Live From London at The Standard

Summary

Canal Street Dreams
Episode: "Live From London at The Standard"
Hosts: Eddie Huang & Natasha Perrotti
Date: July 9, 2026

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Episode Overview

This live episode, recorded at The Standard in London, celebrates the release of Eddie Huang’s new novel Come Undone. Eddie and Natasha candidly discuss the origins of the book, their personal and creative partnership, parenthood, and coming full circle from financial hardship back to creative and professional satisfaction. The audience is invited to join in with thought-provoking questions inspired by their relationships, rituals, and London food favorites, all in a uniquely open and humorous tone typical of Eddie and Natasha.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Genesis of Come Undone

• Eddie began writing Come Undone during a period of separation from Natasha in London, prompted by a New York Magazine article on "beige flags" and "red flags" in relationships.
• The realization that both he and Natasha displayed every ‘red flag’ made him question their relationship’s health—especially significant as Natasha was already pregnant and they'd just had a failed wedding.
  • "Are we in a toxic relationship? And that's the genesis of the novel, is writing from that kind of realization…" (Eddie, 00:25)

2. Confronting Personal & Familial Issues Through Writing

• Eddie’s writing process is intertwined with his way of working through personal issues, particularly intimacy problems and family dynamics:
  • Inability to communicate during crises
  • Tendency to physically/emotionally run from conflict or discomfort
  • Family baggage leaking into present relationships
• He admits he would historically ‘leave’ relationships or social circles in discomfort, but with Natasha and impending parenthood, he resolved to break that pattern.

3. Vulnerability, Exposure, & Confidence

• Natasha asks whether Eddie regrets exposing so much of his personal and family history.
  • Eddie finds relief in openness, believing vulnerability is cathartic and empowers confidence.
  • "There is a real confidence that comes from knowing you've addressed the blind spots..." (Eddie, 03:18)
  • He likens writing and art to letting the outside world know what’s going on, as a way to process growing up in a violent home.

4. Hopes for His Son & Inheritance vs. Agency

• Eddie hopes that when his son reads his work, he understands that inherited baggage does not determine personal direction:
  • "You have a choice in the direction your life is going. So many things in life are inherited… but this is his life and he is the captain of his ship." (Eddie, 07:01)

5. Creative Process & Artist's Lifestyle

• Eddie feels most creatively alive when in adversity ("the best art comes from either a shattered person or a recently enlightened person," 14:56)
• The physicality of working in kitchens inspires him more than life as a 'domesticated artist' in LA.
  • "I'm a working man and I like it... I am a working dog. I need to wake up. I need to do physical work." (Eddie, 10:38)

6. Relationship Dynamics & Humor

• Natasha is ‘the handyman’ in their relationship, poking fun at Eddie’s ineptitude with household tasks (cribs, strollers, IKEA):
  • "He can't do...she's the handyman. She's definitely the man in the relationship." (Natasha, 12:08)
• Their communication includes daily ‘internal monologue’ emails, artful memes and reels, and even fantasy basketball lingo.

7. Full Circle & London’s Influence

• London marks a place of both hardship and renewal for Eddie, supporting him during financial difficulty and creative resurgence (Bauhaus and the book's completion).
  • "There’s something special about this city. I connect to it...people in London are even more straightforward, with an old world intelligence." (Eddie, 13:25)

8. Art and Healing

• Both hosts emphasize that art and humor facilitate emotional healing—between themselves and with their audience. The cards they use in both the restaurant and podcast encourage deep self-reflection.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Self-Reflection:

  “If I can learn to not leave you, then I can learn to not leave anybody.”
  — Eddie (03:19)

• On Inheritance and Agency:

  “No matter who his parents are... this is his life and that he is the captain of his ship.”
  — Eddie (07:01)

• On Artistic Process in Adversity:

  “I truly feel the best art comes from either a shattered person or a recently enlightened person.”
  — Eddie (14:56)

• On Working-Class Wisdom:

  “If I wasn’t in the kitchen, I would do something like Boston Sand and Gravel. I’d just be breaking rocks, you know? Because I do think that unlocks an intelligence that’s very underrated and underappreciated in this generation.”
  — Eddie (11:05)

• Classic Couple Banter:

  “He can’t do…she’s the handyman. She’s definitely the man in the relationship.”
  — Natasha (12:08)
  “I can break rocks, too!”
  — Eddie (12:41)

• On Emotional Availability:

  “People take my directness and firmness the wrong way sometimes, but when I’m being direct and firm, I’m literally just trying to get our relationship back on track… I’m actually trying to fix it, not break it.”
  — Eddie (39:20)

• Audience Q&A Gems:

  “My love language is acts of service. I like to take care of the people I love. Like, I feel like I’ve fulfilled my responsibilities.”
  — Eddie (22:57)
  “Leather goods, bags, jewelry. No, but really…us at home when we have nothing going on, a Sunday where it’s like, me, you, Sena at home…”
  — Natasha (23:11)

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Audience Q&A – Lively Highlights

• On Panic Snacks:
  • Eddie: Gummy bears and salt & vinegar chips (22:04)
  • Natasha: Chips—“just like four different bags of chips.” (22:26)
• On Yearning:
  • Eddie: Massaging Natasha’s feet as an act of service. (22:36)
  • Natasha: Cozying up at home, ordering in, watching movies as a family. (23:11)
• On Being "Chronically Online":
  • Natasha admits to extreme social media usage and adopting kitchen staff slang; Eddie is less online, mostly texting for work. (24:09)
• On Getting Out of a Funk:
  • Eddie: Confession, sauna, then action (25:53)
  • Natasha: Shopping for “retail therapy,” or escaping to her mother’s house (26:25)
• On Love at First Sight:
  • Eddie: “Absolutely...with Natasha” (33:27)
  • Natasha: “Closest thing to love at first sight… once we started chatting, I was like, oh, I like you.” (33:52)

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Food, London, and Guilty Pleasures (tasty timestamps)

• London Go-tos:
  • Eddie: Mongol 1 (salt bagel place, 35:05), Guinea Grill, St. John, Lahore Tayabs, Decimo, Dover, Straker, Sweetings (35:05–36:40)
• Restaurant Philosophy:
  • “St. John...is the mind of a cook, not even a chef but the mind of a cook…pure.” (36:05)
• Guilty Pleasures:
  • Natasha: Shopping at Margaret Howell (37:56)
  • Eddie: Betting and cabaret nights in London (37:58)

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Honest Reflections

• Desire to Be Understood:
  • Natasha wishes people understood her social anxiety and awkwardness.
  • Eddie wants others to recognize that his directness is a bid for connection, not conflict (39:02).

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:01 — Book launch intro and origins of Come Undone
• 02:10 — Eddie on intimacy and avoidance
• 03:26 — How addressing issues built confidence
• 04:30 — What made Eddie nervous to share
• 06:41 — Hopes for his son’s takeaways
• 10:38 — Living as a “working dog” and creative churn
• 12:07 — Who really does the home assembly
• 14:56 — Best art from brokenness or enlightenment
• 17:00 — Writing post-parenthood
• 19:41 — Favorite “healing” cards
• 22:04 — Panic snack showdown
• 22:36 — What do you yearn for?
• 24:09 — Who’s more “chronically online”?
• 25:53 — Tricks for getting out of a funk
• 33:27 — Love at first sight?
• 35:05 — Must-hit restaurants in London
• 37:56 — Guilty pleasures: Margaret Howell and London casinos
• 39:02 — What do you wish people understood about you?

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Final Thoughts

This episode showcases Eddie and Natasha at their raw, witty, and open best—delving into the real cost and catharsis of writing from one’s life; the hard-won lessons of giving up emotional avoidance; the often hilarious friction of creative and personal partnership; and the deep gratification found in rebuilding both family and career.

Their generosity with the audience, both in terms of vulnerability and laughter, makes for a compelling listen—and, as ever, plenty of mouthwatering recs for anyone headed to London.

Transcript

[Eddie Wong]

Thank you to everyone for coming through and celebrating the launch of the book as well.

[Natasha]

Yeah, it's so special to be here. On our way here, we actually started talking. Eddie started writing Come Undone three years ago when he was in London.

[Eddie Wong]

Yes. It was the first time I was separated from you, so I was missing you. And, like, I was yearning. And on the flight back to America, there was this New York magazine article about beige flags and red flags. And I looked at the beige flags, and it was, like, very, very benign things. I was like, these are. These are great. These are. These are fine traits to have. I looked at red flags and I was like, yo, babe, we both have every single one of these red flags. And I was like, are we in a toxic relationship? And that's the genesis of the novel, is writing from that kind of realization that we were in a toxic relationship together and you were already pregnant at the time. I was like, we should probably handle this.

[Natasha]

I was pregnant. I had run away from our wedding. We had a failed wedding at this point.

[Eddie Wong]

Yes.

[Natasha]

Yeah. Do you remember what some of the red flags were?

[Eddie Wong]

Well, avoidance.

[Natasha]

Okay.

[Eddie Wong]

Rejection, running away. Parents, like, leaking into relationships, which my parents were always leaking into our relationship. Yeah. So your mom was always in the crib.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Eddie Wong]

And I was just like, we have no boundaries.

[Audience Member / Moderator]

And.

[Eddie Wong]

And then also, just, like, the inability to communicate in crises was one of them. So I was just like, my process for working through things in relationships is always through writing. Like, if I can write it and I can understand it, then I can, like, actually communicate with you about it.

[Natasha]

Okay. So acknowledging all of those red flags and then that being the inspiration to write the novel, what do you think that you confronted about yourself during the process of writing Come Undone that maybe you hadn't confronted before? Maybe that you hadn't acknowledged or accepted about yourself?

[Eddie Wong]

Well, I think that I had so much trouble with intimacy and closeness that even with my male friends, if people were to bring up issues like Sal Shore. Like, we have a friend named Sal Shore. David Lavin, my old producer on Wong's World. And David sometimes would be like, I kind of need more vulnerability from you. I need to be in your head to, like, work with you, to be friends with you. I need to know what you're thinking. And. And I would just fully reject him. I'd just be like, dude, get out of my head. Like, I need space. And I was always trying to take space when things got uncomfortable in friendships, relationships, whatever. Like. Like, Dinks is here tonight. We were in a fantasy league for, like, 12 years. And there was one year where people were annoying me in the league, and I just, like, left the league. And dinks had to be like, yo, come back to the league. And so I think anytime I was having awkward feelings, instead of working it out with people, I would literally just leave. And that was the biggest thing, is I knew I would never leave you. And that is what I worked through in the book. If I can learn to not leave you, then I can learn to not leave anybody.

[Natasha]

And how has that played out in your other. Your friendships now or your work relationships?

[Eddie Wong]

I mean, it's definitely harder. You have to look at yourself a lot more and the mistakes you've made. You have to own up to the complaints, the. The comment box at work, so to speak, the comment box at home in our relationship. But I do feel I am a better person and a happier person because once you start to address your issues, there is a real confidence that comes from knowing you've addressed the blind spots. Because I think people with issues generally know, even if it's in their subconscious, you know, that thing is hanging out there like a big matzo ball, and you should deal with it. But you can convince yourself that you don't need to deal with it now, like, I'll deal with it later on in life. And there is a confidence and relief that comes with dealing with things as they happen, as they bother people.

[Natasha]

That's really nice. Was there any part of Come Undone that you were nervous for me to read?

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah, definitely the parts about my family. I think I've always that my sore spot and my sense of insecurity and perhaps embarrassment is like, my mom and dad's relationship, which isn't great. And I think anytime I write about that, that is what I'm most embarrassed about and most stressed out because I've had people in relationship be like, I like you, but I don't think you'd be a good dad or I don't think you'd be a good husband because of the type of husband your father was. And that always hung over me. And I think anytime. I mean, you know, like any. Even outside the book, anytime something happens with my family, I'm pretty embarrassed.

[Natasha]

Does that spill over generally, like, into, like, the general public? I guess everybody in this room, right, like you're writing, it's all always so vulnerable. And it's. So much of it is about your life. I think everything you do is so vulnerable and revealing. Is there ever a part of you that, I guess not, feels regret? But do you ever Feel overexposed and feel a little bit too vulnerable when you're kind of revealing these things about your personal life and your family.

[Eddie Wong]

I actually have the reverse experience where before I write about it and before we share it on the pod or in, like, the films and the other work, I'm more embarrassed knowing there's this thing that people don't know about me. And my process has been to just, when it boils over, write and just express, like, this has happened at home. And, you know, I think. I think it just comes from being a kid growing up in a home with a lot of violence. And, you know, when the police come. The police aren't helpful, but at least your teachers know and your neighbors know that something's happening in there, and that's why you've been awkward at school for so long. So that was always, like, a relief for me to be like, all right, cool. People know I can, like, talk about it. So I think art has become my way of being like, I can talk about this shit now.

[Natasha]

Yeah, it gives you a bit of an outlet.

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

Something that I've really been curious about. When our son eventually gets old enough to read this book, what do you hope that he learns about you or what do you hope that he takes away from reading this?

[Eddie Wong]

I think the most. I think the thing I want people to take away from reading this book is that you have a choice in the direction your life is going to. I think so many things in life are inherited, and through your teens, 20s, even into your 30s, it feels insurmountable to change and, like, turn the direction the ship is going in because of the sheer, like, overwhelming nature of inheritance. But I just want him to know, no matter who his parents are, I hope he loves us, and I hope he loves what he's inherited, but also that, like, this is his life and that he is the captain of his ship. And, like, he will hopefully one day meet somebody like you, and they will choose the direction that their life goes in. And I'm really excited for him to have that.

[Natasha]

Yeah, I'm excited for him to have all of these. Like, to have fresh off the boat come undone, all of these books to read, Bauhaus to inherit all. What do you think is next for you in terms of, like, what are you inspired by?

[Eddie Wong]

Oh, can I say something really quick, though?

[Natasha]

Yeah, of course.

[Eddie Wong]

It's like, I do. As soon as I finish, I usually send the manuscript to you.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Eddie Wong]

And, Raph, just in case. Cause I'm just like, you never know what happens in life. But like now that I have come to a point of like satorai or like realization, I always just immediately need you to have the manuscript and Raph to have it just in case so that like Senna can as well.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Eddie Wong]

Like all of you guys.

[Natasha]

Well, no, I feel like you do that a lot. You'll send me just like arbitrary emails and you're like, for our records.

[Audience Member]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

And I'm like, I don't need to be involved in this at all.

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah. For the record, I figured out this feeling. Please.

[Natasha]

Yeah, do what you will. No, for sure.

[Eddie Wong]

But how does it feel when you get a weirdo email like that?

[Natasha]

I'm so used to it now. I think I'm so desensitized. But. And when we first started dating and you would send me like middle of the night emails, I definitely was a little thrown off guard. Like, what is going like, why am I getting a middle of the night email with just like your like internal monologue spilled on the page and then like at the bottom it'd be like. And then we should like also go to Erewhon tomorrow. Yeah.

[Eddie Wong]

That filet of Hake was fantastic last night. How are you feeling? You know, totally, totally.

[Natasha]

But yeah, no, I think now I'm so. Now I do it back to you. Like now it's become something that I do as well. So I don't know. Thanks for that.

[Eddie Wong]

You do it through like an artful way of like submitting DMs to our chat. Like there's many you speak in reels. There will be like 75 reels. And I'm like, oh, I see the headspace you're in.

[Natasha]

Yeah. But we also speak the same language, which is really rare. I feel like when you're in a relationship for so long with somebody and you're so enmeshed with them, you start speaking, speaking this like strange, deranged language that only the two of you can understand. And that's what the reels are.

[Eddie Wong]

Yes. You even speak the deranged fantasy basketball chat language with all the accents and stuff.

[Natasha]

So I know how to parlay now.

[Eddie Wong]

You know you can lay a parlay?

[Natasha]

Yeah. I didn't know that before I met you. I didn't know how to lay a three leg parlay. But now I know what hits you.

[Eddie Wong]

You know how to be degenerate gambler.

[Natasha]

I'm on DraftKings independently with your card, but that's fine. But yeah, what do you think? What's inspiring you now that like come undone is out in the world. And it's available for everybody. And I feel like once you've put that out, you've kind of let it go. And, like, what are you writing about now? What's inspiring to you at this moment?

[Eddie Wong]

Well, I definitely feel. I mean, we've talked about this on the pod. It's like, being broke since the strikes in LA and the fires has completely changed my life and your life. And I think just, like, the bounce back from being completely broke for a couple years and then getting it out of the kitchen has, like, put this fire back in me. Like, I'm a working man and I like it. I think for a little bit, I was like a domesticated animal in la, writing on a hill. Like, that's not who I am. I think I am a writer who, like, scrambles to write in free time. And I'm very inspired working in the kitchen with the guys. Like, I am a working dog. I need to wake up. I need to do physical work. Like, if I wasn't in the kitchen, I would do something like Boston sand and Gravel. I'd just be breaking rocks, you know, Because I do think that unlocks an intelligence that's very underrated and underappreciated in this generation.

[Natasha]

I have to be real with you. I can't see you doing manual labor.

[Eddie Wong]

I do. I do manual labor in the kitchen.

[Natasha]

You're, like, full of shit. Okay, okay.

[Eddie Wong]

But you weren't. You're not there in the morning when I'm, like, breaking down all the protein.

[Audience Member / Moderator]

Pause.

[Natasha]

Since the second we found out we were pregnant. And, like, you. You know, you find out you're pregnant and you're having this baby, and then you have to, like, get a crib and you have to get a stroller, and you have to get many things.

[Eddie Wong]

I'm not good at that shit.

[Natasha]

That takes. I want to let you know that this man has never put anything together in his life. Everything that came to our house, the crib, the stroller, anything, an IKEA shelf, anything, I'm putting it together. He can't do.

[Eddie Wong]

She's the handyman. She's definitely the man in the relate. No, I can break rocks, though. I can break rocks.

[Natasha]

I feel like, honestly, like, if a coyote, like, came up to us on a hike, like, I would fight it.

[Eddie Wong]

The coyote did come up to us on the hike, and I was there. The coyote came up to us on the hike, and I was. I got in front.

[Natasha]

I feel like I just. Like, I could break rocks.

[Eddie Wong]

You could break rocks, too. That doesn't mean I Can't break rocks.

[Natasha]

And you could write for us.

[Eddie Wong]

I could write, I could write. But no, the kitchen has been helpful for me.

[Natasha]

Honestly, I like that. I mean, it's very full circle, too. Like, think back to, like you said, three years ago, strikes happened in la. You came to London, you did a Bauhaus pop up. At that time, you weren't in the kitchen and you were writing, you were focusing on directing and writing. Now three years later, we're back in London and you have Bauhaus 2.0. How does that feel? Like this full circle moment. Three years ago, you started writing this novel. Your life was completely different. Now you're back in London and again, you've kind of come full circle with, like, the book and being back in the kitchen.

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah, no, I'm very grateful to this city because this is where the comeback started. And people don't know, but we were really, really in a bad financial spot when I did the popup here. And so many of our friends in London showed up and supported. I wrote half the book on the flight back to New York, flight back to la, and then from there it's just been grinding and, like, getting out of the hole. And to have the book come out and to have Bauhaus back in New York within three months of each other and then get to, like, come celebrate in London, it's special. Like, there's. There's something special about this city. I connect to and I tell people, like, New York has a reputation for being straightforward that I love. I think London people in London are even more straightforward, with an old world intelligence. And like Genesee Qua, that I really like, I do well here.

[Natasha]

I agree with that. Do you think that being broken helped you be a better writer? Like, do you think that, okay, like, you had all this success, you wrote Fresh off the Boat, you had Bauhaus, all of the success, you were comfortable in life, and then through a series of events, some misfortune. Do you think that that helped you get back to a place where you could write in a. Maybe just have your voice feel more raw than it would have?

[Eddie Wong]

I. I truly feel the best art comes from either a shattered person or a recently enlightened person. And I think both things are just cracking through your defenses as a person, because I think humans as animals are just extremely emotionally elusive at all times. You're lying to yourself and everyone around you, whether you want to admit it or not. But when you're broke and you're struggling and you're shattered, you just kind of don't have the patience anymore. And for moments, you really speak truth. And I definitely wrote the book in a moment where I had kind of lost my biological family. I no longer speak to them. We had nothing. And I was just like, I don't even really know what I'm doing, but I'm just gonna put my feelings on a page. And this is the truest shit I can say and feel. And there's no real motivation or objective because there's nowhere to go but up in the middle of the pandemic, where I had a lot of clarity. I had just finished Boogie, and I wrote Tuna Melt. And that came from a moment of, like, enlightenment that I got to marinate in. I got to chill out and have a lot of space and write from there. So for me, personally, I do really well shattered or I do really well alone. Getting to marinate on peace and quiet and enlightened thoughts, kind of.

[Natasha]

We've spoken about this a bit before, but I'd be curious. Like you said, having a lot of space and time to write really helps you. How has becoming a father and a husband, where you don't have so much free time and you don't have the luxury of doing whatever you want all the time, how has that changed? Your writing process was definitely hard because

[Eddie Wong]

I used to be able to finish a book in two weeks. I could finish a script in three days. Now, even when I find the time, I'm finding that a script will take me 10 days. A book is going to take a couple months. I just don't have the undisturbed, quiet time consistently. But what I do find is that it forces me to live in between spurts of writing. And I think having that time chipping away at it at a slower pace makes it significantly more deliberate and intentional. So I enjoy that.

[Natasha]

I think that's nice. I think having more time to let something rest is good for you. I always tell you, take your time, take your time. Go slower. Like, relax into it. But, yeah, how do you feel about Come Undone, being out and being on this? I mean, you just finished up the first leg of your tour talking about this book, getting feedback from everybody who's reading it. And how do you feel now, having spoken to people who have actually gotten their teeth into it and read the full book?

[Eddie Wong]

No, it means a lot that it's connecting with people. And especially, I mean, there's a lot of men that are like, bro, I struggle with this forever. And then it's really nice, too, to hear from a lot of like, female readers and our friends that are like, oh, my God. Like, I remember when my guy was like this. And it's kind of a fun trip for certain people to go down memory lane and kind of, like, relive the healing. And then it's also fun for some. A lot of my friends that are like, man, I had to really take a look at myself. But it was funny. Like the book. I think what makes the conversation fun between myself and the reader is that there is a lot of humor. So you can ease into the conversation, tell a few jokes, point out things that are fun about the book, and then get into, like, this is why I've been emotionally unavailable our entire friendship.

[Natasha]

You know, that's cool.

[Eddie Wong]

The book is like an invitation to get closer to all of your friends.

[Natasha]

I love that.

[Audience Member / Moderator]

Yeah.

[Eddie Wong]

And so are the cards.

[Natasha]

I was gonna say. Yeah. So aren't the cards. The cards are really fun. I think the cards we've been playing a little bit at Bauhaus, like, friends have been playing. Do you have any favorite questions from the cards? I have one.

[Eddie Wong]

I mean, you go with your favorite.

[Natasha]

Then. What's your relationship like with your mother?

[Eddie Wong]

Oh, my gosh.

[Natasha]

I think that's a banger. I feel like you have to know.

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah, no, my relationship with my mom is definitely like, I'm a feudal serf, you know, Like, I'm an investment. And she's said it on multiple occasions. She's like, I better get a return on this investment. So, like, I'm a plot of land. And that's. It's not my favorite relationship. But I will say my favorite question in the deck is, what is your ratatouille? Like, what is it? What is the meal of your childhood?

[Natasha]

Like, for me, it's chicken parm or like a North Shore super beef three way, which is so hyper specific. Specific regional cuisine to Boston, Massachusetts. Like, no one's had that.

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah. And for anyone in London, like, the North Shore three way beef in. In Massachusetts, in Boston specific. Like, North Shore of Boston specifically. It's like a salt bagel out here. Like, when you go to the East End and you get a salt bagel and it's. It's kind of like that corned beef on a bagel that's very specific to London. And you just don't get that sandwich anywhere else, even though it makes total sense and everyone should be serving it. But I would say my childhood rat tatou is soup dumplings.

[Audience Member / Moderator]

Ooh.

[Eddie Wong]

Like, has to be soup dumplings.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Eddie Wong]

But I'm kind of Curious, like, audience, like Jules. Should we do some questions from the audience with the cards?

[Natasha]

Yeah, that be fun.

[Audience Member / Moderator]

Yeah.

[Eddie Wong]

Anybody want to, like, pull cards?

[Audience Member]

So thank you for that talk and that podcast. So am I supposed to answer the question on the card or ask you?

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah, you can. You know, we can ask you one. Let's ask you one. How about that? That'll be fun. All right. What are your emergency? Panic snacks.

[Audience Member]

Oh, damn. I think it's like tuck biscuits, if you know what that is. It's like these salty crackers. It's called. It's like T U C. They're yellow. Does anybody know these? Hell, yeah.

[Audience Member / Moderator]

Do you know?

[Eddie Wong]

I'm gonna check it out. I'm gonna check out salty biscuits.

[Audience Member]

Let's go tuck tuc. They're yellow. Yeah, it's. They go easy, and they're good sustenance.

[Eddie Wong]

Like, in America, we got, like, Lorna Dunes. The Lorna Dunes cookies.

[Audience Member]

Oh, yeah.

[Eddie Wong]

But I feel. I feel like they might be similar.

[Audience Member]

Okay, I need to check that out.

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah.

[Audience Member]

What's yours?

[Eddie Wong]

My. I'm a gummy bears, dude. I'm gummy bears, but I'm wild. I will follow up, like, gummy bears with salt and vinegar chips. Like, together gummy bears and salt and vinegar chips.

[Audience Member]

That's a good fusion.

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah, that's like, kind of the tasting notes of my relationship with my mother. What about you? What's your emergency? Panic snacks.

[Natasha]

Chips all day. Just, like, four different bags of chips. For sure.

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah. All right. Who else got a card?

[Natasha]

Eddie, what do you yearn for?

[Eddie Wong]

Oh, probably Natasha's foot.

[Natasha]

Freshly pedicured. Yeah.

[Eddie Wong]

You know, if I'm chilling and I'm having a good day and I have a lot of time and I'm not thinking about myself, I like to give her a foot massage. Not in any creepy way. I'm just like, let me take care of Natalia. I give her a foot massage.

[Natasha]

That's what you yearn for?

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah. My love language is acts of service. I like to take care of the people I love. Like, I feel like I've fulfilled my responsibilities. What about you? What do you yearn for?

[Natasha]

Oh, I mean, there's, like, the real answer and then the real answer. Leather goods, bags, jewelry. No, but really, just like, us at home when, like, we have nothing going on a Sunday where it's like, me, you, sena at home, and then we can just, like, order food in and we're watching movies. Like, that's what I yearn for.

[Eddie Wong]

We're actually such boring people.

[Natasha]

We're just couch Potatoes.

[Eddie Wong]

She'll just, like, watch some version of Housewives of somewhere. And I'm just like, all right, cool. I'm gonna just big spoon you and you watch this shit.

[Natasha]

Yeah. Now we're just watching Spider man with our kid, but, like, same.

[Eddie Wong]

But I did get her into the Knicks this year, so.

[Natasha]

Go Knicks. Knicks in five. It was truly the most magical time of my life on record. Yours as well.

[Eddie Wong]

Yes. All right, next. Who else? Who else got a car?

[Audience Member]

Oh,

[Natasha]

how chronically online are you? Oh, my God. So bad. We need to brick our phones. So bad. I think I'm worse than you.

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Natasha]

Like, I'm so much worse than you. I'm like the kids in the kitchen at Bauhaus, like, like, we. They're like 22 years old, I'm grown, and we like, speak the same slang and, like, they'll, like, they'll say something. What was it? They were like, they were like, young hoes cook on high heat. And then like, he was like, natasha's been saying that. And I was like, yeah, young hoes cook everything on high heat. And that's how chronically online I am.

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah, no, it was really funny when I first. When I first met her, I was just like, oh, my God, this woman is a comedian. And then I started cooking with, like, 22 year old kids in the kitchen and I was like, oh, they're like watching the same show on the Internet.

[Natasha]

Yeah, it was so good because he would, like, wasn't on TikTok and he wasn't on, like, the Internet that I was on. So I would say a joke that, like, I did not make up. That was just from a TikTok. And he was like, you're so funny. And I was like, I know, it's great. Like, you don't call my friends.

[Eddie Wong]

She's the funniest girl ever.

[Natasha]

Like, this bitch is crazy. Yeah, no, I was just online.

[Eddie Wong]

I'm on my phone a lot, but mainly just like texting people. Like, there's a slushy machine outside. Bring it into the restaurant.

[Natasha]

No, you're, like, doing real work. Like, you're like emailing people. You're like, you have people that, like, you know, you provide like a salary for gravel online.

[Eddie Wong]

I'm doing yeoman's work online.

[Natasha]

I'm truly just scrolling tick tocks. I'm like, I need to buy these pants. We need to eat here. That's all. That's all that's happening. I like this question for you. I'm gonna ask you when you find yourself down bad. How do you get up?

[Audience Member]

Oh,

[Eddie Wong]

generally I just lay down on the floor and I tell you, I'm like. I feel like I've completely failed. I have to admit it to somebody. Like, confessional. I understand why the Catholic religion has this. Confessional is very nice. All right, then sauna and then, like, thinking. But it's in that order. Confess, sweat Schwitz, and then do something about it. I love that. What about you? I'm going to my mother's house.

[Natasha]

I mean, yeah, probably taking. Yeah, probably just like leaving, running away or spending money. Like shopping. I could shop anything away. Like, I had a bad day. Just need to buy some retail.

[Eddie Wong]

Retail therapy works. I don't judge you. I don't judge you. Retail therapy works.

[Natasha]

It works for me.

[Eddie Wong]

It's better than drugs.

[Natasha]

Yeah. Everyone has their vice, you know.

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah. You could buy leather goods. You could buy drugs.

[Natasha]

A good meal, though.

[Eddie Wong]

Question. This might be a light one for you. What's the one album you'd bring to a dessert island? I know mine, but what would be yours? Mine, for about 20 years of my life was Camp Low Uptown Saturday night. But I do have to say, as I've aged and I've gotten older, it is absolutely Sade Diamond Life. Just old, classic, has to be tired answer. But I just think that's the best you.

[Natasha]

Oh, I'm taking like no Ceilings by Lil Wayne. Like, I'm. I'm a trash person. Like, I don't have a sophisticated answer for this. But yeah, Sade is good.

[Eddie Wong]

I would be curious. We should ask Dinks, what is your desert island album? Dinks is over on the table War all day music. Oh, oh, strong, strong.

[Natasha]

There's also. There's a. There's a photo of Dinks in the DJ booth. He was like, the first to DJ here. So this is a.

[Eddie Wong]

He cracked first.

[Natasha]

Yes, yes. Give it up for Dinks.

[Eddie Wong]

All right. That was a good. Any other questions

[Natasha]

I could keep asking you, too.

[Eddie Wong]

Oh, there's one. There's a gentleman there in a fantastic suit. You know, the one thing I want to do while I'm in London is go to the Margaret Howell store. That is just like Holy Grail.

[Natasha]

Shout out, Margaret Howell.

[Audience Member]

So you mentioned Boston sand and Gravel, which I think is a town reference.

[Eddie Wong]

Yes, absolutely.

[Audience Member]

So there's a moment in the film the Town where Ben Affleck goes to Jeremy Renner and he says, we're going somewhere. We're doing something. Can't tell anything about it. We'll never talk about it again. Who is that? Person for you now.

[Eddie Wong]

Oh, that's definitely in my life right now is the chef de cuisine at the restaurant, Raymond Yang. Like, if he needs me to do something, I'm just there. But I, I've kind of always been that guy and sometimes I'm the guy that goes to my friend is like, we got to do something. Get in this Cutlass supreme right now. We're going to go do this. But I, I like a mission. I like a band of brothers mission. Like, I love the reference. That's. That's kind of. You know, there was an interview question asking me, like, what film reminds me of Natasha? And, and I cannot even lie, it is the town

[Natasha]

I grew up in. Boston. Boston sand and Gravel is a real. That's a real place and you could drive by it. And my father, mayor, like, worked in that industry. So there's a lot of. I like, grew up very. I grew up very the town.

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah, Boston. For some reason, it's like it doesn't take a rocket scientist to rob a bank there. Like, I knew a guy that did it twice before he got caught.

[Natasha]

A regular thing. Like one out of five people has tried.

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah. Dude would just rob banks and then end up my friend's house eating like frozen Elio's pizza. I'm like, no way. You, like, really did it?

[Natasha]

Yeah. The Elios pizza is so real too. That's how I know you. I know you're not making that up because that's a, that's a crazy niche reference.

[Eddie Wong]

That's a square frozen pizza.

[Natasha]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Eddie Wong]

Wonderful question. Any other questions? Oh, there's a man on the couch.

[Natasha]

Hello, Eddie.

[Eddie Wong]

How's it going?

[Audience Member / Moderator]

My question is, are you an itinerary person when you're traveling?

[Eddie Wong]

I am not an itinerary person, but because this time Natasha is here. She has not been to London in like nine years. And the last time I came, I was astounded by the food and the restaurants here. I planned our restaurants for dinner and nothing else. This trip.

[Natasha]

Yeah. We're also child free for the first time. This is like the first time we're regular people and not parents together. We're just Eddie and Natasha.

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

But to answer your question, he's not an itinerary person. The first time we traveled together, it was. I was. I'm always the unprepared person. And I was so shook and so humbled by our first airport experience. Mind you, this is a grown man. We were going to Mexico. We woke up that morning and he said, I think I forgot to pay My phone bill. My phone's not working, so I'm like, okay, cool. I'll call the Uber. No worries. We, like, call the Uber. We get to the airport and everything's fine. And then, you know, we're sitting at our gate. We're, like, about to board. He's like, I think I'm gonna go get us some food. The plane is fully boarded at this point. He has no phone. I can't contact him. He's, like, negotiating how to get a burrito from. He got a bagel and then he wanted a burrito. So he's negotiating with somebody to get a thing. I'm debating, do I just get on the plane and leave his ass and, like, I'll see him when I get back in la. Finally strolls up like nothing's happening. He's like, oh, did we board? And I'm like, they're holding the plane for you. Like, they're, like, waiting for you. They're, like, about to be like, eddie Wong, please come to Gate seven. Like, that's. He's not an itinerary person. He's, like, traveling with somebody who doesn't. Like, he doesn't know where he's going. He's like, oh, we're going to London today.

[Audience Member / Moderator]

I'm.

[Eddie Wong]

I'm idiot abroad. Like, seriously, I don't like Wong's World. Every season, missed at least two flights. Like, I got lost in Berlin. I got lost in Miami. Like, like, they need me on a leash. Like, you know, sometimes those kids in the airport are on a leash. The producer, like, kind of needs to have me on a leash.

[Natasha]

Yeah. He'll leave his passport in a car and just be like, oh, oh, oh, oh, shucks.

[Eddie Wong]

I left my laptop on the plane last week.

[Natasha]

Left a laptop with a new novel on it. He'll leave anything anywhere. Like you said, he will leave something here tonight.

[Eddie Wong]

The standard flew out. Natasha. Part of it was like, she'll make sure he gets to this podcast.

[Natasha]

Yeah. Handler vibes. Like, she'll get him there. He'll be there.

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

But it's okay. It's okay.

[Eddie Wong]

You appreciate. I feel it's fun.

[Natasha]

It's just we're both on the two Pisces. We're both type C. Like, there's no type A in our relationship. I think maybe, like, we might have a shot with our son being a type A person, but we're both type C. Yeah. So I picked this one because I was wondering if it's relevant to you both, but have you ever experienced love at first Sight. Ooh, you go first.

[Eddie Wong]

You go first.

[Natasha]

You go first.

[Eddie Wong]

I absolutely have experienced it. Absolutely. With Natasha. Like, I knew. I just. I just knew. We, on our first date, we, like, opened up and, like, we said a lot of things. And she. She did tell me on the first date, though. Like, I'm into this, but I'd like to delay pleasure. So even if she doesn't admit it was love at first sight, it was like, like, like at first sight.

[Natasha]

It was definitely, like, at first sight. For sure. I don't know. I'm not. I'm not a love at first sight person because I'm a little too, like, guarded and, like, negative and skeptical. Like, I'm just like. But I would say it was the closest thing to love at first sight. Like, once we started chatting, I was like, oh, I like you. I like you a lot.

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah, love it. Love it. Absolutely. For me, love at first sight. It was so good that I needed to, like, end the date. I was like, I'm gonna take you home. She's like, what are you gonna do? And I was like, I'm gonna go home and watch dipset locks versus he did.

[Natasha]

It was like, a very shocking thing. You know, you think you're having a great date. You're like, we're gonna continue on and have fun. And he was like, you gotta go home.

[Eddie Wong]

I was like, I need to watch these eight rappers battle each other right now on the couch.

[Natasha]

These ancient rappers. You have to leave ASAP.

[Audience Member / Moderator]

Yeah.

[Eddie Wong]

UNK Fest is happening at 7 o'. Clock.

[Natasha]

You did get a painting of it, though. So now we have a painting of our first date forever and ever at Bauhaus. Yes.

[Audience Member / Moderator]

Yeah, sorry, it's not from the cards, but I was gonna say you mentioned you've planned out all your restaurants already for every night. Something I do as well. But is there a place you keep coming back to whenever you're in London? Is there, like, a restaurant you come back to every time?

[Eddie Wong]

I love this question. The salt bagel place on the east end. Fire Mongol 1.

[Audience Member]

All right.

[Eddie Wong]

Mongol. I'm a Mongol 1 guy. Yeah. And then, you know, the guinea grill. Quite strong. St. John is. St. John is an unstoppable restaurant. Like, unstoppable. Tony Bourdain, I think many times said that marrow and toast is his favorite dish. Incredible. That's not even my favorite dish there. I just think the whole. The whole vibe about St. John, it is the mind of a cook. You know, not even a chef, but the mind of a cook. It's butcher Paper. It's stark, it's beautiful, it's pure. It's the distillation of like what cooks love about restaurants and food. I think that that restaurant is just. I love it. Lahore, late at night, Lahore Tayabs. That's the kind of guy I am. I'm a very, I'm just like cook. I, I like what like cooks eat. You know the ones we're going to this time? We're going to, we're going to go to Decimo tonight here at the Standard. Very good. We're going to Stone island is doing like a Carbone dinner. We're going to that. We're going to do St. John. Bread and wine. We're going to do Dover. We're going to do Straker. Checking. I've never been to Straker. I've never been to Dover, so I'm giving those a shot. Sweetings is that fish spot. Yeah, Sweetings is fire. I'm into the old restaurants in London. It's something that you guys just do better than New York. We're just not as old. And I like the really, really old British restaurants. I'm quite into it. And anything we're missing that you like?

[Audience Member / Moderator]

Honestly, you mentioned three things. St. John, which are my two favorite restaurants in London. So like Sweetings, I used to go there for lunch all the time.

[Eddie Wong]

Like what are your two favorite sweetings and what else?

[Audience Member / Moderator]

Sweetings and St. John.

[Eddie Wong]

Oh perfect.

[Audience Member / Moderator]

Wonderful. It's like the best restaurant in the world, I think.

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah.

[Audience Member / Moderator]

I'm trying to think if, if anything comes to me, I'll catch you afterwards.

[Eddie Wong]

And like, yeah.

[Audience Member / Moderator]

French House is unbelievable. Great shout. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Eddie Wong]

I like it. Cuz when I first started coming to London in like early 2000s and then like 2012 was a big trip, people were like still a little embarrassed about British cuisine and British restaurants and to watch what's happened over the last 15 years, I'm just like, you guys have a lot to be proud of.

[Audience Member]

That was a fantastic list.

[Audience Member / Moderator]

But do you have any guilty pleasures

[Audience Member]

when you're in London?

[Eddie Wong]

Guilty pleasures?

[Natasha]

Probably. Margaret Howell.

[Eddie Wong]

Margaret. I mean, to be honest, I mean you guys have casinos in the city though, so I mean like I'll go shoot dice anywhere. Like if I. Isn't there a casino here? Yeah. I ended up at a casino one night and I, I quite enjoyed that. I like, I will bet on anything. So I think, I think my guilty pleasure is just like a cute little parlay. Like a few hundred bucks on the craps table, you know, if she lets me off the chain. Like, I will go gamble. We like a cabaret. We can't lie. We do like a cabaret.

[Natasha]

Oh, yeah. Is there a good cabaret?

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah. What's a good cabaret? In London, it's called Cabaret. All right. We will be. We will be a cabaret. We will bring dinks with us. Any other questions?

[Audience Member]

Hi.

[Natasha]

So my card is. What's something you wish people understood about you without having to explain it? Oh, about me?

[Eddie Wong]

Yeah, you.

[Natasha]

Maybe that I'm just, like, just suffering all the time. Like, I just. I feel more awkward than anybody else. Like, I'm just. I'm weird and awkward. So, like, when somebody else feels it, I'm like, know that I feel it more. Know that I am suffering inside more than you. What's yours?

[Eddie Wong]

I think that people take my directness and firmness the wrong way sometimes, but when I'm being direct and firm, I'm literally just trying to get our relationship back on track. Like, and I don't mean with Natasha, but, like, people I work with. Mainly other men. Other men take firmness as, like, in. In a front. And I'm like, no, I'm just trying to communicate and ex enunciate these words carefully and firmly so that we can be on the same path again. You know? Like, I'm a big repair the relationship guy, and sometimes I think people take it as, like, I'm upset. And I'm like, I'm not upset. I'm scared that we're gonna get in a fight right now in the street. So I guess maybe there's a little upset. But it's for. I'm trying to. Like, when I'm trying to fix something and people don't understand, I'm actually trying to fix it, not break it. That.

[Natasha]

Yeah. I think that there's sweetness and kindness underneath it that maybe people don't always understand.

[Audience Member / Moderator]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

But it's, like, coming from a very sensitive part of you.

[Audience Member / Moderator]

Yeah.

[Eddie Wong]

And an intention to make it right. Wonderful. Any other questions? Felt like a strong podcast. Wonderful. Wonderful start to the evening.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Eddie Wong]

We'll be continuing at decimal. Thank you to the Standard. Thank you to everyone that came through. Thank you very much. Love you guys.