Turkey Tuesday Thanksgiving week

I like eating, which is a pretty good thing because I do it fairly regularly. Still, I can't claim to be as prolific an eater as the host of the podcast, "House of Carbs," Joe House. Joe House very much seems to enjoy eating (and eating, and eating...). So that's what this podcast is about - where to eat, what to eat, how to eat...the ins and outs of eats discussed in an approachable, fun, and inviting way. 

Joe House lives in Washington DC. I came to know of him (in case you were curious about my personal experience) through his various appearances in my regular listens to Bill Simmons' podcasts. I've been a casual devotee of Simmons' audio for years. Simmons formed a podcast network when he joined HBO after departing ESPN.

After some time, one of the many, many podcasts the Ringer (Simmons' website) produced was, "House of Carbs" - a podcast hosted by the ultimate hungry homie, the sultan of sushi, the king of korean BBQ, the colossus of the cookout.

If the Ringer had S.A.T.s, one analogy might read: Babe Ruth is to hitting home runs AS Joe House is to eating. You see, Joe House is not just known for his affinity for food, he's known for his ability to ingest massive quantities of food. For anyone else, the enormous caloric consumption might seem gluttonous. But Joe House is such an endearing persona that I generally find all his involvements entertaining. If you don't want to take my word for it, the proof is in the pudding (or the podcast linked in the image below as it were).

6/9/17 Minhaj (not menage)

It’s a unique moment in time for Hasan Minhaj. Actually every moment in time is a unique moment in time for anyone. That’s how time works. One moment is different than the previous moment or the next moment. That constant change makes staying in the present challenging to say the least. So, to put things another way, the present is presently special for Hasan Minhaj.

Who is Hasan Minhaj one might ask? And one would be forgiven for asking. You have my permission not to know. In fact, the discovery of him may even be somewhat illustrative.

Hasan Minhaj is a comedian. He’s a correspondent on the Daily Show. He hosted the most recent White House Correspondent’s Dinner, an annual celebration of free speech and the First Amendment usually, but not necessarily always (as demonstrated this year), attended by the present administration in the White House. I heard Minhaj discuss the experience of the dinner on Bill Simmons’ podcast. He also discussed his upcoming (at the time; now available) Netflix comedy special entitled, “Homecoming King.” It’s really more of a comedic one man play than a traditional stand-up special.

What makes this particular special special is that it details some of the experiences of immigrants and the children of immigrants. Experiences I cannot summon to my own memory because they do not exist for me. Luckily, “Homecoming King,” assists by laying out the unique Minhaj experience complete with visual aids to help. Images that support and emphasize, making everything more visceral.

The benefit of watching this special is that it describes a foreign experience foreign to many who might see it. The special helps cure some of the deficit a viewer may personally posses. But it does so by relating experiences and real life and real people. As a result it feels real. Funny and real. Expansive and enlightening and real. To make your own human experience presently more full you can use, “Homecoming King,” to introduce yourself (if necessary) to Hasan Minhaj. It might also help make the entire immigrant experience more real for you too.