Son of a Boy Dad #346 – “Rhode Island Iced Tea”
Release Date: October 23, 2025
Hosts: Lil Sasquatch (Sas), Rone, Francis, and Jerry
Main Theme:
Navigating young adulthood, dropping out of college, learning about "manhood" and worldviews, plus humorous takes on fall traditions, weddings, horror movies, and America’s quirks—all while gently roasting each other and discussing regional differences and adult dilemmas.
Episode Overview
This episode follows the usual freewheeling, highly irreverent Son of a Boy Dad tone as the crew riffs on everything from street food skepticism to haunted hayrides, haunted houses, awkward wedding crashers, travel logistics, geopolitics, and the definition of socialism. Lil Sasquatch’s recent drop-out from college is referenced as the hosts and friends attempt to “fill in the gaps on the education he missed,” mostly via laughs, oddball stories, and a healthy dose of unseriousness about “learning to be a man.”
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Street Food & Tamale Wars
[02:20-04:39]
- A running gag on Sas’s reluctance to eat a street tamale, with the crew playfully accusing him of being “xenophobic” and “street phobic.”
- Harry: “Why would there be any bacteria? That’s street phobic.”
- Francis: “You got it on the street.”
- Harry: “You’re deeply racist if you don’t eat the street meat.”
- Arguments over fast food vs. street food quality; Domino’s at 3am vs. subway churros (“the most disgusting thing” – Harry).
- Deep dive into the mystique of New York subway churros and fair foods: fried dough, funnel cake, regional differences.
2. Fall Activities: Hayrides and Haunted Houses
[07:22-10:09]
- Reminiscences about haunted hayrides in Maine and Pennsylvania—rural rituals, the bravado of sitting on the edge, kids driving tractors, spooks with chainsaws.
- Francis, on interactive haunted houses: “You go into a room and there’s a woman being suffocated with a plastic bag…and she’s like, screaming...What are we doing here, people?” [10:08]
3. Morbid Curiosity and Impulse Control
[11:20-13:09]
- The panel admits to childish mischief—setting off fire alarms, toying with danger, or testing “rules” like putting bags over their own heads.
- Francis: “I remember one time I put a plastic bag over my own head to see what would happen...and nothing happened.” [11:20]
- Jerry: “Every door that said do not enter, I went through.”
4. Wedding Crashing Saga & The “Rhode Island Iced Tea”
[25:29-39:14] (Peak story segment!)
- Jerry narrates his and Dustin’s accidental crashing of a rough-and-tumble upstate NY wedding:
- Sneaking through woods, “hone in like dolphins” on party noises.
- Greeted by an unusual bar: “Men’s drink” (rum and Coke), “women’s drink” (vodka cranberry), and the “Barney”—a wild mix of all four.
- Harry: “That’s like a Rhode Island Iced Tea. That’s a ridiculous drink!” [28:31]
- Hilariously awkward interactions:
- Warden of a max security prison tells them about famous inmates.
- Dustin (of Asian descent) trolls with bizarre fake backstories: “I’m from North Korea.” Leads guests to attempt speaking broken English for comic effect.
- Dustin’s antics and escalating awkward moments almost get them in trouble—a “shoulder check” from a wedding guest signals time to leave.
- Francis: “That guy shouldered Dustin for us being wedding crashers who were probably taking the piss. And he knew it.” [36:08]
5. Horror Movies: Fun or Punishment?
[20:23-21:11]
- Debate over the appeal of horror movies, especially at home vs. in theaters.
- Jerry: “Your recommendations for horror movies are pretty good, I’m gonna give you that.”
- Francis: "Why would I want to be scared in my sanctuary?" [20:50]
6. Travel, Geography & Regional Bickering
[45:08-67:38]
- Spirited debate on which U.S. state is best (Maine vs. New Hampshire vs. Vermont).
- Frustration at rental car services and the woes of traveling to rural Maine to fish (“I got banned from Zipcar for no reason!”)
- Jerry: “If only you had a friend who would be willing to lend you a car…” [48:31]
- Thought experiment: Is America the best place for international travel?
- Jerry: “I think the answer is definitively no.”
- Harry: “The best place you’re flying from is Israel...You could go to Asia, you could go to Europe."
- Francis: "It makes you wonder if America is the best place to live for travel."
- Off-topic riffs include the Iron Dome, in-air airplane refueling, and Europe’s advantage as a travel hub.
7. American Companies, Ethics, and “Manhood”
[16:09-18:34]
- Joking admiration for the names and “branding” of defense contractors.
- Jerry: “What do you like about [Lockheed Martin]?”
- Jerry: “I like the name. And I like what they do.” [16:25]
- Light musing on the morality of working for bomb manufacturers, with arguments about national defense vs. the ethics of creating weapons.
8. Socialism vs. Democratic Socialism (A Rarely Serious Moment)
[54:38-58:06]
- Jerry attempts an on-the-fly summary (with digital help) of the difference:
- “Democratic socialism believes still in having multi party democracy, free elections…whereas socialism is like Marxism—authoritarian, centralized, etc.”
- Francis: “I just don't trust it…I'll Google things not intending to ask AI and then they'll give me an answer and I’m like, well immediately that’s not right.” [58:06]
9. Indian Identity & Subtle Barstool Baiting
[59:51-61:14]
- A bit on Indian identity and confusion around Asian geography.
- Francis: “India is a bit of a curveball for the Asian look—they kind of did their own thing.”
- Jerry: “That's like me saying I'm a North American, you know?”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- "You’re deeply racist if you don’t eat the street meat." – Harry [03:45]
- "A churro’s gotta be a pretty cheap product to make." – Francis [05:18]
- "When I was a kid, every door that said do not enter, I went through." – Jerry [11:44]
- "That’s like a Rhode Island Iced Tea. That’s a ridiculous, ridiculous, ridiculous drink." – Harry, on the wedding’s invented cocktail [28:31]
- "Vodka shots are what you take when you’re trying to get a tapeworm dead in your stomach." – Jerry [29:17]
- "If a guy had gotten sticky, what was your exit plan?" – Harry, asking Jerry about the wedding escape [37:52]
- "Is America the best place to live for travel? … I think the answer is definitively no." – Jerry [63:06]
- "I just bought a ton of pockets online—they’re great. You just sew them in." – Francis, on questionable merch [23:29]
- "I have, like, three minutes [of comedy] that might work with this incredibly hostile crowd in the woods." – Jerry [36:39]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Tamale Taste Test/Xenophobia Gags: 02:21–04:39
- Haunted Hayrides & Childhood Fear: 07:22–10:09
- Morbid Curiosity, Fire Alarms, and Impulse Control: 11:20–13:09
- Wedding Crashers Story & Rhode Island Iced Tea: 25:29–39:14
- Horror Movie Talk: 20:23–21:11
- Travel & Regional Bickering: 45:08– 67:38
- Defining Socialism vs. Democratic Socialism: 54:38–58:06
- Indian Identity Riffs: 59:51–61:14
Tone & Language
- Fast, loose, informal; equal parts fraternal mockery and genuine friendship.
- Language is occasionally profane, always irreverent, frequently self-deprecating.
- Tangents abound; few points are “serious” before being undercut by a joke.
For New Listeners
This episode is a classic mix of high-energy, low-stakes banter—a combination of genuine dilemmas (travel, finding purpose post-college), group storytelling, and biting observational humor. The title “Rhode Island Iced Tea” encapsulates the episode’s tone: the hosts take seemingly random ingredients (stories, news, personal failings) and mix them into something weirdly potent, surprisingly honest, and always funny.
If you like high-velocity group chatter with offbeat stories and running inside jokes, Son of a Boy Dad delivers. This episode is as much about the rocky, hilarious path from adolescence to “manhood” as it is about the specifics of New England hayrides or upstate wedding etiquette.