Home Alone and Kimchi (with Majandra Delfino)
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Description
While SuChin is finally out of her month-long shopping freeze, guest host Dr. MD MD (Majandra Delfino) is literally freezing in the Northeast. So it’s no surprise that both brought similar items that add a little heat to your week. Plus, the things their kids inspired that now make their lives easier.
Please note, Add To Cart contains mature themes and may not be appropriate for all listeners.
To see all products mentioned in this episode, head to @addtocartpod on Instagram. To purchase any of the products, see below.
- Majandra’s cookbook is Cook Korean: A Comic Book by Robin Ha
- SuChin’s cookbook is The Korean by Africa Yoon
- Majandra got this cordless mixer from Food52
- Her breakfast bowl was inspired by the one at Republique Cafe on Le Brea
- SuChin, Soe, and Kulap love Sleep Crown (get 15% off with code AddtoCart)
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Transcript
SPEAKERS
Majandra Delfino, SuChin Pak, Kulap Vilaysack
SuChin Pak 00:10
Well, Add to Carter’s, what are we have for you today? First of all, I am auntie Su Pak. This is a show about the things we buy, the things we buy into, the things we haven’t bought, regrets, marriages, skincare, I mean what don’t we cover? But let’s get to it because I am joined by our special friend, the third wheel to this tricycle. Guest host today filling in for Kulap, that’s right. The one the only there is no other doctor MD, aka Majandra Delfino is in the house.
SuChin Pak
What an honor.
SuChin Pak
Oh Majandra, listen, a club had a bit of you know, a last-minute thing come up. And we were like, well, what do we do? Well, could we get someone in the late hour to fill in? There’s only one name, who else would do this the job? And I was like, listen, ask her but give her lots of outs. But you immediately reply.
Majandra Delfino
On call. These are my on-call hours. I am here. Beeper going off. I put my clogs on, my scrubs. And I got to work.
SuChin Pak
It’s God’s work we do here. Majandra, dude, what is going on? First of all, is it still freezing where you are?
Majandra Delfino
It is so freezing that yesterday I couldn’t do anything. I just couldn’t move. I was like, so sorry. Nothing’s gonna happen. Nothing. No dish is gonna get washed. Nothing. I couldn’t move. I was so cold. I mean, you would have been so mad, SuChin. You would have been out here.
SuChin Pak 02:16
How do you not have you don’t have like portable heating devices that you strapped to your body at this point?
Majandra Delfino
Well, it’s funny, because there’s that push pull, you know, here we go back to just marriage. But David hates when I’m like walking around with a little space heater. He’s just like, it’s dangerous, isn’t it? You know. So it’s kind of this shamed thing. And I have to kind of hide with it in little corners here and there. But he wasn’t even here, which is going to be one of my ADD to carts. You know, when we get into it later. But no, I just I could have done something. I was just so cold, I couldn’t even deal.
SuChin Pak
No, the temperature that you’re living in right now is that’s just you’re just in survival mode. You’re just basics. You really get up, you get the kids out, you get back in bed, you can serve body mass, body fat, body heat until they come back. And then everybody just gets back in bed, I would imagine.
Majandra Delfino
I was sending Voice Memos instead of text because I couldn’t feel my fingers. Like so sorry. Sorry. You have to hear my voice right now. I can’t feel my finger.
SuChin Pak
I’m fine. I’m fine here. Everything is great.
Majandra Delfino
And that’s the thing. I’m like, really, I did it to myself, you know, I sent myself on outward bound. And here I am just learning these life lessons bringing in wood every day.
SuChin Pak
No, wait what?
Majandra Delfino
Yeah, the only way the house gets warm, SuChin, is through wood, a wood burning stove. Otherwise we’ll freeze to death.
SuChin Pak
I would never sleep. The anxiety that you have just laid out before me just one more thing to worry about. By the way. Tomorrow, I may wake up at my 3AM call time every day. And think about has Majandra brought in the dry wood? I’m worried, I must text dry wood.
Majandra Delfino 04:18
And it’s so embarrassing because when David goes out of town, these really good friend of ours, the husbands, will come and just start stacking the wood in my house and I’m like, so embarrassed. I feel, I’m like I was not supposed to be Nicole Kidman in Cold Mountain. I was supposed to be […] you know and I’m here being assisted like I a frail you know, last who can’t bring in her own wood. And it’s a must. You will literally kill the dogs and the children. Bring it in.
SuChin Pak
Yeah, you can survive you’re like but dammit, these animals and these little ones. Little frozen popsicles. Well this why you’re raising your children there because you were raising survivors, you and I are not survivors, you and I will not survive, but God willing, your children will survive whatever happens.
Majandra Delfino
So they can help us survive.
SuChin Pak
That’s fine. Hey, by the way, don’t help me. You know what I mean? Just go on. Leave me. Leave me, sort of peter out in my comforter.
Majandra Delfino
And I’m like convinced that’s never gonna happen.
SuChin Pak
Yeah. And you’re looking at them and you’re thinking, Okay, you are tall. You’re a big, big person, you know, and so physically, okay, past the babyhood phase, we made it, but you can’t eat an apple with its skin on.
Majandra Delfino
We’ll then figure out how to take it off. Don’t involve me. That’s my thing. I’m freezing over here.
SuChin Pak
Someone who has older kids just write in, let us know that they do figure it out. Because from where we’re standing, I really have huge doubts. I don’t know how this all comes together. Let’s get to our Add to Cart let’s get to adds.
Majandra Delfino
By the way, how are you doing? Are you allowed to add to cart?
SuChin Pak
Well, by the time this airs, I will have added so much shit to my cart.
Majandra Delfino
This has not been good. I have not liked this period at all.
SuChin Pak
Yeah, it’s been good spiritually, mentally, I’m not gonna lie. I’m not gonna like make light of the fact that I am an enlightened being, but I do. I’m getting, you know, down to the wire. But it is the first day. As you’re listening to this, it’ll be my first day of being able to buy things. And as soon as I get off with you, I will be furiously adding all of the things to cart. And I even was like starting to do things where I was like writing a list of the things I’m gonna buy in February. But I was like, no, that’s not the point. So how many things I’ve seen on sale little things that I know, I’m not going to remember again, not sleeping well. But yeah, so that’s that and that was fun. Not doing that anymore.
Majandra Delfino
Yeah, that was hardcore. That was rough. And then when Claire just like shot you down.
SuChin Pak
I didn’t see that coming. Because Claire’s, I always felt like, you know, she liked me better. You know what I mean, than the other one you know, and I always felt like, if it came down to it, you know, she would hold me close to her bosom.
Majandra Delfino
And it was such a, I felt that it was a great loophole.
SuChin Pak
No, it was just a quick thrust of a knife right to the heart.
Majandra Delfino 08:01
Merciless.
SuChin Pak
All right. So let’s get to one of your add two carts. Which one do you want to talk about first?
Majandra Delfino
Okay, I think you have sort of inspired me to admit that I love like secret cooking. You know? I just, I don’t ever want to be put in the thing. I’m like the mom, the dinner, women, you know, the casserole, whatever. So I am always secretly cooking. Obviously, for everyone’s survival, but also, you know, really trying to master my spicy stuff that I love. And David got me this brilliant cookbook, that is a comic book. And it’s Korean food. John laid out in a comic book style so that it’s all illustrated. And I think it’s so fantastic. Because it really demystifies these ingredients that like other cultures would just be baffled by. You know what I mean?
SuChin Pak
I’m looking on this, like, how cute is this?
Majandra Delfino
Isn’t it the cutest thing? How to make your own kimchi? Like, it just I think demystifies Yeah, it makes it friendly. It makes it friendly. And I am constantly telling people how to make the breakfast I have every day and they get so paralyzed by Korean ingredients, Korean aspects of it and I’m like, oh my god. I basically. Have you ever had the kimchi bowl at […]? It is the most delicious god damn thing. It is kimchi. In like a fried rice. Yeah. setup with a really just delicious melty pork with two poached eggs in the middle. And I just spent years trying to rip this thing off, and we’ll take pictures and send it to a friend and be like, oh, like, this is so easy to make. And I see that there is trepidation because of certain elements that is not, you know, not normal to know. And so I feel like this is a great sort of intro to that.
SuChin Pak 10:17
I love it. And wait, are you making your own kimchi? Because I can’t imagine where you are. Because I can’t get kimchi where I am. Unless, like, when I go to whole Foods, that’s not what I consider kimchi.
Majandra Delfino
Same. I ran out of Gochujang the other day and someone was like, oh, it’s okay. They have a ton at Whole Foods. And I was like, how dare you? How dare you. Look at me. What do you think I am? Okay. I’m not getting any of these ingredients in Whole Foods. You know what I mean? No, no, no. in LA. I was making my own kimchi. Here, I’m just trying to stay alive. So I do have an actual like woman that makes this homemade kimchi. And, you know, I have to go through the channels of finding it and I stock up and it’s so good.
SuChin Pak
The thing about kimchi is it is very intimidating, by the way, in the same way that I think I posted a picture of wait, what’s that? Australian like? Marmite. Right. So a friend of mine and I were talking. She was talking about Marmite. I still haven’t opened it. Like, no, I’ve opened it and I’ve smelled it and I’m like, I don’t know what to do with this. Like, I know she told me get the best piece of bread, toasted butter Marmite. But that doesn’t even compute to me. I’m so intimidated by this jar. So I get like, a rotting stinking vegetable in fish sauce. You know, it’s not easy. But there are so many variations of kimchi that are from I’m not a heavy like I don’t like a stinky heavy fermented kimchi. I like a kimchi that’s almost like a Korean salad. Kimchi. Like if you make it you can kind of do it to your own taste. Yeah, this is a really fun Add to Cart. I love it.
Majandra Delfino 12:18
I have an Add to Cart that’s very related to your Add to Cart. It is a book called The Korean by this wonderful woman, Africa Yoon. She’s an activist. She’s a writer. She’s a businesswoman. And it’s just this fantastic book about her life now. Africa is one of the most fascinating, energetic, charismatic people. She is married to a Korean man. She’s got kids. She lives in Hawaii. And she knows more about Korean food than any Korean person. Yeah, outside of, you know, my mother. I mean, like in terms of like my friends. Okay, she’s not Korean. She is Cameroonian American. And she wrote a book about basically one day, she was living in LA, kind of miserable, kind of really unhealthy. She was in a Korean grocery store. And she bumps into this Korean grandmother like a harmony, who then every week, she would shop with her and teach her how to make Korean food.
SuChin Pak
This is the most beautiful thing.
Majandra Delfino
And so this is the journey of her discovering, loving, obsessing, and in a lot of ways perfecting. Obscure Korean dishes, very popular Korean dishes, and it’s just a really great, fun lighthearted book. And I do have to say reading it. Because I read at night before I go to bed. It took me a while to get through because I would read it and be like, now we got to get out of bed. I gotta eat something spicy. Got to eat something stinky. Yes. And I think it’s interesting. You know, we’re both from different countries. We’re a third culture kids. Like, I gravitate towards people who experience quote, unquote, my culture, in a way that is some ways even more connected than I am. Right? She knows more about Korean food than even I do. And so it’s kind of fascinating to see your culture through another lens because you’re always looking at it from the outside anyway.
SuChin Pak 14:35
And it brings such an appreciation to it. Where like, there’s things where as a kid, you’re kind of mortified by what was packed in your lunch or whatever. And then to suddenly have it be this cherished thing. I think it’s a great perspective.
Majandra Delfino
Yeah, yeah. And it was really transformative for her. And following her Instagram is such a journey and that she cooks and I mean, she speaks the language, her kids follow all the traditional customs of Korean culture again, I wouldn’t even know what those are like, you know, it is so delightful and she’s such a delightful human. So I love sort of my add to cart that I was so funny that you talked about your […]
SuChin Pak
I know. It’s like we planned it. But we did not.
Majandra Delfino
No, we did not it works this way. That’s the magic of add to cart.
SuChin Pak
So now, this, I totally thought of you. Because this thing is so fun. I’m in the whole cooking sphere. Okay, it’s a cordless mixer. It’s beautiful. Comes in beautiful colors.
Majandra Delfino
I’m on online shopping site. This is so I actually have a small dry tear in the corner of my eye. Just a crusty tear. I haven’t been to food 52 in so long.
SuChin Pak 16:05
I which by the way food 52 is like my Youporn whatever the hell that kids go to. I just add stuff to cart. I love and go. What if? What if I just pressed submit? And I did do the thing for Christmas where I bought the kids’ stuff.
Majandra Delfino
That’ll trick you mean my venetian blown fish watering pitcher.
SuChin Pak
But no this cordless. Okay, so this is what’s brilliant. Cecilia was cooking with me, which by the way, it drives me crazy. I hate when they want to cook with me so much. And I realize I’m supposed to be teaching and it’s a teaching moment. And I’m like, it’s not a teaching moment. This is I’m trying to make food. Leave me alone. I’m listening to add to cart moment. You know, like, it just drives me crazy. But anyway, she goes, I was doing something. I was making matzah ball soup. And she goes, you know, what you really need is a hand mixer. And I was like, wow, I know, it was such a moment of wisdom. I was like, huh. And so I went in a deep dive. And then found this cordless one which was so brilliant, you know, because like the hand mixer is always for just like a quick little moment, not like a big undertaking. So why not have it be cordless. And here comes this thing. KitchenAid.
Majandra Delfino
This thing is so beautiful. It’s gorgeous. It’ll make you a little moist. Wherever you need. You need some juice flowing. It’ll get your juices flowing.
SuChin Pak
It’ll get those juices flowing. Which by the way, I don’t know if you know this, but when you cut onions. I don’t cry when I cut onions. No matter what, scallions nothing. And it’s because that apparently if you put a wet paper towel, something wet next to the onions. That’s like where that whatever it is, that acid whatever it is, it’s going to your eyes will just go to the paper towel and then you won’t cry. And, of course, you know now David, my husband has been trolling me. He took it to a sexual place. Okay, so now it’s good to be onions. I’m reminded, quote, why my eyes don’t water.
Majandra Delfino 18:38
Oh, I’m not even going to get into what Mike says about my lady bits here. Okay, we don’t have enough time for that shit. Okay, that’s our other podcast. That’s another podcast lady bits. I’m going to do one more Add to Cart. And then I want to get to at least one remove from cart. So my Add to Cart. All month long. I’ve been talking about sort of my greatest hits. And I know 100 You’ve heard me talk about sleep crown. Yes. So the sleep crown pillow was introduced to us by Lauren Lapkus who brought this on and 2she explained it didn’t quite get it. But now of course it’s one of my staples. You put it on top of your head. And the way that this is designed is that it sits on top of your head so that it blocks out sound and light. It’s this the weight of the pillow is a perfect type of weight that sits on your head that immediately signals the brain to be like, baby, it’s time to relax. How many pillows, I’m just curious. How many pillows do you use when you go to bed? Just kind of curious.
SuChin Pak
I have two super smushy ones I need two like disgusting, you know what I mean? Where they’re like brown when you take the pillowcase off? It’s just disgusting. So smushy. It’s almost like cheese. And then yeah, I need a, like firm one for in between my knees. And something about those two smushes. I kind of like, form them into the right, because I’m a side sleeper and I don’t know, kind of. And then that’s it. But I do wear a heavy duty, like Tempur-Pedic mask, you know, I need to shut the world out.
Majandra Delfino 20:34
Yeah, I always have been the type to sort of put pillows everywhere to sleep. And it has just gotten worse. I added another pillow, my god to my pillow. I just when Mike saw this tiny little blue beach pillow. I’m not going to tell you why I bought it. But my physical therapist that I needed this pillow. He was I mean; it is a menagerie of pillows. But this sleep crown. I mean, yes. Something about the pillow, the weight of it, she must have experimented with so many different types of fillers and like what the weight distribution is, because it’s perfect. Yeah, the heft of it. And by the way, just wanted to note, we’ve got I think we’ve had a code up, by the way, because it’s not cheap. I’m gonna say that it’s not cheap. But it’s one of those things where I think, you know, it’s a small business, she makes these herself really super high-quality fabrics. It’s like a bamboo pillow cover. It’s so soft. The code is up on our socials. And when you put add to cart at checkout, you get $15 off and free shipping.
SuChin Pak
Listen, did we start a podcast to get free stuff? Yes, yes, yes, we did. Okay, maybe? Did we start a podcast to get free stuff so that we could give you discount codes. So you get the discount code, but they’re doing a very special Valentine’s Day collaboration. She’s actually based out of Texas. So she did it with a fellow Texan apparel designer, Bailey Harrison. And they’re doing these, you know, these matching set of cozy loungewear and sleep crown pillows. They’re pink and white. Just classic Valentine’s Day. Listen, if you’ve got a gal in your life, that you would love a gallontines present to, do this, you know, like flowers? Oh, it’s fine. I know. Okay. I’m so glad you think that. I mean, I love getting flowers, like what a luxury. But if it’s your partner that’s getting you flowers. You’re like, I mad. I’m like, how much money. And like Yes. Huge didn’t even bother referencing the list that I put up.
Majandra Delfino 22:56
Why didn’t you get me the sleep crown set, you got me flowers. I have an Add to Cart that’s not you know, something that you purchase? That is kind of also a removed from cart. So and I feel like I was saying today but I go I don’t know that. This resonates with everybody. But it’ll read I know; you lay it will resonate with. So I find this thing of like, guys trips and girls trips, to be a little bit annoying in the sense that, yes. Do I want to get away from my family. 100%. Would I love to you know, go off and not have to deal? But most of the times I’m like, I don’t want to leave my home. And you are forcing me to pack travel. Go somewhere. And even if it’s my very best friend, I’m now engaging, speaking. You know, having to brush my teeth. You know what I mean? It’s a more of like an effort than I’m like. So I this weekend. I sent my family away. And said wherever you want, I don’t care where you go. But please you David and the children leave for the long weekend and leave me at home alone. And it was amazing.
SuChin Pak 24:49
Isn’t it crazy? To walk into your home and know that nobody is coming?
Majandra Delfino
No one is coming. You put that dish away. And no one’s taking it out. You lie there for hours watching seasons of shows. And there is no judgmental spouse going, what are you doing?
SuChin Pak
Now that’s a true staycation. That is the definition.
Majandra Delfino
My gosh, it was amazing. And I was like, this is it. This is my new thing. I don’t want to go like your Paris trip was amazing. Do you know what I mean? Like, I’ll do that every 5 years. Yes, exactly. Once a year. If I could get away with it once, you’re 100%. But I don’t want to go to a spa with my friends. Or go drink wine. Yeah, I don’t want to talk for three days straight to a soul.
SuChin Pak
And I want to smell my own farts. I want to just stew in my own juices. Fuck off.
Majandra Delfino
That’s what’s so funny is like, I think there is this strange narrative that people don’t want to spend time with themselves. And I love hanging with me. There’s nothing better than going to a restaurant by myself. And then coming home and being like, no one to answer. I had the time of my life, the time of my life. And I was like, this is gonna be a new thing. And they had a great time. You know, so it was like, when this is the new, I’m removing on cart. The girls trip as the only way to escape. And I’m adding to cart.
SuChin Pak 26:34
Yeah, you go. How about you go? That’s great.
Majandra Delfino
I got to tell you. It took me years. You know, I always had like, the idea in the back of my head never felt like it was a normal request. And finally because David will always say well just go to a hotel just by yourself even if you’d want to just be alone. I have to pack and unpin that’s the thing. I was like kind of drive there. Bring stuff and I’m like you I’m I want to bring every pillow and every snack and you know by then I brought my whole house. And so why not just leave me in the house. And it was so lovely. And I just can’t recommend it enough.
SuChin Pak
All right, well, I think that’s all that we have time for. So Majandra, where can everyone find you? Besides here on Add to Cart, of course.
Majandra Delfino
I’m always gonna find a way to just get back in on an episode you know, Instagram is basically the only place I hang. And that’s @majandrama. And that’s it.
SuChin Pak
All right, well, we did it. Thank you everyone for listening to this week’s show. Find everything behind her and I talked about on at @AddToCartPod remember there’s no point in getting free stuff if we can’t give away code so all the codes for sleep crown are going to be up on our Instagram so check those out and call us we have a voicemail line we love hearing from you. We love hearing your add to carts your recommendations that’s 833-453-6662. Majandra, I love that that we could just beep you in the middle of the night, and you are ready on call here and your cart is just as deranged as any other person that I’ve ever met.
Majandra Delfino 28:35
It’s my job and duty.
SuChin Pak
These are all write offs. I mean, David you got to let him know. These are right off. All right, we’ll have a new show for you next week. Bye guys.
CREDITS
ADD TO CART is a production of Lemonada Media. Our producer is Claire Jones and our mix is by Ivan Kuraev and Veronica Rodriguez. The music is by Wasahhbii and produced by La Made It and Oh So Familiar with additional music by APM music. Executive producers are Kulap Vilaysack, SuChin Pak, Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs. Be sure to check out all the items we mentioned today on our Instagram at @AddToCartPod. Also, please take a moment to rate, review, and subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcast.
