Yanks and Blokes

We celebrate our 30th and final weekly show! (Don't worry, we will be back with different projects in the future.) To make this one special, we do every segment we've ever tried on the show one last time. We also manage to sneak in some conversation about whether we're allowed to like Harry Potter anymore after J.K. Rowling's transphobic comments and what makes a good/bad finale of a series.

As Kyle attempts to sort through a year's worth of pictures from Korea, we discuss how smartphones have replaced cameras in our lives and some of the pitfalls of both digital and film photography. Then we tackle the topics of movies, feminism, seaweed and medicine.

As the Black Lives Matter movement rages on and in an effort to continue the conversation about racial inequalities, we discuss cultural appropriation and institutionalized racism we've witnessed in Korea and our home countries.Then we attempt to lighten the mood by talking skyscrapers, rocket launches and different styles of comedy.(This episode was recorded on June 1, so things we talk about are said only with the knowledge of what happened to that point. For context, that was the day immediately following major looting, riots and unrest across the US)

We discuss the stress that Korean students face from attending multiple after-school academies each day and how that compares to the relaxed extracurriculars of our youths. Then we talk Harry Potter, crazy ramen flavors and vitamin candies.

Ella reports on the way some Koreans are blaming foreigners for the recent Corona spike, Kyle brings Hamilton rap lyrics to Accent Challenge and we discuss the things that do and don't motivate us to run.

We give context to Seoul's new Coronavirus outbreak, explain how you can rent Korean apartments without paying any money and discuss unique housewarming gifts. And Ella got a cat!

We break down some of the crazy theme cafes you can find in Korea, struggle with yoga lingo and discuss the constant battle to keep our bedrooms clean.

Being 14 hours apart, we discuss the struggles of maintaining various relationships across distance and time. Accent challenge brings us a city named "Ella" and a man with a booty obsession. Then we look at how reading fits into our 21st century lifestyles.

It is Ella's "Golden Podcast" so she pretends it's her birthday. We discuss the best ways to celebrate birthdays, the glory of Chicago deep dish pizza and how Kyle has been spending his time in quarantine.

Kyle tells the story of leaving of Thailand amidst deepening lockdown threats and arriving home in Chicago. Then we answer useless questions, discuss making art (poorly) and tell you how low you need to bow to old people.

We celebrate making it to our 20th episode! Being the last show Kyle records in Thailand, he brings up the topic of budgeting money while abroad. Then we discuss old novels, disappointing pastries and the pros and cons of attending music festivals.

As Ella thinks about investing in vinyl, we debate the best and worst ways of listening to music. Then we compare shitty American beers, argue about biscuits (cookies) and discuss having flexibility while travelling.

With the overwhelming amount of content about Corona that's out there, we try to keep our topics virus-free this week! We get way too excited about boats, discuss some gross meats from our home countries and try to maintain a positive attitude by sharing simple things that bring us joy.

We discuss the difficulties of grocery shopping and cooking using foreign ingredients, dig into details about the cult blamed for spreading Coronavirus in Korea, and describe our experiences of living in places without drinkable tap water. This might sound dull, but it's interesting we swear!

Kyle made it to Thailand and tells about crossing borders and the hippy/climbing/beach life he's been living. Then we're amazed by how often we touch our face and we compare how house parties in Korea differ from our home countries.

Our lives are in disarray as Kyle gets ready to leave Korea and Ella moves in to her new apartment, so we discuss what it's like to change scenery and say hard goodbyes. We also eat some British candy, play "What's Not Real," and reflect on the importance of having good neighbors.

Kyle looks back on his experiences going to Korean bath houses, with details including napping rooms and public nudity, Weird Food has us discuss eating bugs, and we think about how job searching and personal branding has evolved in our current social media environment.

After Kyle recaps his second Korean wedding experience, we talk about grimy bathrooms and futuristic toilets, nostalgic 90's TV shows and our views on love and relationships in the wake of Valentines Day.

We’re shocked by the extreme ways Korean K-pop fans show love to their idols, we dig into a fruity surprise from Kyle’s belated Christmas parcel and Kyle describes what it’s like being one of the very few cyclists on busy Seoul streets.

We analyze the extreme reactions Korean people are having to the threat of Coronavirus, try to bullshit each other in our new game, "What's Not Real," and, with "Parasite" receiving global attention during this year's award season, we discuss movie-going and Korean cinema.UPDATE: Some of our conversation about Coronavirus hasn't aged well, but this was recorded Feb. 2 and at the time there were only a handful of cases in Korea. It wasn't until weeks later that the outbreak happened in Daegu that threatened the country. Our conversation accurately represents the moment we were in, but things changed quickly in the following weeks. Please don't misinterpret us as being dismissive of the severity of the virus. Stay safe and we hope you enjoy the episode!

We've made it to double digits! We discuss the constant struggle to combat the effects of South Korea's air pollution, call out the multitude of Yanks & Blokes impostor podcasts, and make a list of pros and cons to help Ella decide whether to welcome two cats into her small apartment.

We ponder Korea's obsessive relationship with coffee, discuss controversy and conspiracy theories about The Royals, and increase our blood pressure by talking about the gross overuse of plastic in this country.

We went to a Korean wedding! Hear about some of the differences from Western ceremonies that surprised us. We also discuss Fire Chicken, birthday celebrations and the endlessly confusing topic of "Korean age."

We're back in Korea from our respective vacations! Ella tells how her Korean friend got by in England knowing minimal English. Accent Challenge includes Jeopardy! clues and British slang. Finally, Kyle talks food, scooters and plants in Taiwan: 'Asia's hidden gem.'

Kyle shares his experience going to a traditional Eastern medicine clinic, complete with acupuncture and electric shocks. Accent challenge has us emulate personalities of celebrities we're unfamiliar with. We introduce our new segment, "Weird Food," and weigh the importance of New Year's resolutions.

We had some technical and logistical issues this week with us both travelling, so our recorded Y&B episode will have to wait. Instead we are sharing Kyle's yearly top 10 albums of the year list as a New Year's treat! We'll be back to normal episodes next week.

It's the Christmas Spectacular! Ella reports back about her experience at a semi-illegal Korean tattoo parlor. Then we dive "sled first" into the season, talking about Christmas traditions and holiday movie rankings. We also do a festive Accent Challenge and gift exchange.

Kyle shares his experience as the only foreigner during a traditional Korean night out, we remember the awkward moments from our Sex Ed classes, then Cardi B inspires us with her enthusiasm for greasy food.

We recap the fallout from Ella's soju challenge, talk about whether people really need likes on social media, and why we feel safe in Korea compared to our home countries.

This week, Ella drinks as much soju as she can while we talk about drinking culture, sibling feuds, weird pastries and Korea's plastic surgery craze. We also mentioned our friend's YouTube channel. Here's the link to that if you're interested: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSknObj2PGGK6KCkTyc5Kkw/featured

In our first episode we talk about smoking cigs and weed in the US and UK, jet lag and travelling, and we attempt our accent challenge for the first time.

This is us deciding what our podcast will be about. You can listen to us discuss our good and bad ideas with each other until we figure it out. This is not what every episode will be like, don't worry.