About this episode

Dave Chang and Eric Nam discuss Korean American identity and food culture while preparing tteok mandu guk.

It's a steaming hot day, but Dave makes a celebratory dish of tteok mandu guk, a Korean rice cake and dumpling soup, for his guest, singer and actor Eric Nam.They discuss being Korean American today and how much has changed since they were young, their Korean language proficiency, and, of course, Eric's recent stint on Traitors.Dave and Eric talk about their favorite Korean foods, how great banchan is, and why the dishes of gimbap and hoe might take off in the future.Find Eric Nam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericnamFind Eric Nam on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ericnamListen to Eric Nam: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2FLqlgckDKdmpBrvLAT5BMLearn more about Sun Nong Dan: https://sunnongdanusa.com/Watch Eric on Traitors: https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-tv/the-traitorsWatch Chef Edward Lee on Culinary Class Wars: https://www.netflix.com/title/81728365Learn more about the Yonsei Korean Language Institute: https://www.yskli.com/course.php?mid=E01_01Check out The Sopranos: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141842/Check out Avatar: The Last Airbender: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417299/Learn more about Super Peach: https://www.momofuku.com/restaurants/super-peachLearn more…

People in this episode

Host: Dave Chang

Guest: Eric Nam

Topics covered

• Korean American identity
• food culture
• language proficiency
• Korean cuisine
• entertainment

Keywords

• Korean food
• tteok mandu guk
• Eric Nam
• Korean American
• banchan
• Traitors

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Ringer, Sun Nong Dan, Yonsei Korean Language Institute, Bibigo

Books & works: Traitors, Culinary Class Wars, The Sopranos, Avatar: The Last Airbender

More episodes of The Dave Chang Show

• Steak, Rösti, Béarnaise, a Dave Chang Show Combine, and the NFL Draft with Todd McShay and Steve Muench · April 27, 2026 · 1h 27m
• Tteokgalbi, Hoe-deopbap, Role Models, and K-Everything with Daniel Dae Kim · April 23, 2026 · 1h 12m
• DCS Creative Lab: Hamburg + Mayo Salad Sandwiches · April 20, 2026 · 1h 2m
• The Masters Food and Championship Dinner, #1 Mystery of the Year, and Plating with Chris Ying · April 16, 2026 · 1h 7m
• Gluten-Free Schnitzel, Game Shows, Korean Traits, and Parenting with Mina Kimes · April 13, 2026 · 1h 4m
• DCS Lab: Schnitzel Take 2 · April 9, 2026 · 47 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Dave Chang Show podcast page.