why wouldn't you? Like why, why would you go to Philly and not have a Tony Luke's or something like that? Why would you go-

   5. JRJoe Rogan19:51

      What's Tony Luke's?

   6. CCC.K. Chin19:52

      It's a cheesesteak spot, or Max's or anything, you know, any of the local-

   7. JRJoe Rogan19:55

      Mm-hmm.

   8. CCC.K. Chin19:55

      ... cheesesteak spots that are dope. Like when I go there and I ask somebody who lives in Philly, they'll definitely say, "Don't go to, you know, Pat's or Geno's," or whatever it is, because that's the, it's a tourist trap, you know, whatever it is.

   9. JRJoe Rogan20:04

      Right.

   10. CCC.K. Chin20:05

       And, and so it's like the same thing. It's like so I was telling... They would sit there and say, "Where should we go eat?" And then find out that they ended up going to, you know, like one of the nights was Shake Shack. Shake Shack's great. I like Shake Shack burgers. But it's like we have local burger spots that are dope that, that would love to have a chance to serve and expand their audience of people who had to experience their food.

   11. JRJoe Rogan20:28

       What's the best local burger spot? And if you don't say Golden Tiger, I'll lose respect for you. (laughs)

   12. CCC.K. Chin20:32

       (laughs) Yeah, Golden Tiger. I brought Golden Tiger to y'all.

   13. JRJoe Rogan20:34

       Did you?

   14. CCC.K. Chin20:34

       Yeah, I did, I did. Um, and then I also brought these-

   15. JRJoe Rogan20:36

       I found out about it from Phillip, Phillip from, uh, Sushi Bar ATX.

   16. CCC.K. Chin20:40

       Yeah, Phillip Lee.

   17. JRJoe Rogan20:41

       Yeah.

   18. CCC.K. Chin20:41

       Yeah, he's the shit. And, and they're, they're fantastic, and the smash burger, that's my style of burger too.

   19. JRJoe Rogan20:46

       Mm-hmm.

   20. CCC.K. Chin20:46

       You know, that just basic one. Um, the other ones I was doing, um, is Bad Larry's.

   21. JRJoe Rogan20:52

       Bad Larry's.

   22. CCC.K. Chin20:53

       Yeah. They, they do... It's a pop-up spot. They own a couple bars and then they do this thing once a, I think it's once a week.

   23. JRJoe Rogan20:58

       How do you find them?

   24. CCC.K. Chin20:59

       Uh, they're on social media.

   25. JRJoe Rogan21:00

       Oh, okay.

   26. CCC.K. Chin21:00

       I'll, I'll connect you and then, um... But yeah, they just do a pop-up and then you have to pre-order it.

   27. JRJoe Rogan21:05

       It's a burger club.

   28. CCC.K. Chin21:06

       Yeah, it's a burger club.

   29. JRJoe Rogan21:06

       Oh, a burger club. (laughs)

   30. CCC.K. Chin21:08

       Yes.
7. 21:25 – 25:01

   What makes a great burger: smash vs thick, and nostalgia vs ‘delicious’

   1. JRJoe Rogan21:25

      Are you a guy that likes them flat ass skinny burgers or a thick, meaty burger?

   2. CCC.K. Chin21:31

      Flat ass skinny burger.

   3. JRJoe Rogan21:32

      Why is that?

   4. CCC.K. Chin21:33

      I think that there's a textural caramelizational type thing that happens when that happens.

   5. JRJoe Rogan21:39

      Mm-hmm.

   6. CCC.K. Chin21:39

      And, and I think it's the, the combo, that squishy bun, the, that cheese, American cheese that's... There's something nostalgic about that I think-

   7. JRJoe Rogan21:46

      Mm-hmm.

   8. CCC.K. Chin21:46

      ... for me, as opposed to, um, a steakhouse burger, which I'm like if I'm at a steakhouse, I'm eating steak.

   9. JRJoe Rogan21:52

      Yeah, I'm not eating a steakhouse burger at a steakhouse, but I do like a fat burger, a fat, juicy one.

   10. CCC.K. Chin22:00

       Yeah.

   11. JRJoe Rogan22:01

       But the-

   12. CCC.K. Chin22:01

       It's also harder to cook.

   13. JRJoe Rogan22:02

       Yeah, that's what I was gonna say.

   14. CCC.K. Chin22:04

       (laughs) Yeah, it's harder to cook.

   15. JRJoe Rogan22:04

       Like you have to make sure it's not dry.

   16. CCC.K. Chin22:05

       That's right.

   17. JRJoe Rogan22:06

       'Cause when you bite into one of those and it's dry, it's such a bummer.

   18. CCC.K. Chin22:08

       Oh, that big gray, that inch of gray band. (laughs) Yeah.

   19. JRJoe Rogan22:12

       Do you, I used to get, uh, at Fuddruckers-

   20. CCC.K. Chin22:15

       (laughs)

   21. JRJoe Rogan22:15

       You know Fuddruckers?

   22. CCC.K. Chin22:16

       Hell yeah.

   23. JRJoe Rogan22:17

       Um, they don't have those out here, do they?

   24. CCC.K. Chin22:18

       There's one.

   25. JRJoe Rogan22:19

       Is there?

   26. CCC.K. Chin22:19

       There's one left.

   27. JRJoe Rogan22:20

       But they have ostrich burger.

   28. CCC.K. Chin22:22

       Really? (laughs)

   29. JRJoe Rogan22:22

       Yes. That was what I always would get.

   30. CCC.K. Chin22:25

       Super lean. It's good.
8. 25:01 – 34:10

   Austin barbecue as the ‘Olympics’ and the craft of slow cooking

   1. JRJoe Rogan25:01

      That's one of the craziest things about Austin, is the variety of barbecue. I mean, this is l- absolutely the craziest barbecue place I've ever been to in my life.

   2. CCC.K. Chin25:09

      And that's recent, I think.

   3. JRJoe Rogan25:10

      'Cause you can't survive if you're not good.

   4. CCC.K. Chin25:13

      Yeah. And I think... And when people ask me about Texas barbecue, uh, I'm like, "It's the Olympics." Meaning, between first and last place of, like, the 100 yard dat, I mean, the dude, the last guy is still pretty fucking fast.

   5. JRJoe Rogan25:25

      Yeah.

   6. CCC.K. Chin25:25

      You know?

   7. JRJoe Rogan25:26

      (laughs)

   8. CCC.K. Chin25:26

      And so, like, there's people who don't make it into the Olympics.

   9. JRJoe Rogan25:29

      Right.

   10. CCC.K. Chin25:30

       But when you take the top t- ten best barbecues in Austin-

   11. JRJoe Rogan25:33

       Yeah.

   12. CCC.K. Chin25:33

       ... I mean, you're splitting hairs. Like, you really-

   13. JRJoe Rogan25:35

       Right. When you go to, like, Terry Black's, La Barbecue, Franklin.

   14. CCC.K. Chin25:40

       Style Switch, Micklethwaites, and, you know.

   15. JRJoe Rogan25:42

       There's so many good ones.

   16. CCC.K. Chin25:43

       Right, exactly. And so-

   17. JRJoe Rogan25:45

       Like, eh, this place is so spoiled in that regard.

   18. CCC.K. Chin25:48

       Yeah. And then you start to gauge really off the sides, like, (laughs) I think that's, to me, it's kind of like, do I feel like-

   19. JRJoe Rogan25:53

       Who's got the best sides?

   20. CCC.K. Chin25:55

       It's, you know, it depends on each one, you know.

   21. JRJoe Rogan25:57

       Like, if you, if you have like a-

   22. CCC.K. Chin25:58

       La Barbecue's got incredible mac and cheese, to me.

   23. JRJoe Rogan26:00

       Oh.

   24. CCC.K. Chin26:00

       I really love that. Um, Style-

   25. JRJoe Rogan26:02

       But if you have like an-

   26. CCC.K. Chin26:02

       ... Style Switch has-

   27. JRJoe Rogan26:03

       ... open, like, if you have an open day, and you have a thing for barbecue, do you have a direction you lean at?

   28. CCC.K. Chin26:10

       I... So here's, uh, I lean towards also some convenience.

   29. JRJoe Rogan26:15

       Mm-hmm.

   30. CCC.K. Chin26:15

       You know, I love, I love Aaron, and he's a great guy. But I don't wanna call in favors. Like, it's just not fair. It's not fair.
9. 34:10 – 40:17

   Chinese-American food, fusion, and how menus meet customers halfway

   1. CCC.K. Chin34:10

      With Chinese food.

   2. JRJoe Rogan34:11

      Mm-hmm. Like, what is a, what's a-

   3. CCC.K. Chin34:13

      Like Chamerican food.

   4. JRJoe Rogan34:14

      Like, what's a Chinese American dish?

   5. CCC.K. Chin34:17

      General Tso's chicken.

   6. JRJoe Rogan34:18

      Really?

   7. CCC.K. Chin34:19

      Yeah.

   8. JRJoe Rogan34:19

      General Tso's is not a Chinese dish?

   9. CCC.K. Chin34:21

      That was invented like in the '70s. There's a great de- there- there's a great documentary called The Search for General Tso.

   10. JRJoe Rogan34:26

       Mm-hmm.

   11. CCC.K. Chin34:26

       And they go back and show this dish to a bunch of people in China and Taiwan and all these places and they're like, "I've never even heard that before in my life."

   12. JRJoe Rogan34:31

       That's interesting.

   13. CCC.K. Chin34:32

       And, uh, but it is, it's a, it is a ... it was brought in by immigrants and it was, uh, it was a cooking thing where they had j- made adjustments to the, the demographic they were cooking for, they made it a little bit sweeter. They had access to-

   14. JRJoe Rogan34:45

       Yeah.

   15. CCC.K. Chin34:45

       You know, a perfect example is American broccoli is typically served with General Tso's chicken, but that broccoli doesn't exist. The big florets that, that, that-

   16. JRJoe Rogan34:52

       Mm-hmm.

   17. CCC.K. Chin34:52

       ... broccoli really doesn't exist in, in China proper. You know, there's ... we have gai lan. That's, that's our, we ... that's why they call it Chinese broccoli, you know, that, that type of ... That's what typically we cook with and then it's ... when you have access to it here it's like, well, they used that instead and-

   18. JRJoe Rogan35:06

       What does that look like? And it, is it, does it look like broc- broccoli rabe? What is it called? Broccoli rabe?

   19. CCC.K. Chin35:12

       Closer to broccoli rabe.

   20. JRJoe Rogan35:13

       Yeah.

   21. CCC.K. Chin35:13

       Yeah. Very close to broccoli rabe. I don't know if it's the same ... if gai lan is the same spec- if, if it is the exact same thing as broccoli rabe.

   22. JRJoe Rogan35:19

       Does it have the same sort of flavor?

   23. CCC.K. Chin35:20

       Very similar. It's, uh, mostly stalk. Still has that kind of bitterness to it, um, it's, it's, it's leafy as opposed to the florets and like that kind of stuff.

   24. JRJoe Rogan35:29

       And, and there's some vegetables like bok choy. Bok choy is so delicious. Like, how does ... how did bok choy never catch on to other cultures?

   25. CCC.K. Chin35:37

       I think it's p- it's demographical. You know, I think that it just can't grow. It's hard to grow in certain climates.

   26. JRJoe Rogan35:42

       Like your dish at your place, the bok choy with mushrooms is fantastic.

   27. CCC.K. Chin35:45

       Yeah, yeah.

   28. JRJoe Rogan35:46

       It's so good.

   29. CCC.K. Chin35:46

       And it's a sleeper 'cause most people ... Mushrooms is divisive. I think a lot of people see mushrooms and they're like, "I don't like mushrooms." But there's-

   30. JRJoe Rogan35:54

       Really?
10. 40:17 – 44:23

    How cultures eat: family-style tables, fried rice origins, and steakhouses

    1. CCC.K. Chin40:17

       But Chinese, for fried rice, for us, for the culture, it is a leftover dish, by definition.

    2. JRJoe Rogan40:22

       Oh, so it's like you take some of the food that's left over, you fry it up.

    3. CCC.K. Chin40:27

       Right. Because the trick to good fried rice at home is day-old rice.

    4. JRJoe Rogan40:31

       Oh.

    5. CCC.K. Chin40:32

       You have to use day-old rice. We cook rice and then put it back in the fridge for the next day to cook our fried rice, because you want it to dry out, so then when you cook it with all this extra moisture and oil and soy sauce and everything like that, it plumps back up to normal, not mushy the next day.

    6. JRJoe Rogan40:50

       Hm. That makes sense.

    7. CCC.K. Chin40:51

       So, so it really is. So, so the intention is, I've got all these little scraps and bits and leftover little bits of the barbecue that we did or this little chicken dish that we had and we have, add an egg in there and s- have some old rice that we had from the night before, cook it up again, and then it's like a casserole. It's like a, it's like a leftover dish.

    8. JRJoe Rogan41:08

       When you did Wu Chow, th- uh, one of the things that I, I really like about it is the, you have small dishes, so you order a ton of them.

    9. CCC.K. Chin41:17

       That's right.

    10. JRJoe Rogan41:18

        You know? I, I like that, because you get a, a gang of different flavors at your place.

    11. CCC.K. Chin41:24

        That's right.

    12. JRJoe Rogan41:24

        What, what made you go that, in that direction?

    13. CCC.K. Chin41:26

        I mean, that is the culture. In Chinese, uh, th- when you say eat, in reality, the, the words that you literally say is ǔfàn, which means to, like, eat rice. So, in Chinese culture, you, the food all hits the middle of the table, and we each have our bowl of rice. And the intention is to just grab a little bit of this and eat it with the rice and a little bit of this and eat it with the rice. And that's kind of the thing. So, um, when you share all these different dishes, that's the intention. You always order six, seven different dishes. Like, when we eat out as a family, it's like we just order a big table full of food, and then we all have our own little rice bowl, and then we all just eat a little bit of everything. So, that was a very pure level of cultural way that we culturally eat that's more... Like, it s- it actually makes no sense for you and I to go, either you, me, and Jamie to go eat and say, "I'll get the, you know, I'll get the chicken and, you know, the, the beef with broccoli," whatever it is, and then for you to say, "Oh, that sounds good. I'll have that also." You know, that, that philosophy doesn't exist in, in, in, in Chinese culture. It's like, what are we ordering for the table, because we're all gonna have rice, and this is the dish that we wanna... If you, if there's something that you want, order for the table. I'll have some, too.

    14. JRJoe Rogan42:34

        Hm.

    15. CCC.K. Chin42:35

        And so, for me, it was very important to kind of do that. Matter of fact, Squiff's even has that philosophy.You know, I never liked that idea. I always ... I'm the guy at the, uh, when, if you and I were ... we were all eating dinner, and then you order the lamb chops, and I was like, "Oh, I was gonna get that. Well, I'll get something else," because I would like, let me, let's trade. Let's, let's share some of this. I don't, you know, if I... That, that concept is very kind of Western, as opposed to the kind of the Eastern way, which is we all kind of, it all hits the center of the table.

    16. JRJoe Rogan43:01

        I always found that so odd that if someone wants something and another person at the table orders it, that person won't order it now.

    17. CCC.K. Chin43:08

        Yeah. (laughs)

    18. JRJoe Rogan43:08

        Just fucking order it.

    19. CCC.K. Chin43:10

        Yeah.

    20. JRJoe Rogan43:10

        Like, do you want the lamb chops? Order the lamb chops. We'll both have it.

    21. CCC.K. Chin43:13

        Yeah. For me, it was just more of like, especially with new restaurants. Older restaurants, sure, you eat whatever what you want. But with new restaurants, I'm like, "I wanna try seven things on the menu."

    22. JRJoe Rogan43:21

        Mm-hmm.

    23. CCC.K. Chin43:21

        "I wanna try ... I wanna get a gamut of how this restaurant really is." And I can't obviously eat six different steaks. So, if we all each, if the six of us all get a different steak, and we all each get a little bit of it, and then at least we can all determine which one we really like at the end of the day. ............................ That's just ..........................

    24. JRJoe Rogan43:35

        That might be like the most American style of restaurant is a steakhouse.

    25. CCC.K. Chin43:40

        Yeah, a big slab of meat. (laughs)

    26. JRJoe Rogan43:41

        Yeah.

    27. CCC.K. Chin43:41

        The amount of meat that we eat in one sitting, yeah, nobody, no, uh, I don't think very many other cultures do either.

    28. JRJoe Rogan43:45

        Unless like Argentina ...

    29. CCC.K. Chin43:47

        Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    30. JRJoe Rogan43:47

        ... and a few ...
11. 44:23 – 57:09

    Buffets, meat respect, and confronting where food comes from

    1. JRJoe Rogan44:23

       They also have great salad bars, too, right?

    2. CCC.K. Chin44:26

       But don't you feel a little ... Do you feel a little guilty about filling up?

    3. JRJoe Rogan44:30

       Uh ...

    4. CCC.K. Chin44:30

       I have an uncle, I have an, I have an uncle that went to, uh, that when he'd go to the buffets, would just pick the most expensive thing-

    5. JRJoe Rogan44:36

       (laughs)

    6. CCC.K. Chin44:36

       ... and just eat nothing but that. Like, if there was cocktail shrimp, he's like, "I'm just gonna eat two pounds of cocktail shrimp." Don't fill up on rice. Don't get rolls. Don't get any of this filler. Vegetables, like, "Why are we eating vegetables?" It's like we ... I paid for it. I'm gonna make them get my money's worth. It was form over function, eh, function-

    7. JRJoe Rogan44:54

       Yeah.

    8. CCC.K. Chin44:54

       ... over form, sir.

    9. JRJoe Rogan44:55

       I think then you're, you're a prisoner to your own frugality. (laughs)

    10. CCC.K. Chin44:58

        (laughs) Yeah.

    11. JRJoe Rogan44:59

        I'm, I'm there to enjoy food.

    12. CCC.K. Chin45:00

        Yeah, for sure.

    13. JRJoe Rogan45:01

        So, if I'm going to the salad bar, I'm, I'm looking for stuff that looks delicious.

    14. CCC.K. Chin45:04

        Yeah, for sure.

    15. JRJoe Rogan45:04

        I'm looking for olives and cheese and-

    16. CCC.K. Chin45:06

        Yeah.

    17. JRJoe Rogan45:07

        ... peppers, you know?

    18. CCC.K. Chin45:08

        Yeah.

    19. JRJoe Rogan45:09

        I'm looking for-

    20. CCC.K. Chin45:09

        And, I mean, and th- and the, the, the skill that they do with the different, the picanha and the different s-

    21. JRJoe Rogan45:15

        Mm-hmm.

    22. CCC.K. Chin45:15

        And it's, and it's rare that you get to do this Pepsi challenge with nine different cuts of meat.

    23. JRJoe Rogan45:20

        Right, right, right.

    24. CCC.K. Chin45:21

        You know, I think that, you know, it's like I love watching, you know, when you sit there, and you're cooking this elk, and you knock it out perfectly. But, it's like, you are probably one of the few people that had the experience to sit there, and when you have ... You can taste different parts of the same animal.

    25. JRJoe Rogan45:33

        Mm-hmm.

    26. CCC.K. Chin45:33

        And, and of literally that same animal.

    27. JRJoe Rogan45:35

        So you see-

    28. CCC.K. Chin45:36

        Yeah.

    29. JRJoe Rogan45:36

        ... that one animal, what the back strap tastes like, versus what the liver tastes like, versus what the s- shank tastes like, and stuff like that. Whereas when we're buying it from the store, that came from six different cows, probably, and you know ... Yeah. And th- the, that, the other part of it is you know for sure that you're dealing with a healthy animal.

    30. CCC.K. Chin45:53

        That's right.
12. 57:09 – 1:00:48

    Origins of cooking and survival tech: frying, boiling, filtration, UV purification

    1. CCC.K. Chin57:09

       I love thinking about origin of food like that.

    2. JRJoe Rogan57:13

       Mm-hmm.

    3. CCC.K. Chin57:13

       I always think about the first person that fried something. Like, if we think about it, and you might know, and, like, this is, this is what I admire about you, that, uh, you've talked to so many people that you, you've, you've, like, really have probab- you know, you have this wealth of, of experience. So, like, had to have been the first stuff before you started cooking, you had to harness fire, so you just, you probably dried stuff first, right? Just in the wind. Look at it-

    4. JRJoe Rogan57:37

       Yeah, they probably cut things thin and hung them from trees and stuff, right?

    5. CCC.K. Chin57:40

       Just so they won't spoil, right? That's gotta be one of the first things.

    6. JRJoe Rogan57:41

       Like, they do a lot of that in Mexico.

    7. CCC.K. Chin57:43

       Yeah. And then, and a lot of the cultures that ... The longer-reign cultures. And then somehow we harnessed fire, and then we started roasting stuff. And then boiling had to come after that, because you had to have some sort of vessel to boil water-

    8. JRJoe Rogan57:55

       Right.

    9. CCC.K. Chin57:55

       ... which has got to be fundamentally crazy to think of how, who, who could do that.

    10. JRJoe Rogan57:58

        Right.

    11. CCC.K. Chin57:58

        And then somebody accidentally tried to boil something in a bunch of rendered beef fat or something and realized it made shit crispy and ...

    12. JRJoe Rogan58:08

        Mm, right.

    13. CCC.K. Chin58:09

        How mind-blowing must have that been? Like, imagine if you just lived your entire life and didn't have a french fry until you were 40-something years old.

    14. JRJoe Rogan58:18

        Right. Like, when was that invented? Like, boiling things in oil and then battering them first and then boiling them in oil to make a nice crispy outer layer?

    15. CCC.K. Chin58:28

        Right. Well, I mean, potatoes will get crispy without battering.

    16. JRJoe Rogan58:30

        Right.

    17. CCC.K. Chin58:30

        And then somebody got really, ah-ha, and started, "Let's, let's fry more stuff. Let's do-"

    18. JRJoe Rogan58:35

        Yeah.

    19. CCC.K. Chin58:35

        "Let's throw other stuff in here and see."

    20. JRJoe Rogan58:37

        Do you think potatoes were the first thing that people boiled?

    21. CCC.K. Chin58:39

        I don't know. I, I've, I've never-

    22. JRJoe Rogan58:41

        Like, in a, in a oil like that?

    23. CCC.K. Chin58:43

        You know, it's like, I, I, I-

    24. JRJoe Rogan58:44

        'Cause potatoes, they boiled in water.

    25. CCC.K. Chin58:46

        I would think so, but I really think that ... I don't know if potatoes are difficult to ... Again, if you really look at it, I think if you talk to somebody who, who knows the, the, the history of this kind of stuff, I don't know the, the growth, the, the, the trajectory of, of agriculture as to, to when potatoes were even, you know ...

    26. JRJoe Rogan59:05

        Right.

    27. CCC.K. Chin59:05

        ... first grown. So I don't know, you know, who knows. Uh, but, but, yeah, there's just stuff like that, like the first person who accidentally made popcorn or something like that, you know?

    28. JRJoe Rogan59:13

        Well-

    29. CCC.K. Chin59:13

        Got real hot and then started walking out to a field after a fire and then found a whole field covered in ...

    30. JRJoe Rogan59:19

        Well, wild tubers. People have been eating wild tubers for a long time.
13. 1:00:48 – 1:19:11

    Pandemic perspective: health, routines, walking hacks, and cooking at home

    1. CCC.K. Chin1:00:48

       I mean, say what you will, I think that's one thing that, uh, this, this whole last couple years put in perspective, is like we really-... you know, we're living in a pretty magical time. Like, it's really still the best it's ever been, you know?

    2. JRJoe Rogan1:01:00

       Oh, it's incredible. I mean, even with the pandemic. Look, when, when you, we think about how many people got really, really sick during this pandemic and, but survived through the magic of modern medicine, and then learned at the end of it, like, "Wow, how valuable is my health? I'm gonna start doing something, I'm gonna start walking every day. I'm gonna start eating he-" I mean, a lot of people went right back to eating bullshit.

    3. CCC.K. Chin1:01:24

       Yeah.

    4. JRJoe Rogan1:01:24

       A lot of people, a lot of people got real close to death and they were real scared and they went right back to being fucking sloppy. And it's sad, but a lot of people didn't.

    5. CCC.K. Chin1:01:33

       That's right.

    6. JRJoe Rogan1:01:33

       A lot of people just started recognizing, "You know what? I am more robust w- if I'm thinner, if I'm healthier, if I'm eating good food and I'm taking in nutrients and vitamins-"

    7. CCC.K. Chin1:01:42

       Yeah.

    8. JRJoe Rogan1:01:42

       "... and I'm exercising on a regular basis, the quality of my life improves. I'm more resilient." And if something does happen, you bounce back far quicker. And if there's anything that we learned from this pandemic, it's that.

    9. CCC.K. Chin1:01:54

       It cre- it increases your odds, at least.

    10. JRJoe Rogan1:01:56

        Oh my God, by a giant leap.

    11. CCC.K. Chin1:01:58

        Yep.

    12. JRJoe Rogan1:01:59

        I mean, they, they, there's, there's all, all sorts of disputes about the numbers, but at least at one point in time, it was 78% of the people who were in the ICU with COVID were obese. 78% is a big fucking number, man.

    13. CCC.K. Chin1:02:12

        And it's also like, I think that, um, psychologically speaking, I think that also, I mean, it slowed us a lot down, I think.

    14. JRJoe Rogan1:02:19

        Mm-hmm.

    15. CCC.K. Chin1:02:19

        I think there's kind of, there's a lot of stuff that, that takes, you know, having a flat tire to, to, to, to get some of these people off, pull off to the side of the road for a second.

    16. JRJoe Rogan1:02:27

        Yes.

    17. CCC.K. Chin1:02:28

        And, um-

    18. JRJoe Rogan1:02:28

        Yes.

    19. CCC.K. Chin1:02:29

        Yeah. I rememb-

    20. JRJoe Rogan1:02:29

        Well, just me last week, you know? I was sick last week.

    21. CCC.K. Chin1:02:32

        Yeah.

    22. JRJoe Rogan1:02:33

        And the first couple-

    23. CCC.K. Chin1:02:34

        Glad you're better, by the way.

    24. JRJoe Rogan1:02:34

        ... of days, thank you, the first couple of days, all I thought about was like, "Okay, now I get a little break." I mean-

    25. CCC.K. Chin1:02:39

        Yeah.

    26. JRJoe Rogan1:02:39

        And then while I was having that little break, I was like, "Why do I live so crazy?" You know, "Why do, why am I so, jamming so many lives into one life?"

    27. CCC.K. Chin1:02:49

        Mm-hmm.

    28. JRJoe Rogan1:02:49

        You know? Because it's kinda what I'm doing. I'm kinda jamming, like, multiple lives into a single life.

    29. CCC.K. Chin1:02:54

        Yeah.

    30. JRJoe Rogan1:02:54

        And it seems like that's the only way I'm legitimately satisfied, which is very odd.

Episode duration: 2:33:09