QAA Podcast: "Jake's Takes Thanksgiving Reflux" (Premium E313) Sample

Date: November 22, 2025
Hosts: Jake Rockatansky, Travis View, Liv Agar
Theme: Thanksgiving Traditions, Gaming Nostalgia, and Cultural Commentary

Episode Overview

This premium sample of the QAA Podcast finds hosts Jake, Travis, and Liv riffing on the quirks of Thanksgiving—from their personal and cultural traditions, to favorite foods, and the uneasy history behind the holiday. Along the way, they detour through gaming nostalgia, debate generational slang, and share family stories to comic effect.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Acid Reflux, Call of Duty, and "Bad Games"

• The episode opens with light banter about Liv’s acid reflux and Travis’s Santa-esque hair, setting a playful, self-deprecating tone.
• Jake shares his enjoyment of the much-maligned recent Call of Duty game:

  "A game that everyone seems to hate, except for me, perhaps. Like movies. I also enjoy bad games." (00:48)

• The hosts discuss near-future FPS games:
  • Jake compares the new Call of Duty to Titanfall, Max Payne, and Quake, describing its fast-paced, chaotic movement.
  • Travis lights up when he recognizes Titanfall 2, leading to a short nostalgia spiral.

2. Generational Labels in Gaming

• Liv jokes about "Unk shooters" and invents "Gramp shooters" to describe slow-paced, legacy games like Arma:

  "It's an Unk shooter for sure. I'd even go one step further. What's one above Unk?" (02:19)
  "A Gramp. A Gramp shooter." (02:24)

• They riff on the lack of language for the generation between "Unc" (Uncle) and "Gramp":

  "I'm just older than I think I am." (02:42)

3. Thanksgiving Traditions, Do’s and Don’ts

• Jake proposes to "get various takes and gives on some of the greatest American Canadian Thanksgiving traditions. Do's and do nots at the supper table or lunch table if you're a G and eat early." (02:57)
• The conversation quickly turns into a debate about regional dialects ("supper" vs. "dinner"):

  "Do you guys say supper? Like, seriously?" (03:23)
  "I say supper." (03:25)

• They reflect on how ironic use of slang or regional words becomes habitual.

4. The Contested Legacy of Thanksgiving

• Jake unpacks the uncomfortable history of the holiday:

  "Thanksgiving is a tough holiday. It's essentially celebrating the prequel to a genocide." (04:18)

• He shares a formative family memory:

  “When I came home from kindergarten with a handprint turkey and tales of the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, my mom informed me that Christopher Columbus was, quote, a rapist and murderer.” (04:32)

  • Liv’s reply: "She’s so based." (04:37)

5. Cross-Cultural Thanksgiving Stories

• Canadian and Serbian influences come in:
  • Liv, whose Thanksgiving was in October, discusses her family's mix of Canadian and Serbian traditions, including unique dishes like "chevapcici" (spicy grilled meat, similar to kebabs).

    "We just, like…I think last Thanksgiving, did we eat steak? We just don't care." (05:33)

  • Travis jokes:

    "I assume the Serbs have a holiday when they reflect on all the things they're ungrateful for, all the pain and suffering they've experienced." (05:58)

  • Liv recounts:

    "My grandma once told me that a day isn't perfect unless you have something to complain about." (06:06)

6. Family Dynamics: Interfaith Gatherings and Toy Nostalgia

• Jake reminisces about multi-faith family get-togethers ("Chrismica"), and the universal joy of children’s gift exchanges.
• He describes an obsession with the vintage game Snafu at his cousins’ house:

  "It was the part of my brain that would eventually become like a...mm...like I like Destiny or I like the way that the Call of Duty is like...that little casino part of your brain. This was satisfying it." (07:24)

7. Modern Lament for Analog Toys, Satirizing Political Speech

• The group jokes about how tactile, analog toys are disappearing:

  "I don't have tactile toys anymore because of Joe Biden's America. You know, it's all—everything is computer." (07:59)

• Travis briefly impersonates "Jewish Bill Clinton" and riffs on nostalgia for childhood toy mazes versus modern gaming:

  "A lot of kids nowadays are on Nintendo Switch playing with other family. I can't be coming from Mario Kart." (08:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Thanksgiving's dark side:

  "Thanksgiving is a tough holiday. It's essentially celebrating the prequel to a genocide." — Jake (04:18)

• On generational gaming terms:

  "I'd even go one step further. What's one above unk?" — Jake
  "A Gramp. A Gramp shooter." — Liv (02:24)

• On family wisdom:

  "My grandma once told me that a day isn't perfect unless you have something to complain about." — Liv (06:06)

• On inherited skepticism:

  "My mom informed me that Christopher Columbus was, quote, a rapist and murderer." — Jake (04:32)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:48] — Jake enjoys the "bad" Call of Duty; banter about game settings
• [02:18] — Invention of "Unk shooter" and "Gramp shooter" slang
• [03:23] — Debate: "Supper" vs. "Dinner"
• [04:18] — The grim origins of Thanksgiving and Jake's family backstory
• [05:32] — Serbian-inflected Canadian Thanksgiving traditions
• [06:06] — Liv’s grandma and the joys of complaining
• [07:03] — Childhood memories with the game Snafu, analog vs. digital nostalgia
• [08:05] — Parody of modern childhood, "Jewish Bill Clinton" impression

Tone and Style

The conversation is irreverent, self-aware, and tinged with dark humor. The hosts blend personal anecdotes with wry observations, poking fun at themselves and the culture around them. There's a seamless mix of sarcasm, warmth, and critical commentary on history and modernity.

This episode sample provides listeners with both hearty laughs and food for thought—perfect for anyone interested in the intersection of pop culture, tradition, and political consciousness.