Have a Very Unhinged Christmas!

Summary

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Unhinged & Immoral – "Have a Very Unhinged Christmas!"

Hosts: Jamila Bell & Mecca Evans
Date: January 2, 2026
Duration: ~83 minutes

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Episode Overview

In this lively holiday special, Mecca and Jamila dive headfirst into the messy, memorable, and often hilarious realities of Christmas (and holiday) celebrations as Black zillenials. From food traditions and family dynamics to changing rituals, personal growth, and even the challenges of adult friendship and sex, the hosts deliver unfiltered takes that blend nostalgia, critique, and laugh-out-loud moments. With their signature wit, they celebrate the endurance of family, the joys and traumas of holiday food, and the evolving meaning of tradition in a modern, often chaotic world.

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Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Christmas Traditions & Evolving Family Rituals

• Jamila reminisces about "Christmas tree calling": A large family tradition where gifts are distributed by age group (kids get toys, preteens get Avon from Aunt Florence, teenagers get the coveted white envelope of cash).
  • "You used to always think ... the older kids, the teenagers, like, ugh, you're so cool. They don't even want toys. You just want an envelope." (04:05)
• Change in traditions as families grow and change: Both hosts reflect on transitioning from big family gatherings to smaller, more casual affairs, and the challenge of creating new, meaningful traditions as adults.
  • "It's up to us to create traditions for our kids and ... the kids who are coming after us. So it's like, you don't have to do a Christmas tree calling. Maybe you can do something similar..." (05:02–05:22)

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2. Holiday Food: Love, Nostalgia & Pet Peeves

• Critical takes on “non-traditional” holiday menus:
  • Jamila rails against families that “cook anything that ain’t got nothing to do with them damn holidays.”
    • "I can't stand when people do that ... If I go to your house for Thanksgiving and you ain't got no turkey, no dressing, no Mac and cheese, don't invite me." (05:39)
  • Mecca: “We was acting like Jehovah Witness, we was going to the movies, eating Chinese food” after her parents’ divorce (05:47)
• Defending the ‘necessary’ dishes:
  • Both stress the importance of traditional sides and staples but discuss regional quirks, like chitlins—admitting to nostalgia for the smell even as adults (06:24–07:32).
    • Mecca: “It smells like ass in here. The chitlins are on the sink being cleaned. We're black Americans. ... it just makes me think of ... childhood and ass. Doodoo chitlins. ... with the Jackson 5 playing in the background.” (07:06–07:19)
• Navigating food restrictions:
  • Mecca’s relief that family dietary restrictions have lessened:
    • "Thank God we no longer have to ... Overly accommodate. We can just go ahead and put … some meat in them greens." (13:14–13:27)

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3. The “Gumbo Wars”: How to Do Holiday Gumbo RIGHT

• Real Gulf Coast standards
  • Jamila is a self-professed “gumbo connoisseur and critic” and has strong opinions about what belongs in a gumbo (blue crab, okra), what doesn’t (tomatoes, corn, potatoes, hard-boiled eggs), and the patience required to cook it right.
    • "If you want a real gulf coast gumbo, it needs to be blue crabs. I don't know what all this hoopla is about snow crab legs and gumbo. No, it needs to be a blue crab ... I can taste it now. I'm gonna make a gumbo next week. I have to. I have to." (21:23–22:29)
  • Mecca shares the horror of bad gumbo experiences from outside Louisiana, especially a thick, soup-like gumbo in Philly.
  • Both critique internet “gumbo hacks” and TikTok trends that defile authentic recipes.
    • Jamila: “Let me tell you something. First of all, I've seen several videos of people talking about they're making a gumbo and then it's done in an hour.” (25:08)
    • Mecca: "No, excuse me. Gumbo takes all day to make." (25:15)

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4. Holiday Timing & Black Family Dynamics

• When do you eat Christmas/Thanksgiving dinner?
  • Mecca’s family: late at night, after gumbo has stewed all day (25:49)
  • Jamila: early afternoon, after church or early dinner; emphasis on “prep the day before,” scratch-made rolls and cakes, and standing around waiting for folks to arrive late anyway.
  • "On a regular. Regular dinner. 7, 8. When it comes to church dinner ... that's early. Early afternoon. Because after you eat, you're done. You're done." (26:13)

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5. Deep Dives: Cooking Authenticity & Kitchen Wisdom

• The dangers of “overly relying on stock” and shortcuts:
  • Both rail against cooking shortcuts, overuse of broth, and not knowing your spices.
    • Jamila: “Some of you babies are relying too heavily on the broth and stock when it comes to cooking ... What the do you think the damn stock is? It's just marinated, flavored water, baby.” (34:02–34:38)
  • Mecca shares a pressure cooker success, but both mostly stick to “do it like grandma did it.”
• Roux overuse:
  • Both hosts skewer TikTok cooks who put roux “in everything”—the concept of “spagumbo” (spaghetti with a gumbo-style roux) sends them into hysterics.
    • Jamila: “I'll beat a bitch ass if I bit down into some spaghetti and found some roux.” (36:46)
    • Mecca: “Rugetti is outrageous. I've never even heard of that.” (37:43)

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6. Fusion Food Fails and Food Poisoning Stories

• Nightmare fusions:
  • Mecca laments “unity” fusion food from a Black and Hispanic event: collard green quesadilla.
    • "It was collard green with like turkey ... in a cheese quesadilla ... I said, that's a collard green. ... No, I don't like that." (39:16–39:27)
  • Jamila retells a disaster from buffalo chicken egg rolls ending in epic food poisoning.
    • "Just when I tell you every hole in my body was leaking. It was violent." (43:44)
• The perils of adult digestion:
  • Both swap stories of cross-contamination and how holiday (or date-night) meals can lead to unexpected, embarrassing results.

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7. Late 20s/Late-Night Real Talk: Sex, Sleepovers, and Libido

• Candid sex and relationship talk:
  • Discussing sleeping over at significant others’ homes, the inability to sleep deeply in a new space, and preferences for morning vs. nighttime sex.
    • Jamila: “My body knows that it’s just not a necessarily comfortable space ... it's like my eyes will be closed, but I'm conscious all night." (48:57)
  • The major libido uptick in late 20s and how working women balance horniness and exhaustion.
    • Mecca: “You like hit your late 20s, early 30s, you're gonna become 10 times hornier than you ever were in your early 20s.” (55:19)
• Experimentation & Dominance:
  • Playful banter about being “the dominatrix” in bed, using toys on partners, and giving each other advice about sexual communication and growth.
    • Mecca: “So the nigga laid on his back and I put it on his balls. I said, have you ever had a vibrator put on your balls?” (61:13)
    • Jamila: “I've slapped the boy. ... I actually really like slapping boys.” (61:42–61:51)

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8. Listener Segment: “Spin It” Follow-up

• Listener follow-up from Sanaya:
  • Update on leaving an unfulfilling job, moving to St. Louis, and seeking advice about navigating post-HBCU life, corporate environments, and making new adult friends.
    • Jamila and Mecca emphasize:
      • Stay authentic in “code-switched” professional spaces; professionalism isn’t “whitewashing.”
      • Go back to your roots for homecoming—network and recenter.
      • Make friends by putting yourself out there; join professional and community organizations (like NABJ).
    • Jamila: “You can be as black as hell, as lack as you want in those corporate spaces and still be professional.” (68:02–68:14)
    • Mecca: “You have to decide the type of friends you want to make. … I'm a proponent of having different types of friends.” (70:07)
    • Discuss value of “seasonal friendships” and letting go gracefully (72:55).

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9. Year-End Reflections & Notes on the Podcast’s Organic Growth

• Both hosts reflect on podcast milestones (no paid ads or agency help, all guests and collabs are organic), the pride in authenticity, and plans for a live show—with a heartfelt thanks to their growing audience.
  • Jamila: “To this date, have not paid for advertisement. … Every bit of number that you see from us was completely raw and organic off the strength of this.” (78:49)
  • Mecca: “This was built organically. … Next year we got to get with the big dogs.” (79:21)

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Memorable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• Mecca: “It smells like ass in here. The chitlins are on the sink being cleaned. … It just makes me think of like, childhood and ass.” (07:06)
• Jamila: “I'll beat a bitch ass if I bit down into some spaghetti and found some roux.” (36:46)
• Mecca: “You like hit your late 20s, early 30s, you're gonna become 10 times hornier than you ever were in your early 20s.” (55:19)
• Jamila: “You have to be so willing to see some shit through, especially within the creative space. … the creative space is not for the weak.” (78:49)
• Mecca on sex toys: “So the nigga laid on his back and I put it on his balls. I said, have you ever had a vibrator put on your balls?” (61:13)

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Notable Sections (Timestamps)

• Jamila’s family “Christmas tree calling” tradition: (01:41–04:28)
• Nostalgic food and chitlin talk: (06:00–07:32)
• Gumbo debates (authenticity, ingredients, TikTok hacks): (17:04–25:33)
• Riffs on fusion food fails: (38:01–39:50)
• Buffalo chicken egg roll food poisoning story: (41:24–44:16)
• Sex, libido, and late-20s realities: (51:09–58:54)
• Listener “Spin It” follow-up & advice on adult friendships: (62:39–72:55)
• Year-in-review and podcast reflections: (76:26–81:18)

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Takeaways & Tone

• Tone: Unfiltered, funny, deeply personal, irreverent, occasionally explicit, brimming with cultural (esp. Southern Black) insights, and fiercely supportive of their audience.
• Themes: The endurance of family and food, the challenge of preserving (and/or redefining) traditions, honest talk about personal growth in love and sex, the significance of authenticity—whether in the kitchen, the bedroom, or the boardroom.
• Advice: Create new traditions if old ones don’t fit; honor your ancestry but be ready to adapt. Don’t let “code-switching” erase your true self. Be intentional in new relationships and career moves; let go of what no longer serves you. And above all, don’t ever trust quick gumbo or spaghetti with a roux.

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Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Diwali, and a fabulous New Year from the Unhinged & Immoral crew!

Transcript

[Jamila]

She flowing in that cash call Walk in the booth like Naomi on the catwalk and tell them bitches whoop, whoop from the jaguar it ain't even right though Push me and I might go she ain't getting money I'm like, what the fuck a hype for? When them bitches bite flow make my appetite go poof gone. Voila. Magic looking mad good just to pull up on them ramping. Hey, y'.

[Mecca]

All.

[Jamila]

Welcome back to another episode of Unhinged in Immoral. I'm your host, Jameela.

[Mecca]

And I'm your host, Mecca.

[Jamila]

We are back and today is Christmas. Now, full disclaimer. We are recording this one. It's not Christmas. So who the knows where we will be on Christmas Day? What's gonna happen around that time? Where you will be, where this country will be.

[Mecca]

Oh, God, I didn't even think of it, like, from that perspective. Yeah, I got, you know, right now it's October.

[Jamila]

Yeah.

[Mecca]

Airport government shut down, airport's up, food stamps, so many. A lot of things is happening.

[Jamila]

So just understand if we are a little tone deaf and whatever the we're about to say, sorry, it's because we're from the past. And so, I mean, I don't know.

[Mecca]

What to tell y'.

[Jamila]

All. Sorry. But we're going to talk about a little bit of Christmas stuff and we're going to talk about whatever the else we feel like talking about. Cuz you know how we get down, we always start somewhere and end somewhere completely different. T hinge of the moral. That's what we do.

[Mecca]

Well, Christmas hat. Shout out to St. Julian's Liquor.

[Jamila]

Yeah.

[Mecca]

For our. Our nice wine and whiskey setup. Jamila, what is something that your, your family does for Christmas that you.

[Jamila]

Well, I'll tell you, Christmas these past years have been quite different than Christmas growing up. Just because everybody's grown and shit's just different. Back in the day, there was a tradition that I really loved that I don't really know if it could be replicated, but it was very. It was special. It was the Christmas tree calling that we would do.

[Mecca]

So this is your family or this is just where you're from?

[Jamila]

That's my family. Okay. This is my dad's side of the family. So this would be on Christmas Eve, I believe, or Christmas Day. I can't remember, to be honest. But essentially we would all go to the big house. And for preference, the big house. What I'm talking about is essentially the house that my grandmother and all of her siblings grew up in in the Bottoms of Mobile, if, you know, you know. And that house is literally still here. The family is still in there, but my grandmother's parents, so my great grandparents had that house and raised all of their children there. They lived there up until the point where they passed away, and they also raised their children there because Mobile's kind of a small city, and so it's really down the street from my grandmother's house.

[Mecca]

So, you know, I've been to the big house.

[Jamila]

I'm explaining for the.

[Mecca]

Oh, okay.

[Jamila]

Explaining for the people out there. They don't know where I be. They don't know about the big house.

[Mecca]

Y' all don't know about Mobile.

[Jamila]

Y' all don't know nothing about that big house. And so, basically, for Christmas, we will all go down to the big house in the Bottoms, okay? And our aunt would get over there and call out all the people's names for gifts at the Christmas tree, and we would get our gifts. They would hand them out and open them, and it. And it was a lot of people, though.

[Mecca]

It's your grandparents, siblings, so all their grand. Their children. So that's like a real tradition.

[Jamila]

So it would be. It would be full impact. And I remember as a kid, me and Jazz used to always, like, it was funny because there was a different. You would. The. The gift would change per age. So of course, little kids got toys and things like that. And then as you got a little bit older, it would switch over to Avon, as you were, like, a preteen. My. My Aunt Florence, she is a QVC queen. She would get us all of the Avon things. And then once you get to be a teenager, you get a white envelope.

[Mecca]

And that's what you want.

[Jamila]

And we wanted them envelopes so bad. That's what everybody wanted. And then you used to always think, like, obviously, like, the older kids, the teenagers, like, ugh, you're so cool. They don't even want toys.

[Mecca]

You just want.

[Jamila]

You just want an envelope. So it was. That was a really, really dope tradition that we had now more so it's kind of just like where we want to be for Christmas. Where do y' all want to do it? And kind of just.

[Mecca]

It's so. It's so casual, and it's up to. If you. It's like we were talking about this in previous episodes. If we don't want it to be as casual, if we wanted to give a tradition, like, it's up to us to, like, carry it on, which is, like, you know, your choice. If you want to do it or not. Yeah.

[Jamila]

It's just different. It's like, it's such a. I love that. Such a responsibility. How you gonna do a Christmas tree crawling? It's five of us in this house.

[Mecca]

Yeah.

[Jamila]

It's just not like.

[Mecca]

I get it.

[Jamila]

So it's like. And it's just some shit. Just don't be the same.

[Mecca]

And that's something that we also have to accept.

[Jamila]

Yeah.

[Mecca]

I mean, time is. It's a constant cycle. And so that's why it's like the traditions that our family had for us is not necessarily what our kids are going to get, but it is up to us to create traditions for our kids and, like, the kids who are coming after us. So it's like, you don't have to do a Christmas tree calling. Maybe you can do something similar.

[Jamila]

Yeah.

[Mecca]

But not, like, quite the same.

[Jamila]

Yeah. I'm a firm believer. Now, I know some of you new, new school folks, some of you new heifers, y' all like to be different when it come to Thanksgiving and Christmas. And when I say different, y' all like to cook. That ain't got nothing to do with them damn holidays.

[Mecca]

Oh, like a Chinese food.

[Jamila]

I can't stand when people do that. If I go to your house for Thanksgiving and you ain't got no turkey, no dressing, no Mac and cheese, don't invite me.

[Mecca]

When my parents were in the midst of their divorce, them first couple Christmases after my parents broke up, we was eating Chinese food. We was acting like Jehovah Witness, we was going to the movies, eating Chinese food. Lindy ain't know what the hell to do, child.

[Jamila]

I mean, I guess that makes sense, but. Yeah, like, I want. That's something that I want to maintain. Mm. On Christmas, don't you ask me what we eatin. I mean, for Thanksgiving, don't ask me what we're eating for Thanksgiving. You know what Dominion is? Dominion has been the menu since. Since I was a kid. The only thing that changes is whether or not we're gonna add fried chicken or not. Because after all that, I don't feel like frying no goddamn chicken.

[Mecca]

You know what's funny? My family's the same way. Except at this. On holidays, they make chitlins. You see? I said make. I do not eat. Not anymore. When I was. I stopped eating chitlins when I was 12, and I just feel like you.

[Jamila]

Would eat a chitlin today.

[Mecca]

I haven't. I don't want to because it's like I know better, but I. When I.

[Jamila]

You was tandem Chitlins up, though, back in the day.

[Mecca]

Back in the day. Oh, absolutely.

[Jamila]

Absolutely.

[Mecca]

Drown them in hot sauce. Was. I just feel like I like the tradition part of it. Like, coming into my aunt's house and it's smelling like shit. Like, I know that's. I know that it's crazy, but that's what made me feel like it's Chris. Like, we're about to have fun. It's Christmas.

[Jamila]

We smell like shit.

[Mecca]

It smells like ass in here. The chitlins are on the sink being cleaned. We're black Americans. So long. So long. So long. You know, like, it just makes me think of, like, childhood and ass.

[Jamila]

Smell of ass.

[Mecca]

Doodoo chitlins. You know, it smells like years of wonder and splendor and Christmas time with the Jackson 5 playing in the background.

[Jamila]

What is gonna be your tradition?

[Mecca]

I don't know. You know what's crazy? This is no chitlins.

[Jamila]

Yeah.

[Mecca]

For me, y'.

[Jamila]

All.

[Mecca]

You know, I'm a holiday person. I think having to travel back and forth, like, the lit. It's not Christmas yet, but it's October, and the last, like, month and the next two months is going to be really packed. I can't even decorate my house like I usually do because I was in California for my grandma's funeral, which this is going to be the first Christmas without her first Thanksgiving. I'm going back home because Dej, if my followers know Deja name, my cousin used to live with me. It's her 30th birthday next month, so I got to go back home. And I know December, I don't want to leave my house, but I don't think I'm going to have the energy to decorate the way I usually do, which is sad for me because that's something that I want to be. I want to be, like, the decorator. I do want things to happen at my house. I grew up in the type of home where everyone came to our house, and so that's something that I don't mind. And I like being surrounded by people I love in terms of my own traditions. I haven't really got it on the meals yet. I don't know what I wanted to make, but I know that I want it to be, like, something. I want it to be something that we all expect, that when we. When we come together, this is what's gonna happen. But I feel like my family's definitely in, like, a rebuild period, like, trying to adjust to, like, the new normal. And who's going to step up and do different things. And so this is the time. Like this is the year I'm giving myself grace this Christmas in terms of like not feeling. Like I have to decorate. Not feeling because I feel like it's like a restructuring going on. Not just with me, but like with my entire family. Like okay, so what is look like from here on out? Cuz grandma's not here no more, so who's going to do what?

[Jamila]

Yeah, honestly, same. And it's, it's, it's been a little bit longer over here, but still the same sentiments. It's like so what do we do now exactly?

[Mecca]

Like it's, that's the holidays this year. So what now?

[Jamila]

Let me tell you something. It's, it's rough those holidays without certain people. Cuz it's like those people actually make the holiday feel like a holiday and.

[Mecca]

Then it's like when they die. Like right before, before the holiday and.

[Jamila]

Nadia like right after.

[Mecca]

Girl, we didn't even get up out of here at the top of the year.

[Jamila]

Yeah.

[Mecca]

Like we didn't have time to settle in it.

[Jamila]

Yeah.

[Mecca]

It's like girl, what the fuck.

[Jamila]

Thanks guys. Yeah, it's. I'm. I'm still trying to figure that out too. And also like I don't really have a structured family in the, in the sense of like my household. Like of course I have my parents and my siblings. Like we're a family unit. But I'm. My family unit is just me and Noah right now. So I think also it might be a little bit easier to develop some sort of routine tradition once I have like a more structured family unit if I ever get one.

[Mecca]

For real?

[Jamila]

For real.

[Mecca]

But, but you can have things for just like you and Noah that you want to do.

[Jamila]

Yeah. Like I'm very. I try to make sure Noah gets experiences in general.

[Mecca]

Yeah.

[Jamila]

Especially now he's four. I have memories from when I was three and four. And so I try to make sure that he can too. And that was, I was cognizant about. Cuz I was just thinking to myself like when do kids really start to like come into their own and really have actual like real memories? And I, I truly have memories, honestly. Sometimes I think I can remember back to when I was even two a little bit here and there. So like my family upbringing, like I have a lot of family memories. A lot of my memories honestly of childhood have to do with family. Especially because I was in Texas and, and in Texas. Well there wasn't much. We didn't do anything outside of family. Literally my entire first of all, I tell you all the time, my family's big. I think I underestimate that whenever I say it. In Beaumont, Texas, there's only three families, and I'm one.

[Mecca]

Yeah.

[Jamila]

No, but, like, my family is really fucking big. So it's like everything that we did was. Was. Had something to do with family. And so now being so disconnected, it's a little weird, but it's kind of like, well, what do we do? Like, how can I. How can I give my son the same childhood? But it's like, it's. It's impossible. And I kind of have to let that go.

[Mecca]

Yeah.

[Jamila]

Because one, the family is not as big. We're also not surrounded by family. I don't. My family does not live here. The majority of my family does not here. I have a few cousins that live here, but even then, some of them live in fucking Macon. Warner Robins, and, you know. You know, that's fucking two hours away. My family is very sporadic, so it's like I just can't replicate it. So it's like, well, girl, do something else.

[Mecca]

I don't know.

[Jamila]

I'm just figuring it out. But cooking is something that I know I can maintain, and that is. I learned specifically how to cook from both of my grandmothers and my dad. So I know for a fact that is something that I can preserve because I was always in the kitchen with them. So that is definitely something that I want to make sure I maintain. I never want to lose sight of getting in that goddamn kitchen like I belong. No misogyny.

[Mecca]

No.

[Jamila]

We cook because we enjoy it. Yes.

[Mecca]

I definitely think that's a big part of Christmas and holidays is the food and the camaraderie and the community that you get just from eating a good meal together. And so it does matter what you eat. I think whatever you eat, it should be good. Lucky for me. L. And I say lucky in a cheeky way. Don't come for me. Vegans, I don't have any of that in my family. Sabrina has put down her pescatarian. Thank God she put down her pescatarian because she has Hashimoto's disease, which is like an autoimmune situation. But the doctor said, baby, you got to start eating chicken again.

[Jamila]

Maybe you going to have to. You had to get a little meat.

[Mecca]

You got to get some protein, baby. You're not getting enough from all the fish. So thank God we no longer have to. To. Yeah.

[Jamila]

Overly accommodate.

[Mecca]

Overly accommodate. We can just go ahead and put.

[Jamila]

Some meat in them greens.

[Mecca]

We can Cook again. But we always were really, you know, cool with, like, dietary restrictions. I haven't been to anything where anyone's vegan, so I don't. I don't know about that, but I know vegan soul food be good sometime. I know. Not all the time. I don't necessarily trust everything, but I do think there are a couple things that you.

[Jamila]

Vegan and soul food don't go together. It can, and I'm gonna say it.

[Mecca]

If you wanted to, it can. If you wanted to, it can.

[Jamila]

If you wanted to, it can. I'm a real Southern gal. I'll tell you this, and I'm not joking. I had. The concept of a dietary restriction was not real to me until in high school, when I realized people don't eat things just because they don't. Not even because of, like, your. I always be like, you allergic? That was my first response when somebody tell me they wouldn't eat something. You allergic?

[Mecca]

Yeah, you allergic?

[Jamila]

Oh, you don't. What you mean, you don't. Okay.

[Mecca]

I didn't grow up eating pork for obvious reasons.

[Jamila]

Well, your daddy was Muslim, so, I.

[Mecca]

Mean, but that makes, you know, this is how.

[Jamila]

And that would be my other thing is, you Muslim? Are you allergic?

[Mecca]

Here's the thing. My dad was. My dad went Muslim because of the black power movement. He wasn't raised Muslim. They were raised Christians. So, like, when we would go, that's how chitlins come into play. Because it's like, well, that's you. And, you know, black people would ask you. When I was a kid growing up, Darrington loved ham. And the only way Darrington got ham was on the holidays, like. And they would give Darrington a fat ass slab.

[Jamila]

So how. Okay, pause. How were y' all non pork eaters and chitlin eaters?

[Mecca]

Because that's what I'm saying. That. That was like a. My parent thing.

[Jamila]

Your parents ate chitlins?

[Mecca]

No, no, no.

[Jamila]

So your family would eat chitlins, but your parents didn't really mess with that Pope.

[Mecca]

They don't mess with pork. My mom doesn't even eat pork. Got you just bike. She didn't eat pork for so long that it was like, okay, we don't eat pork. So I didn't grow up eating pork like that until it was the chitlins, But I did. I would be exposed to pork and pork products when I went to my family's house because they weren't Muslim and they were. I mean, they're from Louisiana, so it was like pig feet chitlins and So I. That's why I'm saying I've ate it. I've had it. I'm not. I'm still, to this day, not a huge pork eater. I love a smothered pork chop from time. Pig feet. I've also put those down. Put those down.

[Jamila]

I've never picked those up.

[Mecca]

Please. The bayou gonna feel me. Please.

[Jamila]

Listen, I know I'm country, y', all, and definitely it's in.

[Mecca]

I was not saying. That's different. Different types of country. And when you.

[Jamila]

When it look a certain way, I don't. I won't eat it.

[Mecca]

And pig feet look disgusting.

[Jamila]

Yeah, they look like pig feet.

[Mecca]

They look like the feet.

[Jamila]

And I'm like, I don't need no hoof.

[Mecca]

And you gonna have. Unless they. Well, when they're boiling it, you see the hoof. But then, like, they try. It's. It's a lot.

[Jamila]

But I mean, to be honest, y', all, I eat hamocks, so.

[Mecca]

I do.

[Jamila]

That's right. That's. So I might as well eat the feet.

[Mecca]

Let me tell you. Never got this. This is how much my parents didn't need pork on Christmas time, when they would have bring that honey bake ham out. Darrington would eat, like, the fat of the ham. He would just go. Jelani used to slurp the fat.

[Jamila]

Literally.

[Mecca]

I'd be like.

[Jamila]

And we'd be like, okay, that's disgusting. You're done.

[Mecca]

You're done.

[Jamila]

You are absolutely done.

[Mecca]

But, I mean, that was really the only time he would get it. And my girl would be like, let.

[Jamila]

That baby eat ham.

[Mecca]

He loves ham.

[Jamila]

That baby feeding for that ham.

[Mecca]

You know, black grandmas. He loves him.

[Jamila]

Yes. The joys of family. It's going to be so interesting. I actually don't even know what we're doing for these holidays coming up. I know we kind of started to discuss it, so it'll be interesting to see if we're going to travel or anything. I'm kind of tapped out from just doing things in general. And then I. I'm actually traveling the day after Thanksgiving this year, so I don't know what the plans are, but either way, I know I'm gonna eat good. Oh, something else. My family does. Both sides of my family, honestly, typically around the holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, we. This is when we typically go crazy with the gumbo. Typically, the day before Thanksgiving, we'll do a gumbo. The day before Christmas, we'll do a gumbo. I was raised on gumbo bad, like, and I am a. If, you know, you Know, I. Jamila.

[Mecca]

Is a gumbo connoisseur, critic of a gumbo Jamila. I was when we were in New Orleans. Jamila wasn't even liking them folks gumbo like that. What I will say is, I also am a critic of gumbo, but I will eat. I have an understanding that not everyone makes gumbo.

[Jamila]

You see now around these parts, don't you give me no bad gumbo.

[Mecca]

And it's. I've only had bad gumbo one time, and it was in Philly, and I. All the rest. All the rest of the food that we had was good. Let me tell you. Gumbo right now was not. And it was in Philly, so it was okay.

[Jamila]

And we. When Mecca said she wanted the gumbo, we said, you sure?

[Mecca]

Because. Okay, y' all have to understand, it was chili. And since I know that not everyone makes gumbo, I don't even order gumbo from restaurants, thinking it's going to be real gumbo. I was thinking more of like a soup. Like, that's really what I was. I just want something warm and hearty. I told you that. I was like, I'm tired. I want some. Some warm and hearty. And it wasn't even like a. It wasn't even that.

[Jamila]

I knew as soon as they put it on the table, I said, no, I can judge a gumbo from the smell, from the consistency. I. Y' all don't understand. I am gumbo.

[Mecca]

Yeah.

[Jamila]

That was ass.

[Mecca]

It wasn't good.

[Jamila]

Philly, baby, stay in your place, baby. You.

[Mecca]

You.

[Jamila]

You got to be. You got to be from a. A certain district on that Gulf coast to be making gumbo. For me to trust you about that gumbo, because it's just very.

[Mecca]

The.

[Jamila]

The rule was burnt. There was not proper meats in the.

[Mecca]

In the.

[Jamila]

In the gumbo. The texture was off.

[Mecca]

It was. The texture was really thick, y'. All. It was like. Think about how the. The. The root is before you pour the broth in. It was very thick. It was.

[Jamila]

Yeah, it was given etou f. And even then. And even then, still a little bit.

[Mecca]

Too thick for it to.

[Jamila]

Just a hot ass mess. Don't. Don't.

[Mecca]

How does your family make the gumbo? Because my, obviously, like, my grandmother came from Louisiana through Texas, ended up in California, and so we do her gumbo recipe that involves chicken sausage crab. It wasn't until I got grown that I realized not everyone puts, like, crab in that gumbo.

[Jamila]

Chicken sausage gumbo to me is soup. Yeah, my dad makes a chicken sausage gumbo. It's delicious, but it's not. I don't consider it gumbo. I consider gumbo. The only gumbo I consider to be a real gumbo is a seafood gumbo.

[Mecca]

It has to have the shrimp in the crab.

[Jamila]

Crab and okra. I know there's debates.

[Mecca]

That's the discrepancy. That is a discrepancy.

[Jamila]

Okay. Needs to be in. In my gumbo. I do not like a tomato based gumbo. However, rest in peace to my uncle Ronnie. He did do a good gumbo and it was a slightly tomato based, but my uncle Ronnie also was in culinary, so he knew how to do that shit down. And my grandmother sometimes would do a tomato based gumbo. My grandma Dorothy, that was the one thing she was not amazing at was a gumbo. The only thing. But it would still be good. It was just like, this is soup.

[Mecca]

It's not gumbo. I feel like we don't. It's not tomato based. Like jambalaya is more of a tomato based situation with the rice and everything. But the gumbo. I know they put tomatoes in it, but it's not. You post to mesh them up.

[Jamila]

Oh, no, we don't do tomatoes in no gumbo. We don't do no meadow in that gumbo. No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[Mecca]

You gonna get your Louisiana accent on.

[Jamila]

Yeah, baby. Gonna do that. No, no, I don't do tomatoes in my gumbo. I don't do corn in my gumbo. Oh, no, I don't do. What's some other bullish. Oh, my gosh.

[Mecca]

I need a turkey neck. Yes, you could do a turkey.

[Jamila]

Absolutely. Turkey neck and gumbo. Oh, my God.

[Mecca]

But what did you say you didn't want in the gumbo?

[Jamila]

When you pick up that turkey neck towards the end, it's been soaking that juice and that first bite of turkey neck and then. Oh, my God. Where the bone marrow goes is like a straw. I could damn near suck the gumbo out the neck of that turkey. My God. And then the crabs. Blue crabs. Y' all listen to me. If you want a real gulf coast gumbo, it needs to be blue crabs. I don't know what all this hoopla is about. Snow crab legs and gumbo. No, it needs to be a blue crab and it needs to be. I can taste it now. I'm gonna make a gumbo next week. I have to. I have to. And then when you get your blue crab and you the juice and the crab meat.

[Mecca]

Oh.

[Jamila]

Fuck. I don't remember the question.

[Mecca]

You said there was something that people put in gumbo that you didn't want in the gumbo.

[Jamila]

So many things. Like, obviously it's soup season right now, so everybody's, like, making their gumbos and different soups and shit. And when I be watching, I just.

[Mecca]

You could have a gumbo. Like, the thing is, I'm. I'll give you a gumbo soup. That's why I'm saying, like, when I be outside ordering gumbo, I don't expect it to be gumbo. This is side pivot. I do like okra and gumbo because I do like what it does to the consistency of the gumbo. I just wanted to say that because it makes it feel more gumbo y that you get. I'm saying oka is very slimy. Slimy. And it. It puts a certain level of that slime mixed in with the roux. It gives it, like, a slime texture of the liquid that does scream gumbo for me. So I wanted to say that I've had it both ways, but now that I'm thinking about, like, when I've been like, that's some good gumbo, I'm like, no, the okra. And it's not necessarily the okra itself. It's a consistency that the okra provides. So you ate that one little thing. The things I don't like, you can.

[Jamila]

Trust me on food opinions always. Just know that.

[Mecca]

That I've seen in gumbo over the last few years on TikTok. I just want to tell y' all some things. Okay. Potatoes. What do not belong in gumbo.

[Jamila]

Some people in Louisiana do a scoop of potato salad in their gumbo. That's a very, very regional thing.

[Mecca]

Hate it.

[Jamila]

I've never tried it. I wouldn't mind trying a scoop. And, like, just because I'm. Because I'm really good at guessing flavors. And I feel like it might not be bad, but it's not something I would do. But I wouldn't mind taking a scoop of potato salad and scooping it in a gumbo just to see. Just to see what it's given. But no potatoes and gumbo, like, as in chopped potatoes, like, it's loaded. Baked potatoes.

[Mecca]

I feel like what we've seen happen, especially with the rise of, like, Cajun type food becoming popular and all the.

[Jamila]

Features, which is crazy. I never thought I would see that.

[Mecca]

Honestly, you know, people start getting creative and trying things, and then I am you. You've seen me be on Tick Tock. I watch all them food videos. So I'm just going off the videos. I've Seen of people like, watch me make this gumbo potatoes, y' all cheating gumbo, like it's another version of a seafood boil. Actually pisses me smooth the off. It's very different. So like, you said, no corn eggs. And then, you know, niggas like to get creative, so what they do is they poke holes in the egg.

[Jamila]

Ah, stop it.

[Mecca]

No, it's so that. It's so that the egg can soak. Soak up the roof.

[Jamila]

Let me tell you something. First of all, I've seen several videos of people talking about they're making a gumbo and then it's done in an hour.

[Mecca]

No, excuse me. Gumbo takes all day to make.

[Jamila]

Don't you ever serve me no hour ass gumbo, ho. One year my mama made some quick ass gumbo, and we never told her it was nasty. But I'm now she gonna watch this episode that you know what year it was, girl. And you know you was wrong for making that quick ass gumbo. I don't know if you was lazy.

[Mecca]

Let me tell you how black my family is. We always ate at the night time. My mom hated it.

[Jamila]

You did what?

[Mecca]

We always ate like Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner in. At night time.

[Jamila]

How night?

[Mecca]

Sometimes you don't wake up till 10. You don't start that gumbo till 10. It's not gonna be ready until 7.

[Jamila]

8Pm that's what time y' all eat Christmas dinner. See, black folks, let me tell you something. This is what I love about black people.

[Mecca]

It depends about what type of black people you are. My people are the late type of black people.

[Jamila]

There's and. And my crew, the type of blacks we are, is on a regular. Regular dinner. 7, 8.

[Mecca]

Cool.

[Jamila]

When it comes to church dinner, so Sunday dinner and holiday dinner, that's early. Early afternoon. Because after you eat, you're done. You're done. And so typically, we'll say, like, you know, tell everybody. Tell everybody. Then they're gonna be ready by one, you know, ain't gonna be ready by one. You just got to tell to get there by one. Tell them to bring a. Tell them bring a cup of sodas. Tell them to bring. Tell them to bring some plates. Tell them to bring, you know, stuff like that. By the time you get there, is still stirring and murraying. We typically probably eat early afternoon. Probably the latest I've had Thanksgiving dinner, honestly, is probably like around six. And that's like, that was too late. Like, that was too late for y'.

[Mecca]

All.

[Jamila]

Yes.

[Mecca]

You know what's.

[Jamila]

Because we don't eat during the day.

[Mecca]

Shout out to Angelique. She's the first. Well, not the first, but, like, the first person I've been in close proximity to who her people were black and they eat early during the day. I had never seen. I only knew that of, like, for, like, regular meals. No, I'm talking about, like. Oh, I'm talking about holiday meals. But I'm saying in general, like, my family would eat, like, because everybody would be late running late with everything. Everybody started but think late, late. But one thing they wouldn't piss the.

[Jamila]

Off if I couldn't eat.

[Mecca]

Well, that would be Lindy.

[Jamila]

That's crazy.

[Mecca]

And so we would have to go to McDonald's and get little snacks in between for the kids. But it's like, what they wouldn't skimp on would be the gumbo. It's not done. You know, we can't rush it. And so the thing is, by the time you get it, it would be, like, worth it, and you'd be happy. They took all that time. But it was like, getting there was such a process.

[Jamila]

We eat, and also, I mean, we start cooking as soon. As soon as you wake up, we get in that kitchen. And also, there was a prep the day before. So typically, the way my grandmothers would prep, they would do. They would do the desserts the day before.

[Mecca]

What type of desserts would y' all do?

[Jamila]

So we would do. So my grandmother, my mama's side, she would always do a sweet potato pie and a German chocolate cake. That was her special. Everybody loved her German chocolate cake. And my grandma Dorothy, my dad's mom, again, sweet potato pie standard. And she would. Oh, she was mean with a pound cake. Oh, my God. Oh, she was mean with a pound cake. I'm talking about. Her pound cakes were so infamous that she would have to, like, beg us not to tear them down right after they come out.

[Mecca]

That. Let me tell you how me and my grandma was with a pound. Well, specifically a 7Up cake, which is a pound cake made with 7Up. At her funeral, the. The cousin who she gave them, who kind of picked up that torch, she made 15 cakes.

[Jamila]

Need that.

[Mecca]

She made 15 cakes. And it was good. As I said, I could tell this is my grandmother's recipe because it's good. As my aunt would make German chocolate cheesecake. I don't have an issue with German chocolate cake. I'm just not a real big fan of, like, the. The coconut.

[Jamila]

Yeah, same.

[Mecca]

And so sometime, not every year, but sometimes she would make a side German chocolate cake with no coconuts. Always Ate down. And I was thinking about starting to do. When I'm thinking about the things that I want to do, I think I do want to get good in a mean pound cake, a mean German chocolate cake. And then I do believe Rekia made like a cough. Like she made a pound cake with like a coffee cocoa type frosting that was. Oh, my God, so good we'll be making that.

[Jamila]

I did not like the. I don't like the icing on a German. The traditional German chocolate cake. So I never do that. But one year when my grandmother was teaching me how to make it, and when I tell you the German chocolate cake by itself is very tender, very sweet and decadent and moist and just. I was like, okay, let me try to do something. So I did a coffee icing, like glazing over it. And so if I make a German chocolate cake, that's typically how I'm making it. And she told me I was delicious, so that's all I ever needed to hear. You hear me?

[Mecca]

My grandmother was really good with a peach cobbler. I'm not. But you know what's also crazy? I can make a good peach cobbler.

[Jamila]

My daddy make a mean peach cobbler.

[Mecca]

I make. I actually make a really good peach cobbler. Not on purpose. Isn't that how it goes? Like, you make the stuff good that you don't really like. Like, it's like, I'm not the hugest fan of peach cobbler, but I watched them make it so many times and it's like, okay, my peach cobbler is decent. And every time everyone eats it, it's never any left in the pan. Something that my dad makes really good is pudding. And he makes it the old school way. He doesn't use a jello packet. He. Now you do, you do need to make original pudding. If you're making banana pudding from scratch, you do gotta make on the stove. It eventually gets cooled. He didn't put it in the oven after it was done. But you make the. The pudding on the stove because you got to glaze the bananas, all that type of. Yeah, but.

[Jamila]

And then something else. They would. I'm trying to think of other stuff that they would prep. Probably marinate whatever meats, cleaning the greens and things like that.

[Mecca]

The chitlins.

[Jamila]

Yes. And so the day of, when you wake up in the morning, whoever wake up first, all right, you get in that kitchen also, my grandmother would prep the rolls. Right. Cause you need to let it rise overnight.

[Mecca]

Because we do the rolls and biscuits from scratch.

[Jamila]

Rolls from scratch. These Are jailhouse rolls too. Is what she would call them. Jailhouse rolls from scratch. And so it takes a lot. You gotta let them rise overnight, and then you gotta let them rise again in the morning just right before you do it. Right. And so doing all that. And so when you wake up in the morning, of course you got to get the turkey on for however you gonna cook the turkey. Got to get them greens on also. Y' all be making y' all collard greens too quick too.

[Mecca]

The only way.

[Jamila]

Why. Why does this green got such a bite to it? Why is this. This texture is off. You gots to let them greens cook.

[Mecca]

The only way you're gonna get away with making a quick. Certain things quick is if you put it in a pressure cooker. And that is even too.

[Jamila]

And that's incorrect.

[Mecca]

I don't think that should be a holiday thing. I've tried it for just me in my house. Like, oh, I need to make some real quick now. Let me tell you what I did. I made an oxtail in the pressure cooker. And I was very impressed because I'm.

[Jamila]

Scared of pressure cookers.

[Mecca]

They can kill you.

[Jamila]

And if you.

[Mecca]

If you. If you pop that thing in your direction, your eye is done for. Yeah, I saw it on Tick Tock. Yeah, man his face up.

[Jamila]

I. I'm never. I'm never that much pressure. But you should be. No, I'm gonna let that cook on the stove, on the oven, or in that crock potty. I don't need no pressure. Cause I'm. No.

[Mecca]

You feel like you're gonna it up, I will.

[Jamila]

I'll blow the whole off.

[Mecca]

I know.

[Jamila]

I'm not doing that shit.

[Mecca]

I understand and that's what I'm saying. If it's just for you or it's for something. Like I said, it was just me. I just wanted to test it and see, like. Because I had seen a TikTok recipe. They said you. You don't want to spend 7 hours cooking oxtail. Put in the pressure cooker for 3 tender as. I'm not gonna lie. But the pressure cooker, you do have to understand how that works when you.

[Jamila]

It's too scary for me.

[Mecca]

And you know it screams when you open it after that three hours. It is. It is.

[Jamila]

I don't want.

[Mecca]

I don't.

[Jamila]

That's too scary.

[Mecca]

I don't mean.

[Jamila]

I just. I' ma do the regular. I'.

[Mecca]

Ma.

[Jamila]

Do you know how they said on coming to America, if his mama call him. That's what I'm call. That's what if that's. If that's what Dorothy and Mary did, this is what I'mma do. That's because all these new.

[Mecca]

These new machines, I make a lot of bone broth, y'. All. So that's why I'm mean with a pressure cooker, because I'll be putting them. Them bones in there and making that broth. So it really is good for your skin and your diet, your gut health. But you can make it in the crock pot, too. You just got to cook it for 24 hours. The pressure cook puts it down to.

[Jamila]

Shout out to them broth makers.

[Mecca]

Boom. Broth from scratch. Don't buy that from the stove. Make it at the house, child. Everything is better when you make it yourself.

[Jamila]

And I got something else to say when it come to broth and stock, and I said this on my live. If you was there, you was there. Some of you babies, some of you babies are relying too heavily on the broth and stock when it comes to cooking. Some of you ladies and you babies are too reliant on a recipe and not knowing how to switch and pivot if you don't have an ingredient. I was on Tick Tock cooking, and somebody said, what if you don't have chicken stock? Use water.

[Mecca]

Water.

[Jamila]

What the do you think the damn stock is?

[Mecca]

It's just. It's just.

[Jamila]

It's just marinated, flavored water, baby.

[Mecca]

We need to get more. We need to get back to our spices. Black Americans Law wreath, Tony Satcheries. Those other ones, slap your mama. That's a combination of salt. That's a combination of salt and spices. But you should know the flavors of the different spices. That's. That's what's really going to take your cooking far, if you know a spice and not just salt. Because I don't. I'll be honest with you. I don't like just a salty ass food. I don't. It needs to taste like something other than salt.

[Jamila]

Salt is just a base. It just enhances the flavor. But you should not overdo it. You'd be like, is that.

[Mecca]

That's too salty. I don't like that. High cholesterol, high blood pressure. Now here's a pro tip. And again, you could do in a crock pot or a pressure cooker, if you like me and you like to get them rotisserie chickens in the bag, on the lights, save them caucuses, put them in the freezer, and you can boil a couple at a time, because once you ate it down, it's real small. You can make homemade chicken broth that way and put you some bay leaves, a little bit of salt, pepper, all that type of shit. You can make everything at home. You don't need to. But you. If that's. That's if you have the time. I'm in my all natural, let me make it at the house era, so.

[Jamila]

And another thing, I need to get off real quick.

[Mecca]

What?

[Jamila]

Stop making a rule for everything. Y' all didn't learn how to make a rule on TikTok and ain't stop.

[Mecca]

Who was making a. Wait. Why is. What. What is rule? Everything.

[Jamila]

People have been making rules for everything.

[Mecca]

But what is everything?

[Jamila]

I seen a bitch make a rule for spaghetti, y'. All.

[Mecca]

Already. What?

[Jamila]

Spagumbo bitch. I remember. I'll never fucking forget it, bitch.

[Mecca]

Did she call us spagumbo?

[Jamila]

No, that's what some.

[Mecca]

She put tomatoes and flour. Like. I just have no concept of what you're even talking about right now. How would you make a spaghetti roux?

[Jamila]

I cannot talk about this shit without laughing, because it was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen in my life. This bitch made a roux, a brown roux, and proceeded to dump that roux into a tomato sauce and made spagumbo bitch. I said, yo, I'll beat a bitch ass if I bit down into some spaghetti and found some roux. But also the roux and the Mac. The roux and the dis. The roux. The babies is make. It's like, again, they just want. It's like, well, this is how you make it creamy. No, baby, you need.

[Mecca]

The thing is, I feel like the rue Mac has always been a thing. I hate it. But it's. I feel like not. It's regional, but it's not everybody's thing. You don't have to do oru in a Mac. You don't have to do it jamila. But people have been doing it. Now get your face.

[Jamila]

O ru.

[Mecca]

Spaghetti is outrageous.

[Jamila]

Rugetti.

[Mecca]

Rugetti. Rugetti is outrageous. I've never even heard of that.

[Jamila]

It was. Man, it made my stomach turn.

[Mecca]

I don't know.

[Jamila]

I'm like, yo, this is right.

[Mecca]

I don't really like, like, pivoting again. I don't necessarily like fusion foods. When you're fusioning different.

[Jamila]

Like when they do Asian barbecue.

[Mecca]

Well, that's Korean barbecue. But is that not Asian? Yeah, but I'm saying, like, is that not fusion? It is. So what you mean when they're adding. A sushi. A sushi taco.

[Jamila]

Oh, when they be doing that, Boo, Everything's a damn taco burrito, everything.

[Mecca]

You putting all the soul food in a burrito or you put you in the story or. Let me tell before you do yours.

[Jamila]

Okay.

[Mecca]

It's really. I hosted an event in Texas that was a Hispanic black unity event. Beautiful event. But the whole of the unity. The food was unity food. So it was fusion food. And I told everybody there you actually. I'm so upset.

[Jamila]

Oxtail empanadas?

[Mecca]

No, it was actually a collard green quesadilla. What the. It was collard green with like turkey and all that thing. But then they put it in a cheese quesadilla. And it was me and this other. I. You know, I love a chicken quesadilla down jamila. So I'm like, oh, a chicken. And he got hella. And they had had him in little halves. I got me two halves. He got him four halves like a big old man. And I bit into mine first. Cause he was doing something. And I said, that's a color.

[Jamila]

Green.

[Mecca]

No, I don't like that. So then I watched him. Because I said, I need to make sure I'm not crazy. And it's not. I watched him like, take a bite and audibly say, what the fuck?

[Jamila]

I would have beat somebody ass if I bit into a fucking quesadilla and had neck bones and greens.

[Mecca]

It was like the meat from it, like the turkey neck meat. Like, think of the meat that they put in green.

[Jamila]

I don't need to think about shit.

[Mecca]

That's disgusting. And ever since then, before that, I.

[Jamila]

Didn'T have much feelings about threw that plate across. I'm starting to race war. Cause of this shit.

[Mecca]

I didn't have much feelings on fusion food until I experienced. And ever since then, I've said, nah, never again. I'm not a fan. Don't do it. Don't m. No, no. Loving versus Virginia with the food. Segregation now. Segregation then segregation forever with the food.

[Jamila]

So. Okay. Because that actually just made my stomach hurt.

[Mecca]

It. It was. I. It was.

[Jamila]

It was bad because also cheese don't go in collard green. So it's like. It's just.

[Mecca]

It was too. I was just saying it was real. It was really too many things that I personally am not used to. Again, think it was a cheesy quesadilla, but it was like turkey and the collard green mixed in. So they put the cheese and they put the collard green and they did a press. Yeah. And then had the nerve. The Mexican toppings, like the sour cream.

[Jamila]

Nothing else. I hate When? Try to get creative and try to invent some. Sit your ass down. My story is on fusion. I went on a date. This was some years ago. I went on a date with a gentleman. And it was like a little chill thing. And then we came back to the house, and then we ordered some food. And when we was, like, watching a movie, and so we ordered some food down the street, and they had basically, like, food and egg rolls. And I got the buffalo chicken egg rolls. It sounded good. It was actually really good. And he had got. I think the Philly cheesesteak egg rolls was that good. It was pretty good.

[Mecca]

Chill.

[Jamila]

We eat it. We're watching our movie, we do something else. Everything's good. He ends up leaving for the day. Cool. See you later. I kid you not. As soon as he left and I locked that door, you exploded. My stomach said. I said, huh, okay. And then I was just like, what'd.

[Mecca]

You say your flavor was? Buffalo chicken.

[Jamila]

Buffalo chicken. Egg roll. And I was like, okay, that was interesting. Okay, cool. I go lay back on the couch. It was literally like that scene from Bringing down the House when she put all that fucking laxative. He was just like, huh. That was exactly what I thought.

[Mecca]

I said. Okay, side baby. Bringing down the House.

[Jamila]

One of the best movies of all time.

[Mecca]

Master Masterpiece.

[Jamila]

Yes.

[Mecca]

I ran that bitch down on the vhs.

[Jamila]

Yes.

[Mecca]

That's why Queen Latifah is my queen. Quite literally, because of Bringing down the house. That movie raised me.

[Jamila]

Yeah. Love that movie. And grandmother.

[Mecca]

Rest in peace to her, too, girl.

[Jamila]

Yes. So that. I'm like, okay, whatever. Now, the thing is, that wasn't super, super, super abnormal for me because my tummy is gonna make noise after any goddamn thing. Because she's just. She's just a talkative lady, right? So, okay, whatever. So I'm kind of, like, cleaning up and let me go lay down. Mind you, this is. It's been five minutes since this left. I go lay down. I kid you not. I'm like, on my phone, maybe scrolling TikTok or something when I tell you I said I had to. Oh, my God. I. Sorry for this information, guys. You guys know I don't even have a booty hole. But just when I tell you every hole in my body was leaking. It was violent. I'm, like, on the toilet, like, the trash can in front of me. I'm shitting my fucking brains out. Throwing up. It's coming out of my fucking nose. I felt like it was coming out of my ears. I'm calling my sister. I'm Like, I can't stop. But also, y', all, I had the strongest cramp in my tummy. It felt like I was being stabbed while this was happening.

[Mecca]

Something was wrong with that chicken.

[Jamila]

Oh, it was.

[Mecca]

It was.

[Jamila]

Oh, man. And it was like that for, like, two hours straight.

[Mecca]

Yeah. You had food poisoning.

[Jamila]

Yes. And it just so happened that it happened right after that nigga left. Mind you, it was so bad. I text this nigga, like, are you okay?

[Mecca]

Yeah, you good?

[Jamila]

Is you sick? He was like, nah, I'm good.

[Mecca]

All right. Jamila had that sticky doodle.

[Jamila]

Oh, my God. I was told it was liquid, actually.

[Mecca]

That's actually disgusting.

[Jamila]

Sorry, guys.

[Mecca]

Yeah.

[Jamila]

That was the first and last time I've ever pooped.

[Mecca]

I mean, I poop quite often. Okay. I drink coffee every morning. So sometimes when you said that. Ah. When it just runs up on you. You know what's crazy, though? The relief you feel in your stomach once you got everything out.

[Jamila]

I didn't even feel relief. It was. Was. That was probably some of the worst food poisoning stomach, whatever I've ever had. It was like. Because it wasn't just, like, nausea. My stomach felt like I was being stabbed. It was so incredibly painful. Like, I was up the next day. I couldn't even eat anything.

[Mecca]

Yeah.

[Jamila]

Because it was just still so tender and so tight. I was like, bro, I would never eat a buffalo chicken egg. When we get.

[Mecca]

Yeah, no, the buffalo chicken egg roll. Interesting. But the seafood egg roll in at. At Prospect park in Houston is very good. Shrimp, crawfish, Cajun sauce rolled up. It's my go to.

[Jamila]

Can't go wrong with that.

[Mecca]

You cannot go wrong with the seafood egg roll. They also serve a Philly cheese egg roll, but the buffalo one I've never even heard of. So that's why I knew it was going to be up, because I've never even heard of a buffalo chicken egg.

[Jamila]

Yeah. Interestingly enough, food poisoning most of the time is just from cross contamination.

[Mecca]

Yes.

[Jamila]

So it's. I probably got salmonella poisoning. Honestly, it was probably something like that. And the thing is, my body is weak in general. It don't take much for me to throw up at all. Like, I could eat something and look at it and it looks weird. I'm going to get very nauseous. So my body repels and rejects things all the time. Sorry, y'. All. If y' all know me, y' all already know how I get down. So I. That's what I think it was happening because for the. The chicken was cooked first, and then Put in the egg roll. There was no way the chicken wasn't. Wasn't cooked all the way through. I think it was just cross contamination. Honestly.

[Mecca]

Yeah. I have had a situation with cross contamination at, like, a birthday party at, like, a. And I was like, they definitely cooked this chicken and this fish on the same grease. Because the way I felt. And I. I knew it. I was like, I'm. I have.

[Jamila]

I'm gonna have food poisoning in Philly.

[Mecca]

Oh, you did?

[Jamila]

And it was a steak. Like, steak, mashed potatoes and broccoli. Thankfully, I didn't that time. I was just throwing up all night, But I knew immediately. I was like, I'm either drunk as or I'm about to throw up. And it's like, there's no reason I was drunk as because I barely finished the drink.

[Mecca]

So.

[Jamila]

Yeah, that was unfortunate. That, too, was on a date.

[Mecca]

Well, you just.

[Jamila]

Maybe I'm allergic to these.

[Mecca]

I was gonna say. Maybe that's God telling you.

[Jamila]

You know, I also be throwing up after sex.

[Mecca]

Okay.

[Jamila]

Yeah. It's a part of my Centipede syncope. Not after every round, but, like, I throw up a lot after sex. Yeah. I be having to give the boys a little disclaimer. Hey, these are the things you can expect.

[Mecca]

I'm gonna be greasy a little bit.

[Jamila]

I pass out sometimes I throw up after sex, and I talk in my sleep. Get with it or get lost. Sometimes I forget to tell them that I talk in my sleep, and the next morning, they're looking at me like, are you okay? Psycho bitch? And I'm like, hey, what's going on? Yo, you was talking. Oh, shit. My bad, My bad. I forgot to give you this.

[Mecca]

My bad.

[Jamila]

And, like, no, Shay. If I ever talked in my sleep with A, you should feel very grateful, because that means I was really sleep. And usually I don't really. For real. For real. Sleep with A. Because my mind won't let me rest because I can't trust these niggas.

[Mecca]

It's just so much to unpack in that statement alone. Y', all. We need to call the lady bro, because I'm not the lady bro.

[Jamila]

Like, you've never. Like, so when you spend the night at a house or you spend the night at your house, like, you fully knock out every time.

[Mecca]

I don't really take on new a lot.

[Jamila]

We not talking about today. We talking about in life.

[Mecca]

I'm talking. Well, no, no, no. In general. In my past life. No. I'm gonna go to sleep. Oh.

[Jamila]

It's like, if you can relate, please Let me know. Like, it's something about, like, unfamiliar territory. Like, it's not even. It's just. It's a subconscious thing.

[Mecca]

Like, I was gonna say I can see the subconscious thing, but I was always very. In terms of, like, safety. I never went over there first. And this was like a safety thing because I felt like I know where I have all my pocket knives stashed in my house and. Da, da, da. So I guess when the first sleepover, there was a bit of apprehension and like, okay, if you do something, I can turn and get it right here.

[Jamila]

Oh, I wasn't even thinking about safety.

[Mecca]

Oh, it's just the thing.

[Jamila]

It's just like, no, if it's not.

[Mecca]

About safety, then I'm going, yeah, no.

[Jamila]

It'S not even a safe anywhere, though, because I wouldn't. I wouldn't even be over no house if I.

[Mecca]

That's what I'm saying.

[Jamila]

It's not a safety thing. It was more so like. I guess it's like my first time sleeping over your house. I'm. My body knows that it's just not a necessarily comfortable space or something. And it's like my eyes will be closed, but I'm conscious all night.

[Mecca]

Have you ever been like, no, you haven't. Cuz you said you'd be conscious all night when you forget where you're at, where. It's like you wake up and it's not your room and you're.

[Jamila]

I am a very. I'm a startle sleeper. Yeah, I'm a startle sleeper, which means I, I, I'm a very, very deep sleeper. I already told y', all, I sleep talk, but I also have sleep walked before as well. I'm. I get down with some sleep, so if you wake me up in a very startled way, it can absolutely send me into psychosis. What? Stop sign. That's me. But no, I'm. I pretty. Because one. So one thing about me, if we're spending the night, we're cuddling all night.

[Mecca]

It depends on the. Naked. I get hot.

[Jamila]

You're touching me all night. I like touching you. No, I like to be.

[Mecca]

It's too hot for all that. It's hot.

[Jamila]

It's never that hot.

[Mecca]

It literally is.

[Jamila]

Like, why do y' all be that hot?

[Mecca]

I don't know. I'll be hot. Like, so the thing is, I will cuddle for all of maybe 10 minutes. And I got to turn over. Oh, no, I gots to. I gots to maneuver. Plus I'm. I'm moving my sleep. I Cannot. I don't sleep in the same position all night.

[Jamila]

That's why you need to follow me and chase me.

[Mecca]

No, that, like, you know how.

[Jamila]

What's crazy is as deep of a sleeper I am, it's like my body knows this. Just let me go.

[Mecca]

No, that's like when we fall asleep in that first little wake up. When I move and don't follow me. I'm the opposite. Please. Once I hit that first turnover, we fall asleep in each other's arms. But then when I turn over, please leave me be. And then we can. We can resume right before. You know, Right before you wake up. Huh? What?

[Jamila]

That's gonna say morning sex?

[Mecca]

I actually don't like morning sex. I'm not a fan because I'm really into, like, smells and I want. I'm gonna feel like I need to brush my teeth.

[Jamila]

Yeah, that's why you do. From the side.

[Mecca]

Yeah. But if I'm sleep, then it's like I'm sleeping. I had this whole conversation with the very last person I talked to because he was. He preferred morning sex and I preferred right before bed sex.

[Jamila]

I like them both.

[Mecca]

Well, she's just a slut, guys.

[Jamila]

No, because, okay, this is.

[Mecca]

And I was gonna say, like, I.

[Jamila]

Hate this podcast because I have to expose myself.

[Mecca]

No, it's just like, I liked it right before bed because it's gonna put me to sleep and.

[Jamila]

No. Yes. But I also like it in the morning because I feel like my hormones are raging in the morning. Like a boy.

[Mecca]

Really?

[Jamila]

You know how boys wake up hard?

[Mecca]

Yeah, just in your back.

[Jamila]

I feel like I wake up, like, Whip it out.

[Mecca]

You know, I'll take it out for you.

[Jamila]

It's just. I don't know.

[Mecca]

Yeah.

[Jamila]

And then I'm a very lucrative dreamer also.

[Mecca]

Oh.

[Jamila]

So sometimes it's like the dreams will, like, initiate foreplay for me. So I wake up like, Hey, wake up.

[Mecca]

It's not. It's never nothing to get him up. It's just a preference. Yeah. I always thought it was funny because he didn't really like nighttime sex like that because he would be tired. Like, well, no, I'm tired. But then I didn't like morning sex, so, like, well, now I'm tired. So we just always had to, like, me in the middle and do like a big time daytime, Daytime, or like, middle of the night.

[Jamila]

You know what I will say, though?

[Mecca]

What? The.

[Jamila]

The elders were right about one thing.

[Mecca]

What?

[Jamila]

As a lady.

[Mecca]

As a lady, the older you get.

[Jamila]

Your libido definitely goes up.

[Mecca]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. I be that rose sees me every night.

[Jamila]

Every night is great. It's like, yo, like, what the fuck?

[Mecca]

It's.

[Jamila]

It's ovulation. We gotta be like, yeah.

[Mecca]

No, no, no. I'd be humping a pillow. I'm dead ass. I'd be like, let me pretend. And I put my rose on it. You're too proud for that? What?

[Jamila]

Humping the pillow?

[Mecca]

I'm being fictitious, but I'm saying I.

[Jamila]

Thought you were being deadass.

[Mecca]

No, I will call it naked before I get too deep, but I'm just. I wasn't prepared. I was. Because I remember I made a video about this on Tick Tock, about ovulation week. And I remember the ladies being like, like, and wait till you hit 30. And now the closer I get to 30, I'm like, whoa. But then on the flip, it's like, you be so horny. But then you'd be working so much. So it's a weird mix of, like, I'm tired, but I'm horny, but I'm tired, but I'm horny.

[Jamila]

And you know what's funny about, like, horniness is, like, horniness is so weird because it doesn't have to be triggered by anything.

[Mecca]

Yeah.

[Jamila]

And that disturbs me sometimes.

[Mecca]

Yeah.

[Jamila]

Why the would you be doing that right now?

[Mecca]

Why are you throbbing? I'm sitting in charge.

[Jamila]

Like, you'll be anywhere. You'll be like, stop it.

[Mecca]

What? You see something that reminds you. Everything reminds me of everything.

[Jamila]

Like, you walk around, next thing you know, you just want to be like, stop. What's wrong with you?

[Mecca]

Ah, wait, God, I'm a Christian.

[Jamila]

Stop be squirming.

[Mecca]

Like, I feel like. I feel like I. I get it. At the most inconvenient and strangest time. It's never at a time when it's like, I could call someone. I think that's what irritates me, because when I say horny, tired. Horny tired. When I'm tired is when it's like, okay, it could happen right now. But when I get like. I wanna. It's like in the middle of the day while we're filming Unhinged tomorrow. I can't hump anything right now on the ESSENCE stage. But you were horny on essence. Hey, never gonna let us back. We gonna insert a picture that clip us on Essence and just know Jamila was sitting there horny.

[Jamila]

I could get some dick right now.

[Mecca]

Me and Shelby just. She good. It's just weird, guys. It's so much, y' all compared to when you like hit your late 20s, early 30s, you're gonna become 10 times hornier than you ever were in your early 20s. And the problem is I feel like you have a little bit more sense and access to things so you could really go out and get fucked. Because that's the also thing. Like.

[Jamila]

I don't know what you were about to say, but I.

[Mecca]

You didn't think I was gonna say you could really go get by?

[Jamila]

By. By what? You said it.

[Mecca]

Like, it's just like you could. You really just have the means at this age? Like you had the means before.

[Jamila]

The means is crazy.

[Mecca]

When I say the means, I feel like. Have you even had a real orgasm at 19? No. But at 29, I know what an orgasm should feel like. So it's like you have the means to go out and really get food. Like that's what is you changing the city. Like, do you get by means?

[Jamila]

Do you? Because like when you say. When I say means, it kind of gives like money. And I know I mean money. So what exactly do you mean?

[Mecca]

The means to really with someone who's gonna.

[Jamila]

You as in the men are better.

[Mecca]

Yet, like with age. Yeah. Okay. What I'm trying to say is when you get horny at 19, another 19 year old is not putting you through the sheets, putting you through the mattress. Like, speak for yourself. I mean, at 19 it's age appropriate, but by 20. Hey, shout out 1911.

[Jamila]

Lord, I am completely sober. I don't know what the.

[Mecca]

We have shout out to st.

[Jamila]

I have no idea what's. God needs me this episode. Guys, we've just been. You might be.

[Mecca]

You might be hoarding.

[Jamila]

I am now. What do they.

[Mecca]

What do they teach those Hebrew Israelites when they're on their process? They know a thing or two about a thing or two. Anyway, that's not even the point we're trying to make. That's not the point we're trying to make.

[Jamila]

The point is with older than they, it gets better.

[Mecca]

It gets better. I feel like you learn. We learn our bodies more as well. You. You just know more. So it's like your sexual experiences are more satisfying. I would absolutely say that. Like at 29, I'm having better sex than I did at 19. Like, that's just offendy.

[Jamila]

Absolutely.

[Mecca]

So when I'm saying like, you be.

[Jamila]

Horny and you can really go get.

[Mecca]

I think the way I'm saying is like crazy, but like, you can really go get.

[Jamila]

Go get you something.

[Mecca]

You can go get you something good.

[Jamila]

Yeah.

[Mecca]

You know?

[Jamila]

Yeah.

[Mecca]

You See what I'm saying?

[Jamila]

Yeah. The older. And it's like, yeah, you just have way more experience. Experience. And I will say, not even just specifically the men know how to do it better because it's. It's that, but it's also they care to versus, like, at 19, 20, they were just trying to get their off. You know what I'm saying? They didn't really care about how you felt if you were comfortable if you got your off. You know what I mean? Now it's like the men are older, so they're more mature and they've had experiences with ladies and they understand if you really want a to come back and back and back to you, then you need to really, like, caress her. You need to understand how women. How people with vaginas like to be touched and cared for and things like that. And of course, all women are different. We're not all. We don't all like the same type of sex. Right.

[Mecca]

But it depends on my mood, honestly.

[Jamila]

Yeah, just. But you also should understand that maybe you should communicate those things and you learn how to communicate.

[Mecca]

Communicate, too.

[Jamila]

Because I will say, like, earlier in my sex capades, I didn't know how to communicate what I wanted or didn't want. I just thought that, like, as long as it goes in, like, you're having sex and that's it. I didn't realize that there were so many different varieties and flavors of sex. And, like, you have to really communicate. And I didn't know how to communicate my wants and needs in the bedroom up until recently, honestly. And now it's kind of just like, yeah, no, you're gonna. Yeah, you're gonna stay down there, keep doing it until you figure it out.

[Mecca]

Lay on your back, nigga. What you want to do?

[Jamila]

Laying fucking back, dominatrix.

[Mecca]

I actually, you know, it's funny. Never mind.

[Jamila]

Now you have to say it.

[Mecca]

I know. That's why I just said, fuck. This has been. We've been doing this podcast for like a year, and, like, you've been calling me a dominatrix for some time now.

[Jamila]

Are you about to spill your beans?

[Mecca]

I'm not going to completely spill my beans, but I was in a situation this past year where I did something along the lines of lay on your back. And I. And I did some things and I was like, maybe I am a Dominic Trix.

[Jamila]

You can't leave us there.

[Mecca]

Why? We need to know more. What else do you need to know?

[Jamila]

You didn't really say much.

[Mecca]

So the nigga I said I had a Toy.

[Jamila]

You did not say that. I said a Z. I don't know what.

[Mecca]

That's a vibrator.

[Jamila]

It could have been anything.

[Mecca]

Okay.

[Jamila]

So the nigga laid on.

[Mecca]

On his back and I put it on his balls. I said, have you ever had a vibrator put on your balls?

[Jamila]

And he was like, no, like a wand. Was it a wand?

[Mecca]

It was like a bullet.

[Jamila]

Okay, so you put that little ass bullet on them big ass balls. Did you pick a ball to put on? Did you put in the middle?

[Mecca]

I was. It was like while I was. While I was giving him head.

[Jamila]

Okay, and so you just placed the bullet on his ball?

[Mecca]

No, I maneuvered the bullet around the testicle area. Think it was. And he had a violent reaction, not towards me, but like, bitch, fuck you.

[Jamila]

So that's like the only dominatrixy thing?

[Mecca]

No. Well, I said that to say in my head at that moment, because I had to be like so dominant in that moment, like, do this, do this, do this. And then he was like. And in my head I had that thought of Mecca's a dominatrix, of you saying. I was like, maybe I am lie. You're back.

[Jamila]

And take this bullet. I've slapped the boy.

[Mecca]

I've slapped and been slapped.

[Jamila]

Not gonna be slapped.

[Mecca]

I didn't like it. I wasn't expecting it, actually.

[Jamila]

I actually really like slapping boys.

[Mecca]

And that's for the patriarchy.

[Jamila]

It's so like, what the did I just do?

[Mecca]

They'd be liking it, though. They love. They like it.

[Jamila]

Men are so.

[Mecca]

They like being bitched out a little bit. No shame.

[Jamila]

They're so like, the look on a face after you slap and you're like.

[Mecca]

That'S why it makes sense. No.

[Jamila]

Again, mistress.

[Mecca]

Thank you, miss. That's why it makes sense. Why such pat like when powerful men are like going to dominatrix? Because you'd be with a regular and do some like that and he'd be like, whoa, I be feeling like when. Not me. I'm too much of a gangster. Like, whoa, you're probably gonna beat my ass for real. You don't. You're not the vibe. Anyway, let's spin it.

[Jamila]

Oh, we have a follow up.

[Mecca]

Okay, starting off with a follow up period. All right, here is our segment. Spin it now. This is where you, the audience, sends me and Jamila the host, your low down, messy gutter snipes situations for us to give you a little advice on, but more importantly, to help you give it a PR spin. Now, keep in mind, Jamil and I are not PR professionals. We just studied in our.

[Jamila]

Try again.

[Mecca]

What was that? We just studied it in undergrad. Don't forget to email your situations to us at Unhinged Anymore pod gmail dot com. Don't forget to include your age, your race, your gender, your political affiliations and if you're a man, a height, make sure that they are terrible situations. We have some real plush care bears who have been emailing us very good people of Allah, of Christ, of the universe, whatever goodness is in the world. Those are the people who are asking us for advice. We want horrible people asking us for advice. Please, if you're terrible, email. What do we have this week, Shamila?

[Jamila]

We have a follow up.

[Mecca]

Yes.

[Jamila]

All right. Hi, Mecca and Jamila. I apologize for a late follow up. I'm behind on episodes due to moving and shaking. I couldn't even believe my ears hearing you guys read my spinach. I have some updates and I have some updates and filling in information period. So hopefully we can remember this because y' all know my memory's bad. Y' all know.

[Mecca]

Okay, well, I help, I hope.

[Jamila]

All right, let's see. Number one, I graduated with honors from the HBCU that's been alive since 1875. Alabama A. And 1 thing about our HBCU people, the illustrious, illustrious, the one, the only marching band aficionado straight out of 1875, you already know.

[Mecca]

Anyways.

[Jamila]

All right. The Alabama Anu. Am.

[Mecca]

Alabama A& M Architectural.

[Jamila]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mecca]

I got into there fun fact with.

[Jamila]

A degree in psychology with a minor in communication media. Come on comms, girl. Two, I originally was going to be a therapist in psychology, but realized I didn't want to be nobody therapist for the rest of my life. I am currently in the world of marketing. The end goal is event and brand marketing. If y' all have any advice or tips in that industry, it would be great. Appreciate it. Number four, I left the job. I took a crazy leap of faith, moved to St. Louis and worked in marketing for a casino. And I can say I am much happier. It's not my end, but it's my good start in a much better environment. To answer your question, Mecca, of course there is black elitism within HBCUs, even in my small country bumpkin HBCU. But the exposure to all kinds of black people is what shaped me into the woman I am today and allowed me to be able to be in so many rooms comfortably and welcome. I hope this makes sense. Six, can I ask for more advice? What? Number six, can I ask for more advice? I out Here, I'm out here by myself. Okay. How do you adjust to life after your HBCU and corporate environment? And how do you make friends as an adult? I took in everything you guys said and I truly appreciate that even. Baby, it's a bit a long day. Auntie, this is. This is our second record long week, y'. All. I'm sorry. Y' all know Auntie delete. I truly appreciate you even took the time to give me advice. Thank you for. Thank you. Thank you. Oh, that baby sent us a picture.

[Mecca]

Oh, don't show the camera.

[Jamila]

She sent it. I think she want us to see. She. She went in a bad situation. Good job, baby.

[Mecca]

We tried to protect the anonymity.

[Jamila]

She put a whole name Sanaya. Follow up. I don't remember you said the first time, baby. Let me go remind myself.

[Mecca]

My.

[Jamila]

My. Let me just type in Sanaya. Okay, let's see.

[Mecca]

Standby while we're on standby.

[Jamila]

Standby.

[Mecca]

Stand by me. Was it Sam?

[Jamila]

Oh, here you go. This was in March. She originally sent this. So I'm. It's a really short one, so I'm going to reread her first one so that we can kind of refresh ourselves. Hey, me and jam. I absolutely love Yalls content podcast. It's like listening to my big sisters. I have less of a spinning and more asking of Advice. I'm a 23 year old and graduate in May from a HBCU. Of course, I'm currently in a position that doesn't make me happy but will lead me somewhere. I have other opportunities, but I don't want nor know if I should leave it, leave here or stick it out. I don't feel like I get to be my full self where I am now. But I don't want to be a quitter. Please give me advice. I kind of remember this one. I remember this generic advice and everything.

[Mecca]

Okay, cool.

[Jamila]

So you left the job, you got you a new one. You put all your down. You said, I'm moving to St. Louis. And now you basically asking for advice how to maneuver within this new space, this new career, this new city as a young, hot, fresh graduate from YO HBCU, Alabama. A&M.

[Mecca]

Yee. I don't know.

[Jamila]

They're like, I don't know what y', all, man.

[Mecca]

I was gonna say, yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever the hell that is.

[Jamila]

But you know what I'm saying, to be honest with you. Sidebar. A lot of people hate or not when they say, hey, the people who don't want to go to HBCUs and don't like HBCUs. Their critique being I don't want to be around a whole bunch of. Because that's not the real world. And I always say, why do you want to be in the real world so bad? I always say why do you want to like, I guess if that's what you want to do, whatever. So I'm glad you got the experience of HBCU being surrounded by so many black folks. And now you're in St. Louis, which is not necessarily all black city, but it show is. Right. And now you kind of get a little bit of exposure. I assume you're probably in like the big area, like the downtown casino. Yeah, you're probably like in that downtown area. And so now you're inundated within what the people call the real world. It can be a culture shock. But don't lose sight of who you are just because you in that corporate space. Although cold switching can be survival, don't get too caught up in the code switching that you lose who you are and your identity. You can be as black as hell, as lack as you want in those corporate spaces and still be professional. Don't let anybody tell you that professionalism is whitewashing. Professionalism is how you show up in that space and be a good worker, be. And have a good strong work ethic. Ain't got nothing to do with how you talk, how you move and the things that you like. And that's that. That's for anybody out there, any black folks, anybody who feels like they have the code switching that way. And my advice to you would be to go back. Back to your school for homecoming.

[Mecca]

Yes.

[Jamila]

Because it's going to bring you back to your roots. It's a. It's always a good time for camaraderie. It's a good time for networking as well. Seeing people that you haven't seen in so many years. Especially as years go by, people start to enter different fields that you might be interested in collaborating with in that way. I'm always a stickler for collaboration in any kind of way. So definitely go back to your school for homecomings. And then it'll also kind of give you that piece of like Nick, us. I missed y'.

[Mecca]

All.

[Jamila]

And it kind of just. It's. It's a recentering. It's really good. I'm trying to think of anything else. That's all I got from the top of my head.

[Mecca]

I mean, I really don't have anything else to add to Jamila's point. I think that when it comes to making friends as an adult, we do have to just put ourselves out there. I know that's really scary. Even as adults, it's scary to put yourself out there, but you have to put yourself in social spaces. You're not going to make friends. Staying home, you're not going to make friends. Friends just going showing up places and going in the corner. So you have to decide the type of friends you want to make. And when I say the type of friends you want to make, do you want to make friends at work? Do you want to make friends from the club? Do you want to make friends at a social gathering? Because those are different arenas in life that are going to attract different types of people. And I'm a. I'm a proponent of having different types of friends. I don't think you need to have one friend group that's like, y' all are my everything. Like, no, you can have your friends that you can just go to the club with. You can have your friends that you go to eat with. You can have your friends that you go to this stuff with. So I would say just decide what you want to do. Put yourself out there. You're in, again, a really black space. So I'm sure you can just go to the bar or the club and start meeting people that way. But more importantly, get your ass on eventbrite. You went to the hbcu. I would ask, are you in any organizations? Your communications girly. So you have like, the national association of Black Journalists. Like. Like those type of organizations, as elitist as they may be, when you do join them and get involved, you find yourself surrounded by community with of, like, mind a lot of time. And that can also help advance you in your career and a lot of times in other ways. Like, you learn a lot from spaces like that, so don't be afraid to join them. Type of, I guess you would say old headspaces. I know, like, in Houston, I'm in the process of trying to get involved with the Urban League as we went and spoke at their conference. And not because, like, we just went and spoke at their conference, but it's like there are so many connections to be made that I feel can help me grow in my career, but then also as a person, because people older than you, you know, we talk about the aunties and uncles, but we're the new aunties and uncles.

[Jamila]

Hello.

[Mecca]

And the same way you're writing in to us for advice, I still have advice. I need to ask somebody for advice. And so when I Surround myself around those type of people. I'll be able to get it.

[Jamila]

So yes, yes, and shout out to nabj. I'm glad you said that. That's a really good organization, specifically because. And I'm sure you know, this communications is so broad, and there are so many opportunities, and nabj don't play about them opportunities and branching them out and bringing people in and really, like, making sure we are good. Because in the world of journalism, black folks are very small. Right? Small groups. So definitely reach out to them and just. Just live life, girl. You're so young. You just graduated.

[Mecca]

You're gonna meet people as. As you go along. You're gonna meet people that you're maybe just friends with for a year, and then y' all not friends. Be open to that, too. Be open to the seasonal friendships. Don't try and hold on to things that don't serve you. I mean, this is very blanket advice for anyone who's transitioning and around this age, or not around this age, but I definitely don't believe in holding on to friends who no longer are supposed to be in my life. I don't mind letting friendships end. And when I say friendships, then we have this, like, idea that it's on a bad note. That's like, them. And it's never like, never that. It's just. I think that when you hold on, when you hold your fist tight, it's not open. So you can't receive nothing new. So you need to be willing to let people go, let opportunities go. Sometimes it's not meant for you. You. The season is over. People come in and serve their purpose, and. And maybe they were there for, like, a very specific point in your life. I can think of several friendships that it's like, when you were in my life, I needed you. And I will never talk about you, because you were that person that I needed. But then I moved to another stage in my life, and you didn't necessarily fit into that mold, and I no longer fit into your mold either. I want to put that on the floor. Like, you just aren't right for each other no more. So I like to, like, let people go with grace. Like, definitely remember that. Yeah. I have nothing else to add. Well, this has been another fabulous episode of Unhinged Immoral.

[Jamila]

We know.

[Mecca]

It's our Christmas episode, so Merry Christmas.

[Jamila]

Happy New Year, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah. Unless you're a Zionist. No shade.

[Mecca]

Zionism and Judaism aren't the same thing, so. But free Palestine. Yes. We've been saying it, but Jamila and I are going on hiatus in January, So first few weeks is actually gonna.

[Jamila]

Be our last new episode.

[Mecca]

Our last new episode until what, around February. Somewhere in there.

[Jamila]

So you guys are about to get inundated with some rewind. Yes, we love a good rewind.

[Mecca]

Yes.

[Jamila]

So let's see.

[Mecca]

Well. Well, since it's the end of the year episode.

[Jamila]

Well, we have to. I wanted to. Did I cover all the holidays? Merry Christmas, Happy Quanza, Happy Hanukkah.

[Mecca]

Ramadan. That's not.

[Jamila]

Well, Ramadan. I think. I think we'll be back for Ramadan.

[Mecca]

We'll be back.

[Jamila]

In case not. Asalam alikum.

[Mecca]

No O for me.

[Jamila]

Shout out to the atheists who don't do anything.

[Mecca]

Jehovah Witness. Y' all not doing anything.

[Jamila]

Jehovah. Y' all ain't getting no prayer presence.

[Mecca]

The Buddhist. Is that real?

[Jamila]

That's a real chant.

[Mecca]

Oh, say it again. Yes. Hindus.

[Jamila]

Chinese New Year.

[Mecca]

That goes with the Buddhist, I believe. Not necessarily the Chinese New Year, but that's not a religion. That's a holiday. You right.

[Jamila]

I'm just, you know, coming on my face, balling. Oh, the.

[Mecca]

The. The. The.

[Jamila]

The India holiday. What's that called? The India.

[Mecca]

I don't know.

[Jamila]

I have to search it, guys. Oh, my gosh. What is the India holiday?

[Mecca]

Well, why Jamila, searching that? Since this is our last episode of the year, dropping only a few weeks after our first birthday as a podcast, I would like to thank you guys for your continued support of myself and Jamila.

[Jamila]

Diwali. Sorry.

[Mecca]

Diwali.

[Jamila]

Happy Diwali.

[Mecca]

Happy Diwali. It's been a real crazy year for us. You've seen us go through personal ups and downs, and you've seen this podcast grow, like, exponentially. I'm really excited to see what, like, year two holds. I know that we had, like, a very specific idea of what we wanted this to be like when we started. And I feel like seeing everything come to fruition, like, so quickly has been pretty insane, because what we're doing now is not necessarily what I had in mind of happening in the first 12 months. I'll be real with you.

[Jamila]

Oh, for sure.

[Mecca]

So just. And. And this wouldn't be possible, like, obviously, without the support of y'. All. So we want y' all to know we. They are very grateful for the continued support of us, individually and collectively.

[Jamila]

Definitely. So reflections.

[Mecca]

Okay.

[Jamila]

I will say so. Okay. I'm just trying to gather my thoughts.

[Mecca]

Diwali.

[Jamila]

Diwali. Sorry. Y' all know I Just that was gonna bug me if I didn't get it, but yes. So we are officially a year and some change, complete with unhinged immoral, which is super dope. Y' all already know the statistics with podcasts. So it's like we've. We've already.

[Mecca]

And we've done all the things.

[Jamila]

We've done all the things. And so I feel very happy. Like, even if this is the end, I feel so successful in that because it's like, damn. Like, that was really cool. Like, we did all of these things. We made so many.

[Mecca]

Hit so many marks.

[Jamila]

Yeah, we hit so many, like, milestones and marks and stuff. So it's like, yeah, we ate that. We really did. And so for the new year coming, I'm sure we'll do a new year something right, because you know how new year, new me. But as this is wrapping up and as you guys are kind of ending your year, I do want to let you know that, like, you have to be so willing to see some through, especially within the creative space. The creative space is not for the week. I tell you that. And I mean that. Even though I love it and I wouldn't trade it for anything else. The credit space is not for the week, and it's. It's not for people who are in it for the money, because the money is the last thing you'll see in this space. You have to do it for the love of the game and hope money comes honestly. And everything that we've done this year has been so organic.

[Mecca]

Yeah.

[Jamila]

I want y' all to know that we to this date, have not paid for advertisement. As far as pushing this podcast out. We have not been not paid for, not one article that has been published for us. And this, again, is not no shade or disc, because I know how works in the industry. Sometimes you need to pay to play so that you can get your out there. I'm just letting you know every bit of number that you see from us was completely raw and organic off the strength of this.

[Mecca]

This was built organically. Yes.

[Jamila]

Now, next year, you might see some. That's what I'm saying.

[Mecca]

Now hold on. Next year we got to get with the big dogs.

[Jamila]

I'm just talking about this year. You all see the badass. But I just wanted to let y' all know, like, we had. We just had to talk our real quick. Like, this is all organic reach. Every single guest that we've had on this year has been literally through us just reaching out. We have not worked with any major agency to grab people. We have not done anything outside of, hey, would you want to come on.

[Mecca]

The podcast outside of being ourselves else literally. So it's possible.

[Jamila]

Same with going on other people's podcast. Yeah, very simple. And that means a lot to me because that means that we are showing up very authentically and it's being received authentically. And people trust our, trust who we are to, to make their space, you know, welcoming and then trust coming on our space that it'll be good too. And I feel so great and I'm really excited about what's to come next year for ourselves individually and together with this podcast. Like so many things on the horizon. And we hear you guys, we know y' all want a live show and I promise you, we do too. And I know that we've teased the live show now for several, several, several months. But I want y' all to understand and know that the only reason we have not had one yet is because we could not do it right. And at this point, in this juncture, considering we've done so much so well and right. Well, what y' all expect for the.

[Mecca]

Live show, we got to do it.

[Jamila]

Correctly, we got to come correct, and we got to make sure we go through the bells and whistles, which is part of the reason we're taking a hiatus in January. Because we want to be able to really do that pre production work that is necessary to make that live show amazing and so that it can hopefully spawn a tour. And I want y' all to understand a live show tour, a podcast tour, is damn near the exact same as an artist touring.

[Mecca]

It's a lot. It's a lot of work.

[Jamila]

Which means we need a huge team and most importantly, money. All of you businesses out there, brands and corporations, if you would like to be a sponsor to our live show, to our tour, you can send me personally a check for $1 million. I will send you my banking info stat. But no, for real. So that's, that's what we're working on. So let us work on it. And I promise you it's going to be done right and you will not be sorry.

[Mecca]

Well, don't forget to subscribe to our Patreon, which helps us pay our staff editing team. We believe in paying folks what they are owed for their business and for their work. And thank you.

[Jamila]

Can't nobody say they ain't got paid from us.

[Mecca]

And let's talk about that. Cause that in the, in this industry. Oh, she, she expected me. You ain't heard that about us.

[Jamila]

Cause we pay folks.

[Mecca]

Now we might be a little late.

[Jamila]

It might have been late.

[Mecca]

It cause we was getting it together, but you got it.

[Jamila]

Okay? Now something they can say about us is they help us pay me late.

[Mecca]

We did, we did.

[Jamila]

But you got paid, baby.

[Mecca]

But you got it and we didn't skimp. And we gave you every dollar you owed and you asked for.

[Jamila]

I don't owe nobody money but my parents, and that don't count.

[Mecca]

Well, I owe. I owe the government for that.

[Jamila]

Government you ain't getting from me, Trump. I hope by the time you watch this episode, you're dead.

[Mecca]

All right, well, we'd like to stay on air.

[Jamila]

Oh, BLEEP that out. Bleep that part out, y'. All.

[Mecca]

All right. Yeah, we'll see y' all next year. Happy New Year.

[Jamila]

Happy New Year. Want a secret to free holiday gifts? Free. Yes. Really. It's TikTok and free. You pick one to three products, share your unique link with friends, and watch the price drop in real time all.

[Mecca]

The way to zero.

[Jamila]

That's a free items with free shipping. Ready to try. Download and open TikTok search/free Tap to join and start slashing now.