806: Lydia Pang Argues “Stinky” Is a Great Thing

806: Lydia Pang Argues “Stinky” Is a Great Thing

From This Is TASTE by Aliza Abarbanel & Matt Rodbard

July 13, 2026 · 59 min

About this episode

Lydia Pang discusses her memoir 'Eat Bitter' and its connection to resilience and food, alongside food experiences shared by the hosts.

Lydia Pang is a creative director and the author of Eat Bitter: A Story About Guts, and Food. It’s a memoir that connects to the Chinese cultural concept of 吃苦 (chi ku), “eating bitterness” or being resilient, to her own life, with each chapter rooted in a recipe. Today on the show, we chat about how the book began as a zine in 2020, being inspired by her Hakka-Welsh heritage, and more. And it’s the return of Three Things, where Aliza and Matt discuss what’s interesting in the food world, including Matt’s trip to Chicago with visits to Maxwell Trading, Loaf Lounge, Best Intentions, and Colectivo. Aliza discusses her interaction with dirty soda in Utah, a recipe in the latest issue of Kismet Magazine, and a very good frozen drink at SAA in Brooklyn.  Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Hosts: Aliza Abarbanel, Matt Rodbard

Guest: Lydia Pang

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Kismet Magazine

Books & works: Eat Bitter: A Story About Guts

Places: Chicago, Utah, Brooklyn

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