Worst Quality Crab

Episode 24: Nilaga with Sam Lugtu

On this episode we’re chatting with Sam Lugtu, sister of past guest Nicole Lugtu, about her favorite childhood dish, nilaga. We talk about nilaga as a weekly meal vs a special occasion meal, never ordering the things that mean the most to you in restaurants, and the must-order restaurant dishes that are the barometer for everything else. 

Plus cooking this Filipino stew for a very French family, when your oldest daughter syndrome plays out in your takeout, and we start a support group for people whose childhood restaurants have closed.

We know it’s hot basically everywhere so save this one for those chilly fall nights. Unless you live in the southern hemisphere, then this one’s for you right now! Check our website for the recipe.

Leave us a review and rating! We’ve still got a couple of gift boxes for some people who leave us a review and one could be yours! DM or email us a screenshot of the review just so we know. 

And if you’ve had nilaga, let us know what yours was like. And was it a special occasion meal or an anytime meal?

Episode 23: Miyeokguk with Jin Yoo-Kim

Whoops! We were away too long. But we’re back and we love this one! We’re joined by return guest Jin Yoo-Kim talking about miyeokguk aka seaweed soup aka birthday soup. Since miyeokguk is a postpartum dish as well as an everyday dish, in this episode we dive deep into its role before and after baby arrives. We talk about nourishing mom and the ripple effects to the rest of the family, postpartum as a first-time parent vs already having other kids, and the hidden time-costs of self-care and exercise (spoiler, it’s showering!)

Plus we talk about grandmothers competing to be best grandmother, we have a first-for-this-show-soft launch, and we dream up a couple of postpartum meal services along the way.

There’s still time to leave us a review on your platform of choice for a chance to win a box of some our fave Asian food brands and cute things. Think fancy instant noodles, sweet keychains, and super cute stickers, among other things.

Episode 22: Happy AANHPI Month with Freesia & Samson Lee

Happy AANHPI Heritage Month and Happy Anniversary to us! We can’t believe it’s been a whole year of doing this show. In this guestless episode, we sit down for our annual performance review and talk about what it’s been like this year and what we hope for in the future. Turns out we want to hear more from you! Plus we soft launch our Buy Me A Coffee and some probable forthcoming WQC stickers. 

Episode 21: Kaula Pig with Brian Tom

Hold on to your butts! Your pork butts that is. This episode, guest Brian Tom brings us his family’s recipe for Kalua Pig and we’re very excited about it. For Brian’s family, this seemingly easy, low maintenance recipe became a family affair. We talk about roles in the kitchen, letting kids be leaders of their domain, and connections to Hawaii but from far away Massachusetts. 

We talk about making art vs being an artist, reassessing identities in new spaces and new environments, and the generational divide between recent children’s literature on diversity acceptance and Tikki Tikki Tembo–and of course a mention of the incomparable Sabrina Wu. 

Plus, Brian gets an award for being a certain kind of milestone guest and we get another new perspective on leftovers.

Episode 20: Halo-halo with Lorraine Esturas-Pierson

It’s finally happened!! This episode we have our first dessert! On this one we’re joined by Lorraine Esturas-Pierson as she talks about her favorite childhood dessert, halo-halo, a Filipino dish that means mix mix. We talk about why halo-halo might be the most equitable and inclusive of all group desserts and how that was a huge benefit growing up in a LARGE household. 

We talk about the inevitability of too much food at parties, the clean plate club, the lasting trauma of snow peas, and the power of cousins in numbers.

Plus, what makes something fancy, and teaching kids to cook for themselves, or better yet, you! 

No recipe for this one. Just make your way to a Seafood City, Manila Market, or something similar and pick out a slew of jellys and beans of your choice, to go alongside your shave ice, vanilla ice cream and condensed milk. Lorraine is partial to agar agar and jackfruit.