Canal Street Dreams – Episode Summary

"NY vs. LA Whites, R Kelly & The Cheesecake Factory with ThemJeans"

Podcast: Canal Street Dreams
Hosts: Eddie Huang, Natashia Perrotti
Guest: Chris Duffy (Them Jeans)
Release Date: November 7, 2025

Episode Overview

This high-energy episode features Eddie and Natashia in a sprawling, unfiltered conversation with iconic podcaster Chris Duffy (Them Jeans). Together, they swap stories about New York vs. LA culture, spin wild tangents about food, nightlife, parenting, and creative process, and reflect on the ingredients that define true American dining. The trio also dives into deeper territory, exploring whether greatness demands a dark side, and the enduring problematic power of R. Kelly's music. Throughout, the conversation pivots from the deeply personal to the irreverently funny, with food and pop culture always on the table.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Podcasting and Creative Process

• Legend in the House: Eddie introduces Chris ("Them Jeans") as a “pod-father” who influenced the early days of podcasting.
  Notable Quote (00:27):
  “This is a KRS one of the temple of podcasting.” — Eddie Huang

• Keeping it Simmering: Discusses intentional low-key approach to podcast growth and promotion, taking pride in slow builds and community over hype.
  Notable Quote (04:01):
  “We just enjoy the pod simmering. This is a stew.” — Eddie Huang

• On the Nature of 'How Long Gone': Chris reveals the pod's 'coastal elite' vibe was originally a pun, not a goal. Notable Quote (51:30):
  “When the pun is too ill, nobody gets it, so it defeats the purpose of the pun.” — Chris Duffy

2. Food as Identity and Culture

• From Food Snobbery to Slutty Dining: Eddie reflects on his evolution from gatekeepy foodie to embracing the joy and accessibility of “slutty” and “horny” food, championed by Natashia.
  Notable Quote (05:18):
  “If I was copy editing you, I might say, maybe let's strike two of those out [horny, slutty]... There's a lot of them.” — Chris Duffy
  Notable Quote (05:19):
  “And I said, more horny more. Put slutty more.” — Natashia

• Cheesecake Factory & Solo Dining Rituals:
  Natashia details her iconic Cheesecake Factory solo order and the subtle performance in dining alone (“low cut shirt, tits up and out”).

  • Order: Buffalo Blasts (like a buffalo chicken crab rangoon), Caesar salad, maybe the Louisiana spicy pasta (13:06–14:20)

• Hurricane Menu & Food Under Duress:
  Discussion of “death row meals” in hurricane situations highlights food as a comfort in crisis. Eddie insists spinach dip is a must-pack, even during evacuation (09:52).

  Notable Quote (10:15):
  “He made us all wait about an hour so we can make a fucking spinach dip.” — Natasha

• "Floridian White Trash meets Houston's" Cuisine:
  Eddie proposes embracing his Orlando roots and the “wigger Floridian” food identity.
  Notable Quote (08:14):
  “My true identity is, like, wigger Floridian cuisine, you know, like, we can't lie about that.” — Eddie Huang

• American Comfort Food, Houston’s, and ‘Sluttiness’:
  Critique of how food at classic chains is “elevated” and sanitized, losing its roots. Call to “get sluttier”—more welcoming, less curated. Timestamp (28:57–29:40):
  “I think people just need to be sluttier with it. Like, get stupider, get sluggier, get back to the essence, where this food came from.” — Eddie Huang

• Drink Pairings and Indigenous Food:
  Toasting the joys of pairing fruit punch Gatorade with comfort sandwiches and exploring hybrid drinks like fruit punch sangria and Pedialyte Bloody Marys (47:45–49:50).

3. New York vs. LA (and Their Whites)

• Cultural & Culinary Contrasts:
  Eddie and Chris poke fun at the differences between New York and LA “whites”—particularly LA’s insistent awe over “Chinese Chicken Salad.” Notable Quote (16:00):
  “Mouth breathing folks in LA would constantly grab my shoulder at parties or dinners nutting over a simple Chinese chicken salad. And it ruined it for me.” — Eddie Huang

• LA White Folk Stereotypes:
  Eddie and Chris riff on the idea that LA whites “weren’t cooked long enough somewhere” (17:05), mocking performative cultural surprise.

4. Restaurant / Hospitality Philosophy

• Kitchen vs. Front-of-House:
  Eddie prefers laboring in the kitchen over schmoozing, while Natasha takes on the natural “room worker” role—echoing a DJ/chef parallel. 35:01
  “It’s the champagne room. Like, you wouldn’t go, yo, jeans, what up?… Like, there’s things going on in here.” — Eddie Huang

• Room and Memory Over Food Quality:
  For weddings and standout celebrations, the “room” or ambiance often trumps the food. Michael’s in Santa Monica, The Grill, and Mr. Chow are discussed as ideal venues—even if the food is only fine. (40:20–42:33)

5. Music, Greatness, and the “Dark Side”

• The Problematic Genius of R. Kelly, Michael Jackson, etc.:
  Wide-ranging discussion on whether evil or suffering is required for creative genius.

  • R. Kelly’s music is still undeniable, despite his crimes (62:54–66:38).
  • Question: “Does it take a person so evil to create something so great?”

  Notable Quotes:
  “[R. Kelly’s] voice just feels like it could be a representative of God.” — Eddie Huang (66:30)
  “Once you go to that far and you push it…the. Your life and your brain, it’s done.” — Chris Duffy (64:07)

• Who Stays Good?:
  Pondering whether fame inevitably corrupts. Daniel Day Lewis is proposed as a possible pure “genius” (67:34).

6. Parenting, Growing Up, and Hangover Cures

• Parenting in the Food World:
  Natashia and Eddie juggle parenthood and the restaurant grind, with practical hacks (Pedialyte popsicles for hangovers, 49:07–49:52).

• Food as Survival and Ritual:
  Packing comfort food (like spinach dip) for emergencies is recounted as both humor and necessity.

7. Hot Takes, Rapid-Fire, & Memorable Moments

• On Guy Fieri as a guest:
  • “He’d be incredible...I did it in the dock and I had to do it for multiple hours. Like I had to be Guy Fieri for five hours…Residual effects lasted two years.” — Eddie Huang (38:05–38:23)
• What’s Them Jeans listening to?
  • “Mostly just listen to ambient mixes on NTs…In the afternoon, I’ll smoke a little, listen to some dub, dub, techno, reggae…” — Chris Duffy (60:31)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |------------|-------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:27 | Eddie | “This is a KRS one of the temple of podcasting.” | | 05:19 | Natashia | “And I said, more horny more. Put slutty more.” | | 08:14 | Eddie | “My true identity is, like, wigger Floridian cuisine…” | | 10:15 | Natashia | “He made us all wait about an hour so we can make a fucking spinach dip.” | | 14:29 | Eddie | “I always get the Bang Bang chicken… I love Bang Bang chicken and shrimp.” | | 16:00 | Eddie | “Mouth breathing folks in LA would constantly grab my shoulder…nutting over a simple Chinese chicken salad.” | | 17:05 | Eddie | “White people in L.A. just different…like they weren’t cooked long enough somewhere.” | | 28:57-29:40| Eddie | “I think people just need to be sluttier with it…get back to the essence, where this food came from.” | | 35:01 | Eddie | “It’s the champagne room. Like, you wouldn’t go, yo, jeans, what up?...there’s things going on in here.” | | 51:30 | Chris Duffy | “When the pun is too ill, nobody gets it, so it defeats the purpose of the pun.” | | 62:54 | Chris Duffy | “I listen to R. Kelly song now and I’m like, the shit is good. I mean, obviously he’s done bad stuff, but I think there’s going to be a reserve. I’m predicting it. The rise of Kels.” | | 66:30 | Eddie | “[R. Kelly’s] voice just feels like it could be a representative of God…” |

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00-05:00: Welcome Chris (Them Jeans), podcasting lineage, food and nightlife in the pod.
• 05:00-14:30: Gatekeeping food culture, “horny/slutty” food writing, Cheesecake Factory rituals.
• 14:30-20:00: New York vs. LA Whites, Chinese Chicken Salad discourse, food identity.
• 20:00-30:30: Brown rice vs. white rice, Houston’s/Margaritaville/American comfort food, ambiance over cuisine.
• 30:30-34:40: DJing, playlist creation, vibe setting in restaurants and weddings.
• 34:40-45:00: Restaurant work-life, kitchen vs. front of house, room magic vs. culinary excellence.
• 45:00-50:00: Go-to LA and NY eats, neighborhood gems, hangover food and drinks.
• 50:00-59:00: "How Long Gone" podcast ethos, musical influences, food inspiration.
• 59:00–68:00: LA vs. NY, proliferation of chains, moral complexity of creative excellence (R.Kelly, Michael Jackson, etc.)
• 68:00–End: Can true greatness exist without darkness? Parenting, closing thoughts.

Final Thoughts

This episode is an eclectic, kinetic ride—mixing food philosophy, irreverent storytelling, and honest exploration of ambition, community, and the cost of genius. The chemistry between Eddie, Natashia, and Chris Duffy is palpable, yielding a rollicking yet thoughtful hang that leaps from “slutty spinach dip” to the legacy of problematic artists—always with flavor, wit, and zero filter.

For food, pop culture, or deep-in-the-weeds podcast fans, this is a feast.