Subscribe to Lemonada Premium for Bonus Content

Sheng Wang is bringing that uncle energy. He’s showing up to the function with beer and peanuts, staying way too long, and then heading to the nearest botanical garden. Sheng tells the Aunties about his favorite ways to snack, including the peanut source he wants to gatekeep, and why he no longer has capacity for stuff. Plus, indulge in Sheng’s dulcet tones as he reads us a Mary Oliver poem.

We want to hear from you! Drop us a message on Speakpipe.

Subscribe to the Add to Cart newsletter for juicy extras.

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.

• The Zojirushi water bottle is classic and no fuss
• The Kirkland Virginia Peanuts from Costco are a solid snack choice
• Sheng wants to gatekeep the peanuts from Dai Ho in California
• Did you know a membership to the American Horticultural Society gives you access to 345 public gardens and arboreta across North America?
• Sheng is coming to your city! Catch him on tour

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors

Transcript

SPEAKERS

Kulap Vilaysack, Sheng Wang, SuChin Pak

Kulap Vilaysack  00:10

Carters, welcome back to Add To Cart, it’s your auntie Kuku Vilaysack, and this is a show about the things we buy, the things we buy into and what it says about who we are and who we are every month but especially this month is proud Asian American aunties, who have a lot of feelings about Costco about shopping.

 

SuChin Pak  00:30

Same feelings, yeah.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  00:33

Different feelings. Maybe after SuChin goes to Korea, feelings could change.

 

SuChin Pak  00:38

That’s right, Korea Costco is on my list. Everybody says I should go I don’t know. I’m your other auntie SuChin Pak, that is my real name because I got a DM saying did I change my name to Susan Park? So I had to tell them no, no, that was a joke, anyway. Listen, I’ve been a fan of this guests for so many years. I can’t look at an avocado without thinking about him. I mean every day look at an avocado in Santa Barbara and think of him but hearing him talk about shopping and full body moisturizing. In his Netflix special. He changes your perspective on life when someone just gives it to you straight.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  00:39

That’s true art.

 

SuChin Pak  00:45

And I just can’t wait to just like grub around you know just dig around in his cart and see what are the gems are in there.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  01:26

Oh me too Su, me too. Our guest today is a comedian actor and writer originally from Houston, Texas, his first Netflix special sweet and juicy streaming now he was a featured stand up on HBO is to Dope Queens special and also wrote for the show Fresh Off the Boat. In his time off he enjoys exploring botanical gardens and discovering new ways to snack please add to cart, Sheng Wang.

 

SuChin Pak  01:55

Come on ultimate hottie.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  01:58

Wow, he’s here.

 

SuChin Pak  01:59

Look at those luscious locks. Let’s talk about that.

 

Sheng Wang  02:03

Whoa, hi everybody, thank you. Hi, guys, wow.

 

SuChin Pak  02:08

Can you tell we’re excited?

 

Sheng Wang  02:10

I’m very excited too, I don’t do these often. I don’t, I’ve been on a moratorium for podcasts. I’ve been taking a break. So thank you guys for having me.

 

SuChin Pak  02:19

When we heard that you were coming on this podcast. I was like, I cannot believe that. Because I can’t believe I can’t imagine he does many podcasts.

 

Sheng Wang  02:26

I don’t.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  02:27

She actually said you shouldn’t have which is so confusing. Barry as your podcast partner.

 

SuChin Pak  02:38

Sheng listen, I did say you know what, in fact, he shouldn’t do any podcasts but ours but after ours.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  02:47

You go back, get back in my coffin, sir.

 

SuChin Pak  02:50

Go back and you live your life. You can’t you waste your time. Your whole life could be spent doing podcasts.

 

Sheng Wang  02:56

Yeah, I mean, what? Why did you say that?

 

SuChin Pak  03:02

Because we need your we need your essence out there in the world. You know, out there in the wild.

 

Sheng Wang  03:08

Why go back? Why go back to not doing podcasts?

 

SuChin Pak  03:11

That’s all I’m saying. So we don’t need it in the podcasts. You know, I want it, I want it out there, and other platforms, you know, like, this stuff there’s too much going on in the podcast.

 

Sheng Wang  03:22

Right.

 

SuChin Pak  03:22

And I realized that I’m sitting here recording a podcast okay, the irony. […] I sit fully in that. And I also say as an auntie, I need you out there. I need to be bumping into you. You know what I mean? At a snack festival.

 

Sheng Wang  03:42

I see.

 

SuChin Pak  03:42

You know, out in the wild. I want to see you in the flesh.

 

Sheng Wang  03:46

Right, from an Auntie to an uncle. I get it yeah, meet me at the farmers market. Catch me there. Put down your headphones and find me on the sidewalk down the street, at the garden.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  03:59

That’s right, I mean, we gotta get into your your snacking cart but first, I want to know, what’s your shopping style? What kind of player are you?

 

SuChin Pak  04:10

Yeah, come on.

 

Sheng Wang  04:11

My shopping style is anxiety ridden.

 

SuChin Pak  04:17

Okay, break it down.

 

Sheng Wang  04:21

I kind of avoid that whole thing shopping in general. Like I was trying to look at things for my cart for this particular podcast. If it’s all boring stuff, it’s like binder clips, cable cords, very functional little things. You know, I feel like as a kid, you know, I was always about sales and going to the clearance rack at Macy’s or whatever. And buying things that were I don’t know, little offer maybe a little exciting because it’s different, but it was very like forced, I don’t know it was dictated by the sales tag for the most part. I’ve never grown up I never bought things at full price. And so generally, I mean as a grown up, I can afford to buy things at full price but I’m in this other phase where like I just don’t want stuff I’ve been stressed out by the stuff that I’ve been trying to get rid of like old laptops and old iPhones, just carrying those around from city to city that I’ve moved from and to you know, like, having things like that, like, weigh on me really bummed me out, so I’ve really.

 

SuChin Pak  05:33

They bummed me out too.

 

Sheng Wang  05:35

Yeah, so I’m really careful by adding more stuff to what’s already on my shoulders. But I try really hard not to buy stuff in general my last purchase for myself besides like, yeah, I got a binder clips I got some cable I got a cable adapter for this podcast. I got my insulated water bottle from Etsu, Zojirushi of course.

 

SuChin Pak  05:57

Oh, yes.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  05:59

I know them, I have a rice cooker made by them. I didn’t realize they were making those well.

 

SuChin Pak  06:03

Best thermoses before before all this Stanley talk they actually seal it insulates it keeps things hot. It keeps things cold the last your lifetime.

 

Sheng Wang  06:15

It’s not a big deal.

 

SuChin Pak  06:18

Yes, they’ve been they’ve been doing this.

 

Sheng Wang  06:20

Yeah. It’s quiet, it’s there it’s been doing its thing.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  06:25

It doesn’t make up air okay.

 

SuChin Pak  06:32

It doesn’t need to.

 

Sheng Wang  06:33

Insulated it’s room temperature but it’s very specific rooms temperatures my rooms temperature no fuss no no, no scarcity, no rush no hype. It’s just doing his thing.

 

SuChin Pak  06:49

And it looks like it fits in a in a car cup holder. It doesn’t need to, doesn’t need to tell everybody.

 

Sheng Wang  06:58

A special adapter to put it in the cup.

 

SuChin Pak  07:00

No, it doesn’t need to be as special shape. It could just be that shape. Shape of water bottle.

 

Sheng Wang  07:06

Shape of.

 

SuChin Pak  07:07

And interesting.

 

Sheng Wang  07:08

Slim.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  07:09

Yeah, it’s like that movie Shape of Water.

 

SuChin Pak  07:12

Exactly like.

 

Sheng Wang  07:13

It was a love story.

 

SuChin Pak  07:16

See, so the thing is, is that we’ve had guests on here, Sheng, who have what I would like to say transitioned into the other side who have enlightened, you were on the other side of it now some people say death is a transition but I say this is actually the biggest transition in life is like now I’m moving into it’s just too much stuff. And yet everybody still has to shop. Everybody still has to get a water bottle.

 

Sheng Wang  07:42

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, there’s a few you know, select moments in my life where I’d like okay, I’m gonna I’m gonna need this I’m gonna just get it I try not to make a big fuss about it. I try to make you know, I think about how long is it going to be with me? How much does will it collect? How am I going to what’s the end game? How am I gonna get rid of it? You know like even batteries and light bulbs like those are like a boxes have a box of all those things that you can’t you’re not supposed to put in the trash?

 

Kulap Vilaysack  08:08

No. Oh, god, it’s so hard for me here comes from auntie moves. I don’t know if you’ve heard of Read Well, are you familiar with the service Read Well?

 

Sheng Wang  08:16

No.

 

SuChin Pak  08:17

Tell us.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  08:17

Okay, this is a service it’s been written about and CNN Forbes LA Times Fast Company.

 

Sheng Wang  08:23

You got brochure.

 

SuChin Pak  08:24

She’s holding up a brochure is that come in the mail? Did that come in the mail?

 

Kulap Vilaysack  08:29

I’ve been thinking about committing.

 

SuChin Pak  08:30

Wow, how old are you?

 

Kulap Vilaysack  08:32

Read Well picks up single use plastics and everyday items your curbside service can’t accept. So they’ll do plastic film, multi layer plastic use clothes and shoes, light bulbs and batteries. Small single use items, items for donation, for a monthly fee.

 

SuChin Pak  08:53

Come back to the mic Sheng.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  08:55

Yeah.

 

SuChin Pak  08:56

Of how much?

 

Kulap Vilaysack  08:58

18 a month at the end of a trial period, but you could cancel.

 

SuChin Pak  09:04

At anytime, say I was like what’s the cancellation? You do it for the month, you make it a little alarm on your calendar. Make it real simple. A week before mean, how many times have I signed up on and off for HBO Max 80 times a month.

 

Sheng Wang  09:24

You only need to get rid of those things once a year.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  09:27

Exactly, so is that not worth it and it takes less space in your mind and in your house.

 

SuChin Pak  09:33

I would even say if you have some friends that live not too far away.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  09:38

Put them together share the expense.

 

SuChin Pak  09:41

Will take civility to get rid of single use plastic. Now what they do there is go straight to the garbage dump and dump it into Atlanta.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  09:50

But I know what you’re saying.

 

SuChin Pak  09:52

100% if they’re sending you a flyer in the mail, for sure this company is taking your trash bag backing it up into a landfill.

 

Sheng Wang  10:02

It’s in the dumpster in your apartment. The next morning you walk out there it’s in the apartment dumpster. They just put it in there for you.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  10:09

Read Well bags, just 18 bucks to have somebody walk it down.

 

Sheng Wang  10:15

Takes the guilt off of you. Yeah, let’s go into the landfill.

 

SuChin Pak  10:19

And by the way, worth every penny.

 

Sheng Wang  10:21

Yeah, 18 bucks, that’s cheap.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  10:25

Look, I just went through out the first month free was saying something to think about. Just some things to think about. Sheng, let’s get into snacks okay. SuChin Pak a major snack monster it seems that you are too like what are you snacking on?

 

Sheng Wang  10:42

Well, peanuts of snacking.

 

SuChin Pak  10:47

You can’t be we cannot be saying just any old peanuts. Like a planners, peanut?

 

Sheng Wang  10:52

Well, Costco does have their extra large Virginia sized nuts, and those are really good, very, very good salt level, nice crisp crunch to it. I currently have peanuts from this restaurant in San Gabriel Valley called Dai Ho, I’m blown, I can’t I can’t blow up the spot anymore, they’ve already gotten too much. Anyways, I’ve got these special peanuts that are like very I don’t want to give away too much. And it’s also got these little fried, like fishies in the mix. Just a really good. Just a really good beer snack.

 

SuChin Pak  11:31

Wait what?

 

Sheng Wang  11:32

I think they’re like tiny little fishes. There’s just like a little crispy white strip with two little black eyes. And they’re just these peanuts. And it’s simple. I mean, this restaurant is really good they open a few hours a day because they don’t care. They make the money that they need, and that’s it.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  11:49

Wow, that’s passion. That’s soul.

 

Sheng Wang  11:51

I love it you know, and they’re Taiwanese, and the food is great. But if you want to get the snacks, the snacks are like so expensive. Like this pack of peanuts is 16 bucks.

 

SuChin Pak  12:03

Oh, wow. How many peanuts? Like a big pack.

 

Sheng Wang  12:08

Might be 18 peanuts in there, like 15.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  12:16

This is so small, Su.

 

Sheng Wang  12:17

It’s a small takeout container like.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  12:19

Small Su, it’s not he’s not he’s giving us a range. He talked about Costco, peanuts. And he’s talking about these very specialized, bespoke peanuts.

 

SuChin Pak  12:29

That’s a nickel a peanut.

 

Sheng Wang  12:31

It’s pretty pricey. I’ll sit down and I’ll tell my girl I’m gonna eat about $2 of peanuts right here. And I’m just having like a handful and that’s it’s this about eight handfuls in there. So yeah, it’s about two bucks a sitting. But I was thinking about buying some Costco peanuts and then like, diluting you know, like mixing the two, so you can stretch it out a little bit. It’s so expensive that when they tell me that price, I don’t even react. I just know it’s gonna be an absurd number because all their apps are like, I don’t know why they just don’t care, they just know that people are gonna pay for it so I go in there knowing I’m gonna blow a bunch of money on a one meal and a bunch of appetizers to take home. But yeah, I’m snacking on peanuts.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  13:15

Okay, but what about the Yun Hai Taiwanese goodie shop based in Brooklyn?

 

Sheng Wang  13:22

Yes, so they sent me a few goodies, including some dried fruits. I don’t know something about time, it’s tropical, it’s like near the equator, the fruits they’re amazing. There’s wax apples, which is like a treat to have.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  13:36

What is that? I don’t know about wax apples.

 

Sheng Wang  13:38

There are these like, reddish kind of purplish fruits. They’re like spongy but there’s there’s a crispness to it. And I don’t know I I’m finding like as as I get older when I travel. Half of that is coming home with all the snacks and then eating them every night for the next three weeks, and it’s prolonging your trip.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  14:03

Oh, I’ve never thought of it that way, prolonging your trip.

 

Sheng Wang  14:09

The vacation continues.

 

SuChin Pak  14:11

In your mouth.

 

Sheng Wang  14:12

In your mouth every night. I was in Asia, in March, we bought an extra suitcase particularly for snacks and gifts. And I’ve been we’re still you know working our way through pineapple cakes. And squid, and not peanuts. Peanuts from Taiwan peanuts from Philippines.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  14:31

You love a peanut. I have not met someone who loves a peanut like you love a peanut.

 

SuChin Pak  14:38

No, this is like 2003 I don’t know. Like it’s just been a while since I’ve talked about the peanut.

 

Sheng Wang  14:43

Yeah, yeah, it’s a good beer snack. I mean, you know, they’re good for you. They’re satisfying, they’re crunchy, they’re salty. They pair well, they’re filling. They’ve got good healthy fats and fiber. I think there’s fiber and peanuts there lagoon.

 

SuChin Pak  14:58

She’s just there, she’s been there, she was probably the first one there doesn’t need a marketing campaign. She was the first one that got ground up into a butter. You know, and all these other butters are coming in.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  15:12

All these other knots.

 

SuChin Pak  15:13

But she’s been thick and creamy from day one.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  15:26

Some more about cooking.

 

Sheng Wang  15:28

Okay.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  15:28

Are you trying to be a plant for a diet? Or are you you’ve been there you’ve rooted in there?

 

Sheng Wang  15:35

I’ve kind of stopped cooking meat at home for the most part every now and then. Sometimes I’ll get like a, like a, like a hamachi color like yellow tail color from a local fish shop that I like, such as good eatin on those on the collar that it’s so easy to make delicious with a little bit of salt and lemon and a broiler. But I usually just make a big pot of beans and lentils, a big pot of lagoons and I come home off the road and I have like a week or a week and a half at home. I’ll that’s a big staple that will eat for days. But yeah, I like cooking a lot. I like the process. And when I’m at home, I try to cook mostly plants, mushrooms, tofu and beans, that’s where I’m at.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  16:21

Are you fermenting stuff?

 

Sheng Wang  16:23

I’m not fermenting my own stuff, I’ll pickle things in vinegar, I’ll just like do a chi I’ll just pour it in a bunch of you know, lately, I’ve been doing this thing where I make like a celery relish sort of, or pickled celery relish kind of thing. You know, because when I make all these stews or you know beans and lentils, I you start with a  […]. That’s the trilogy of you know, the onions, carrots and celery. But you know, you use some celery and then there’s always usually the common two packs, there’s a whole nother bundle a whole heart of salaries that I don’t know what to do with top sometimes they kind of just go bad, so I started doing this thing where I take that big ol, the all those stalks of celery that I haven’t used, clean it wash it, I cut it up into little pieces, I put it into a big Tupperware thing. And I fill it with vinegar, white pepper, chili pepper, salt and whatever else seasonings that you want to put in there, a little bit of cumin a little bit of some, I don’t know, whatever seeds or what you want to put in there but it just becomes this really tasty and the two you could put them on almost pretty much everything. It’s crunchy, it’s refreshing, it’s got some acid, it’s got a lot of acid. It’s salty, it’s peppery. That’s what I’ve been doing.

 

SuChin Pak  17:45

That’s a life hack, I’m gathering for me and you tell me if I’m wrong is that you’re not interested in filling a void. And I’m gonna go even further than that. I think you might lack void. Is that fair to say?

 

Sheng Wang  18:01

I don’t know, I don’t know maybe I have.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  18:05

This is the category you have ascended.

 

SuChin Pak  18:08

Yeah, that’s why I said I think he’s transitioned.

 

Sheng Wang  18:11

Why? Why would you because I’m not, because what?

 

SuChin Pak  18:15

Because you’re not obsessively filling a dark hole in your soul with things and plastic.

 

Sheng Wang  18:23

I mean, I don’t know.

 

SuChin Pak  18:26

Very mindful, you didn’t just order five different airplane pillows. And to test them out. You don’t go on Instagram and hit purchase pretty much every third day.

 

Sheng Wang  18:41

Yeah, I see those things for me. I mean, I just don’t have my like home together enough to like add to it. It’s just more of maybe a fear or, you know, I’m just stuck here with the stuff that I have. I can’t I can’t move forward yeah.

 

SuChin Pak  19:00

You can’t.

 

Sheng Wang  19:00

I’ve reached my quote.

 

SuChin Pak  19:02

There’s no, no vacancy.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  19:04

With your long hair and facial hair I mean, I think you’re my asian Jesus.

 

SuChin Pak  19:09

Feeling right now, this is the other religion. This is what we’ve been missing on.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  19:14

Yeah, you’re here and I don’t think that your feet touch the ground. I can’t see it, this is a zoom. I don’t know about your feet. As far as I know, you’re hovering.

 

SuChin Pak  19:24

He’s hovering.

 

Sheng Wang  19:25

No, I’m on the ground. I don’t know I I’d like to talk. Not good things. I don’t think I’m really living all this whatever, like sense of peace and transcendence. You’re picking it up for me. It’s just superficial. I’m really suffering here.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  19:47

Hang on, you’ve added to cart going to Botanical Gardens. We’re still we’re still in the Asia Jesus bucket.

 

Sheng Wang  19:55

Some of the stuff is aspirational, but I mean, are you guys not on the gardens? What’s going on, were you out?

 

Kulap Vilaysack  20:00

I mean, I haven’t in a while, like, I haven’t been to the Huntington or that, so maybe it was like a couple years ago. I have a shame. I don’t know if you know this, but I have a one and a half year old little girl now.

 

Sheng Wang  20:14

Oh my God, no.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  20:16

Yeah, I’ll hold you have a whole human now.

 

Sheng Wang  20:19

Congrats.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  20:21

So I think we’re probably I will be moving towards going to see gardens, although when she sees flowers, she wants to.

 

Sheng Wang  20:28

Destroy them.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  20:29

Destroy, so that might not work at this time. But and so now it’s a little bit more like zoos and, you know, music classes and stuff like that but we try to get her out all the time, but yeah, I like it when I’m in one, it’s lovely when I’m amongst the trees. I live by Griffith Park. I like I like to be near it.

 

Sheng Wang  20:50

Yeah, I mean, that’s, I mean, I smoke weed. I like to get out there and like, be I find, yeah, I find visiting the garden to be just a wonderful way to spend time it’s it’s relaxing for me it’s inspiring it’s grounding.

 

SuChin Pak  21:08

Is it a situation where let’s say you’re, you’re in a new city, you know, and you’re like, oh, what should we do? Is a botanical garden?

 

Sheng Wang  21:17

Yes.

 

SuChin Pak  21:17

Potentially on that list?

 

Sheng Wang  21:19

Absolutely, you know, most of these big gardens throughout the whole country are connected under one umbrella organization called the American Horticultural Society, AHS. There’s over 300 of them across the country. So if you buy a membership to one of them, you have access to all of them. And, and that’s what I do when I tour I visit a new city. And I go check out if they have a garden, I go check that out. It’s, it’s something you know, when I’m feeling a certain way, if I’m feeling anxious, or scared, or whatever, I will look to the plants. I like last time I shot a movie, I was just doing a small part of this independent comedy. And I’m not used to that whole scene, I’m not confident in me being an actor. So in between takes, I would just step outside as a New York City. And we happen to be by this giant park and I would just be in this robe. And I would look up and just watch the breeze, blow through those leaves and the tree just existing. And take a few breaths and try to connect with that try to feel that try to be that you know. So like when I go to a new city is you know, when you do that, when you travel, it can be you feel like you’re a new place, it can be scary, it can be on you know, it can feel cold or whatever so I think going to the local garden is a helpful way to acclimate yourself and be in that city, you know.

 

SuChin Pak  22:50

That is such a good tip because you travel so much. You know, you have to find your ways of not going crazy, no, because after a while, I mean, we’re just creatures of habit.

 

Sheng Wang  23:04

Yeah, I think it’s it’s pairs well with the live I have now. Yeah, like I said, you get one membership at one of these gardens. And you can go to all of them, that’s worth it yeah.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  23:16

Are you a fan of Mary Oliver?

 

Sheng Wang  23:19

I am, I don’t know her like that well, I know I’ve the whatever poems I come across of hers. I’ve read and I’ve always enjoyed them but yeah, that one poem about being with it being amongst the trees. I heard that, I don’t know. I’ve heard that a couple of times, the last time I heard it on Instagram. I mean, it was her reading it. It gets me it takes my breath away a little bit on I hear her read that poem.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  23:41

Sheng, I have to ask I put I put the poem in the in the chat. I mean, yeah, here you read.

 

SuChin Pak  23:50

Let’s see this, hold on. Okay, let me get let me get real. Let me real cozy here. Okay, let me just write my neck. Let me do a little left, right, twist and twist. Okay, I’m ready.

 

Sheng Wang  24:04

All right, here we go. This is Mary Oliver’s when I am among the trees. When I am among the trees, especially the willows and the honey locusts, equally, the beach, the oaks and the pines. They give off such hints of gladness. I would almost say that they saved me and daily. I am so distant from the hope of myself, in which I have goodness and discernment. And never hurry through the world. But walk slowly and bow often around me the trees stir in their leaves and call out stay while the light flows from their branches. And they call again. It’s simple, they say and you too have come into the world to do this. To go easy, to be filled with light and to shine.

 

SuChin Pak  25:09

I mean, you were made for that. Yeah your voice in that pitch in that tone was made for that. Do you know about this book called The Life of trees? I don’t know if you’re a reader.

 

Sheng Wang  25:23

I think I know about the book. I have not read the book. I have high aspirations for reading and knowing things. But I haven’t attained downloaded them to myself.

 

SuChin Pak  25:36

They’re just in the ether ready for you to grab when you’re ready.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  25:39

Speaking of things that are aspirational, and you’re thinking about, you’re pondering about adding to cart a shredder? And is that a paper shredder?

 

Sheng Wang  25:50

The way I’m living right now, I just don’t feel comfortable buying things, but partly because I have all this stuff. Like I need a paper shredder because I have documents that need to be shredded from long time ago.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  26:01

Crimes you’ve committed?

 

Sheng Wang  26:04

Just tax taxes.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  26:06

Tax fraud.

 

Sheng Wang  26:07

Necessarily criminal, just tax just numbers, personally and.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  26:12

Foreign currency sheltering.

 

Sheng Wang  26:16

Yeah, I mean, they say you should get rid of stuff after every six or seven years. I have one filing cabinet. It’s full of things from the past, and then all the more recent stuff that are in piles, and then those piles gets tacked on on top of each into one giant pile and then that goes into a bag. And then that goes somewhere in the closet. I need to clean up my past.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  26:36

I wonder if there is a place where you can rent a shredder. So you don’t have to. How’s it you don’t have to look for the best one. You don’t have to you know, you use it, at a time. And you’d be motivated to get it done. Not sit on it that way too.

 

Sheng Wang  26:56

Yeah, yeah they do have like some kind of community shred day.

 

SuChin Pak  27:00

Oh, but it’s the comfort of having the shredder in your home that you could just do it in your underwear. At your own pace. You know what I mean? A little bit of of a snack in between.

 

Sheng Wang  27:12

Right, because when you take your your documents to a public shredding situation, then you’re like, you got to keep an eye on it. You kind of like waiting for them to shred it. You know, there’s no QC there. Like when you’re at home, you can you can shred it, you can examine the shreds. Make sure sure it’s no longer a safety issue.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  27:33

Yeah, beware of the weirdo that has a bunch of scotch tape at that community.

 

Sheng Wang  27:38

Yeah.

 

SuChin Pak  27:41

Immediate red flag. Yeah. I mean, this could be this could be like at the end of the year like we can have a shred party, you guys. Wouldn’t that be a rager.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  27:50

Shipping shred.

 

SuChin Pak  27:52

Shipping shred. Ku, has a nice big house. She I mean, any excuse that I can I can offer up her house furniture.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  28:01

I do own a shredder.

 

SuChin Pak  28:04

Of course you do. I was gonna say I bet Ku, has a shredder.

 

Sheng Wang  28:07

Okay.

 

SuChin Pak  28:08

And we do a sip and snack and shred.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  28:10

Yeah, peanuts. It’ll be like peanut boarding. Everybody brings peanuts.

 

SuChin Pak  28:15

No, or like their secret snack of choice. They want to introduce, wait a minute.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  28:21

It’s very interesting.

 

SuChin Pak  28:22

Get up, back it up, now this is a rager I can get down with this is a rager I will get in my car and drive two hours and drive right back.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  28:33

I’m interested.

 

SuChin Pak  28:34

This is a rager

 

Sheng Wang  28:35

I’m taking Uber or Lyft I’m not driving there. I’m gonna bring my documents. I’m gonna, I’m gonna say.

 

SuChin Pak  28:44

As soon as his eyes see his pack, go through the shredder. He just goes like the Hulk nuts. His shirt comes popping off sipping and shredding.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  28:59

This is a great idea, I’m down, and we all think we’re joking right now.

 

SuChin Pak  29:05

No, this is how I have so many pieces of paper that I would love to shred as well.

 

Sheng Wang  29:11

Let’s go.

 

SuChin Pak  29:12

The more do you know for me, what tickles me isn’t the shredding because fine. I can get a shredder. I have no problem buying junk that I never used. That’s not my problem. My thing is, is that I’ll never do it. That should sits in my closet and then it moves to the garage and then it moves with you wherever you go. But if I had a date, you know we’re like, you just got to get that bag together for the sipping shred. That’s the thing that I’m excited about. Is that due date but a fun due date.

 

SuChin Pak  29:44

You down or if you need more than snacks, and.

 

Sheng Wang  29:44

It’s motivation.

 

SuChin Pak  29:44

Not like a tax due date yeah, it’s like snacks. A party due date. Yeah, I mean, like a two o’clock you know, not too late. You know, you have lunch at home. We’re not going to feed you, okay, go home have a heavy you know some kind of protein hold.

 

SuChin Pak  29:45

Then you come and you sip and snack like I love like a two to five, an in between, you know a lunch and a dinner gathering. And then you go home to eat you go home to nap it off. You go home to do whatever you need to do. Don’t do it here.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  30:24

Great.

 

SuChin Pak  30:25

This is fun guys.

 

Sheng Wang  30:36

I tend to overstay at parties. I like to shut it down.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  30:40

Sheng, yeah, look at the way that things especially when specifically Asian people come into my house. I don’t even fuck with like an end time because it’s no Asian people never staying at my house for just two hours. They’re never I’m sorry. And generally the Asians come to my house or Southeast Asians, they you you have to help them put on their shoes. Not they’re not leaving so you can you can start cut start to leave at five but the truth is people are hanging out here. At least 10pm.

 

Sheng Wang  31:13

Heavy inertia. You need help putting that baby to sleep. Party for real afterwards.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  31:20

That’s exactly what happens like it never. Because there’s always going to be food. There’s always going to be drink. Things are getting put away.

 

Sheng Wang  31:30

Yeah, one time I was out and about in LA my friend wanted to hang out. And he he was at a friend’s house, his friend’s house. So he said come over there. So I picked up some salami and wine. I went to his friend’s house. Then he had to leave. And I just stuck around. I just stuck around. It was late. We had already ate drank smoked, we’re watching TV. Her roommate comes home. My friend is gone. I just met this person and I’m just hanging out hard. I just, that’s my thing. Like to you know, overstay.

 

SuChin Pak  32:09

Make a grease spot on the couch? Yeah, just like get in.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  32:12

I love to see you out at events. You’re such a fun presence. I publishing around a bonfire?

 

Sheng Wang  32:22

I don’t like going to most social events like this, especially like industry stuff, business kind of professional situations. So I don’t I oftentimes don’t go to these types of things. But if I do, and I see you there, I will try to hang out with you. Because I don’t know who else to hang out with or what else to do. But I feel like we’ve had good times that those things.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  32:43

Yes, we have. We want to present have such a good time.

 

SuChin Pak  32:47

Let’s get into your remove from cart, and so.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  32:51

This is where it gets, right.

 

SuChin Pak  32:53

This is where we get deep, okay.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  32:55

Yeah.

 

SuChin Pak  32:57

You want to remove from cart tripping too much, what are you tripping about?

 

Sheng Wang  33:00

Everything.

 

SuChin Pak  33:02

What are you tripping on? Is it tripping too much as in, you’re pissed, or you’re tripping too much as in your Shriman? Just

 

Sheng Wang  33:09

I’m just worried. I’m just always worried. Just too much just random things. random thing. I’m just trying not to worry too much. Because you know, it’s not it’s not it’s not helpful, it doesn’t change the outcome. And it probably makes it worse. No, I just tend to worry a lot. I had a car rental the other weekend. And I realized after we got the car out of the garage, there’s like these giant scratches on the rim. And I wasn’t sure if I did that. I don’t think I did that. But for the next like, two, three days, I just was like, tripping. And then and then I returned the car with no problem. No one said anything and we just left. So she’s got a lot of trip and stuff like that, you know, it’s just like not helpful.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  33:23

The trees or the cure?

 

Sheng Wang  33:56

Trees and tripping […]

 

SuChin Pak  34:00

The nighttime tripping trips that I go on. Just the tomfoolery, the things that come up that my brain is like, we’ve got to really, really look at this right now. I realize it’s 4am. But this needs your attention and you’re not paying enough attention to it, right. So it’ll be like you said, a rental car with scratches on the rims. Then I’m picking up my phone looking up how to get paid off of a thing. There’s always a hack that somebody’s figured out, right? So you’re like, Okay, that’s, that’s good, that’s good. I’m gonna do that. And then I find myself I wake up and I’m like, what the fuck? To what? That’s not even on anywhere in my vicinity of things that I need to worry about today or ever. But when I think of when you say it’s tripping too much, that’s something about that middle of the night.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  34:56

We’re fixating on the wrong things.

 

SuChin Pak  34:59

And yeah, and things are blown so out of proportion. It takes no momentum before I’m like rolling down the hill. And I wake up and I’m like I can last night was on rolling suitcases carry on luggage.

 

Sheng Wang  35:15

What was the threat?

 

SuChin Pak  35:18

Well, I’m taking my two kids, essentially by myself to Korea, and a few weeks, and neither one of them have ever really taken a trip like this. So I need to get them carry on luggage. I do I get the wheels that like what do they call them? When all four wheels move?

 

Sheng Wang  35:35

Right? Yeah, versus the two wheels versus

 

SuChin Pak  35:38

The two wheels, because the four wheels I love. But I just recently saw my daughter who’s 10 trying to navigate a four wheeler. It was not easy for her. You know, it’s much easier for her to just drag something, you know, and then when she puts it down, it just stays, at her age, if the handle is too high, she needs to do you know, do you see what I’m saying?

 

Sheng Wang  36:02

Yeah.

 

SuChin Pak  36:03

See what I’m saying?

 

Sheng Wang  36:03

Yeah, the two wheeler makes sense. But the handle can’t be too high. Because when the handle is too high, the angle dry. You start to hit the luggage on the ground.

 

SuChin Pak  36:11

Right, yeah. And then I was looking at kids luggage but kids luggage is it’s like 16 inches, might as well just, that’s a waste of money and space.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  36:19

Can I throw out it’s still a four wheel situation. But at the way luggage, you can adjust the handle so it’s not so high. You don’t think she’ll hardcase but kids can have hard cases. I’m not sure this isn’t covered. I’m a hard case person, SuChin, wants to be able to soft.

 

SuChin Pak  36:36

Too soft, like so, gummy bear.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  36:40

Finger jam.

 

SuChin Pak  36:41

Gummy bear, it needs to be made of a rubber band so it can expand to my desire. hardcase gives me anxiety.

 

Sheng Wang  36:50

Interesting, I just went too soft.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  36:52

You went too soft.

 

Sheng Wang  36:54

I wouldn’t be.

 

SuChin Pak  36:55

Be honest, Sheng.

 

Sheng Wang  36:56

I’m happy with soft I’d like the depth I like the one sided you know the flat that you can it takes it’s a smaller footprint once you’re settling in, because you only have to open the flap that can go against the wall. It doesn’t have to be a two sided open like that. It can just go like this. So it takes up less space. So you can have a big one. Even the big you know, especially when you have a big suitcase takes up half the space because when you open the hard cases, it’s right down the middle.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  37:23

But that sounds like you don’t like me have to immediately neurotically unpack every thing, every single thing and place my suitcase up and above.

 

Sheng Wang  37:37

You move in.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  37:39

I move in.

 

Sheng Wang  37:42

Wow.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  37:43

I move in, that’s right.

 

Sheng Wang  37:45

That’s cool.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  37:46

And I like it basically like this, it’s almost as if I’ve peed on everything. This is my spot now this is my place now.

 

Sheng Wang  37:54

It’s my drawer, my things, that’s my nightstand.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  37:59

That’s it, well, speaking of travel, this is something that SuChin doesn’t have an issue with, but I have an issue with, and I’m with you here, removing from cart needing to make the best choice, especially with eating out and travel. To me, the first thing I do is like what are the best restaurants let me try to make a reservation weeks months before, that’s what I’m about.

 

Sheng Wang  38:21

I would love someone to do that for me. I just, I just I don’t do that I still aspire to have good food and eat at unique or local places like that I have taken the pressure off. If it’s not the best, you know, as long as it’s a reasonably priced meal that’s healthy, then I’m then that’s a win for me. You know, I used to get real bummed out that we didn’t get the best or the fanciest or that most hyped up places.

 

SuChin Pak  38:50

Like you were missing out what you were missing out.

 

Sheng Wang  38:52

I missed out or I messed up. I made the wrong choices in my life, then that led me to eat this, you know, mediocre salad or whatever. Now I’m like, well, it was healthy, then I’m okay with that, you know?

 

Kulap Vilaysack  39:08

Because sometimes with social media, especially now it’s almost as if, you know, did you even go to New Orleans if you didn’t have this? Did you even like fully. Why don’t you stay home, if you didn’t go to this place, this place or this place? It can start to kind of feel that way, which is false.

 

Sheng Wang  39:27

It’s false, I mean, even stuff that looks good on social media, like I saw some posts yesterday and I was like, I think I was there some years ago and I wasn’t that impressed. And you know, I was feeling I was getting hyped up about it. I was like, wait, I’ve been here before and I didn’t like it that much so like, that was a nice little correction. You know, like don’t get tricked, get scammed big. Yeah, buy a big rib.

 

SuChin Pak  39:50

That’s right, hey guys. I’ve been I’ve been here for a while so I’m just sharing it all. Well, I’ve been on this train on this earth. And on this particular train of not needing to eat out at the best. I mean, when I see a line into a restaurant like or a donut shop or whatever it is, I mean, I laugh. I laugh at the foolishness. As a grown ass adult stand in line for a donut, I realized that this is fun and it scratches an itch for a lot of people.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  40:25

Not you.

 

SuChin Pak  40:26

When I tell you not one shred of that DNA. Not one ounce of it somehow got into the makeup of who I am.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  40:35

Yeah, Sheng, I don’t need a microscope. We know we know that is not in SuChin Pak.

 

Sheng Wang  40:42

That’s okay, that’s okay. I still have that. I’m working you know, I’m working with it.

 

SuChin Pak  40:48

But you could go extreme, you could go extreme like me where I’m eating at gas stations and grocery stores at you know, really beautiful cities, that I feel like yes, maybe I could make a little more of an effort. But I’m not standing in line for a doughnut.

 

Sheng Wang  41:01

I was I was in Taiwan recently. And you know, there’s definitely the big food culture and the night markets are crazy. And what I like about it, it’s quite orderly, like people do line up and you don’t have to, like you just get in line. You don’t have to struggle about who’s where. And the cool thing was, it’s kind of a hang, you’re in line, but it’s for one specific snack, one specific thing. So you’re hanging out and you’re waiting for this thing. You can send other contingencies to other lines, and then you know, smaller lines so they come back so it’s it’s part of its an experience in the expedition, you know, yeah.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  41:42

That sounds good.

 

SuChin Pak  41:43

Safari, it’s a food Safari. The ride is is is part of it. Yeah, the journey.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  41:48

Yeah, we got it saying that’s all for today’s episode. Thank you so much for coming on the show today. We are so honored that you took a break.

 

SuChin Pak  41:59

Don’t do any more.

 

Sheng Wang  42:01

Catch me up the garden.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  42:02

Catch you at the garden. You can follow him on Instagram at Sheng Wang time. He’s also touring an hour of new material and you can find out when he’ll be in your city at ShengWangtime.com. Sheng, do you have anything else to promote?

 

Sheng Wang  42:18

No, that’s it.

 

SuChin Pak  42:20

I mean, you barely gave us your nut source.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  42:23

That was like you you really be grudgingly.

 

SuChin Pak  42:29

I have to go back and get the transcription of the conversation.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  42:34

So worried that the prices are gonna get raised, because the demand.

 

Sheng Wang  42:39

Ridiculous no, I don’t think I have anything else to promote. I’m just on tour. I’ll be working on this eventually I’ll yeah, I’ll be doing another special at some point. That’s it, I’m just trying to enjoy life. Be with plants eat well and do comedy.

 

SuChin Pak  42:56

I can’t wait to see you out in the wild.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  43:00

Yeah, you’ll see him at my house when we do.

 

SuChin Pak  43:03

Yeah, that’s wild.

 

Kulap Vilaysack  43:04

That’s right. Snack and shred.

 

Sheng Wang  43:10

I’m gonna get my boxes ready.

 

CREDITS  43:17

There’s more Add To Cart with Lemonada Premium subscribers get exclusive access to bonus content like where we tell you about the last item we bought or returned and why subscribe now and Apple podcasts. Add To Cart is a production of Lemonada Media. Our producers are Kegan Zema and Tiffany Bouy. Brian Castillo is our engineer. Theme music is by Wasahhbii and produced by La Made It and Oh So Familiar with additional music by APM music. Executive producers or 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. Follow Add to Cart wherever you get your podcasts or listen at free on Amazon music with your Prime membership.