Episodes

  • 53 - 7000 Islands // Unveiling Asian Flavours in Alcohol
    Nov 13 2024
    Siegfrid 'Siggy' Bacani joins Nathan and me on this episode to cover his business called 7000 Islands. They focus on Filipino craft beer, wine and spirits. Some highlights are the Ube Cream Liqueur and the Ube Lager. There will soon be a Pandan Liqueur available! They want to bring the best of Filipino flavours while also promoting Australian wines in the Philippines. We try the Ube Liqueur live and find out whether those wine snobs were onto something. Guests: Siegfrid Bacani Supporting: Nathan Items mentioned: Tung's food pic: #1 & #2 Hello Auntie restaurant Australian sushi in NYC Links: 7000 Islands Instagram 7000 Islands Website Simply click the link or USE Promo-code BEENTOJAPANBTW at check-out 💯 BUY any Ube Liqueur 🍹 or Engkanto craft beer 🍺 GET your second item 50% off 🍻 *Must add your second item to your cart, and then check-out for 50% to apply Go to 🛒 Promo Ends 1st Jan 2025 00:00am https://7000islands.co/discount/BEENTOJAPANBTW Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ⁠ricenmicspodcast@gmail.com⁠ Follow us on our socials: ⁠https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast⁠ Music: aKu - Love Shine | aKu - The Final Blow --- Chapters 0:00 Intro1:30 How many islands does Australia have?3:36 What does 7000 islands sell? How good is the ube liqueur?4:18 Bringing Asian drinks locally | What is ube?6:29 We try the ube liqueur, what is the inspiration behind it?9:11 How would you describe ube/taro to your Aussie mates?10:04 The differences in cooking style between cultures, what is umami?12:01 Loving the Italian food due to its simplicity14:08 A pandan liqueur?!15:48 What is small batch alcohol?17:00 What alcohol does South West Sydney consume the most?19:37 Can you name any brandy?20:50 Why do Asians drink so much cognac?23:40 What led up to 7000 islands?27:40 Why don't Philippine people drink wine? Relearning Tagalog29:14 The accessibility of Europe31:29 Wine is considered a luxury in the Philippines31:48 Explain a 'dry wine'34:01 Why don't we pair more Asian food with wine?37:38 The best Asian restaurant that pairs wine - now closed40:26 Nathan and I don't drink while eating?42:20 What is the fanciest Vietnamese restaurant in Sydney?44:26 Philo food is not popular46:37 The one Philo restaurant Tung went to in Melbourne | Chicken oil?48:22 Figuring out what beer would pair well50:45 Are the beers available locally?53:22 Siggy's axe to grind with Blacktown57:13 Siggy's experience with Fraser Property59:21 How does the high tax on alcohol affect business?1:02:04 How does distillation work?1:03:49 What do the letters mean on the ube bottle?1:05:48 Wine pairings increase revenue, describing sensation1:06:57 Sydney Ube Festival1:11:47 What is Che? Did my friends enjoy the ube?1:13:05 We try the ube lager, GLASS DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE1:17:00 How do pairings work?1:18:16 Maintaining the Asian flavour, not westernising it1:19:38 Simu Liu Bobba Situation1:23:38 Australian lady gets cancelled after opening a sushi store in the US1:30:15 Alcohol milk tea??1:32:00 Balancing importing Philo drinks and exporting wines to Philo1:35:35 History of distilling1:37:49 Tomatoes aren't native to Italy1:38:25 We pair Thit Heo Quay with the beers1:41:57 Beer complexity scale1:46:29 The difference between bourbon and whiskey, beer types1:50:34 The rise of Asian flavours1:54:30 Trying and mixing the ube liqueur2:00:20 The importance of community when promoting these flavours2:03:00 That Ratatouille scene2:04:19 Advice for others2:05:57 Reducing risk taking from having a kid2:07:20 More advice2:10:24 A BARGAIN?!
    Show More Show Less
    2 hrs and 12 mins
  • 52 - The Reality of Personal Training // Physio & Commonwealth Games
    Oct 16 2024

    Watch this in video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhiF1H_97jU

    Gary returns 4 years later to give his insight on what it's like as a PT long term. The financial struggles, addiction, lifestyle inflation with partying, to going completely clean. We are also joined by Gary's good friend, Phillip, who is also a PT. Phil has the added qualification of being a physio alongside his coaching and has competed in the Commonwealth games in weightlifting. Raw advice, a $4,000 scam that helped craft Phil's sales course and more await in the longest episode yet.

    Guests: Gary Le & Phillip Liao

    Items mentioned:

    - Jackie Chan video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyuoESJ7G1E

    - Thai insurance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaWA2GbcnJU

    Links:

    - Gary: https://www.instagram.com/garyprimept/

    - Phil: https://www.instagram.com/phillip.liao/

    Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ricenmicspodcast@gmail.com

    Follow us on our socials: https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast

    Music: aKu - Love Shine | aKu - The Final Blow

    ---

    Chapters

    0:00 Intro

    3:51 What's changed for Gary in 4 years?

    6:37 Who is Phillip Liao?

    8:31 What is Prime Performance?

    10:53 It's not just theory you need to know

    12:32 Going into PT blind = failure

    13:04 The BTS for PTs

    15:26 Gary sells nightmares

    16:26 Gary's first year of income as a PT

    17:16 Being your own boss isn't always a good thing

    19:09 How has Gary's coaching methods changed?

    20:55 Exclusive, luxury gyms

    23:46 How Phil started his Commonwealth games journey

    29:59 Phil's gruelling weight loss story

    32:41 The suffering in training for the Commonwealth games

    35:59 How much should you invest in skills as a PT?

    38:16 What happened after the commonwealth games?

    40:21 Advice to get into weightlifting

    42:27 Why did Phil decide to live overseas for a few months?

    43:51 10 months of travel with only 6.5kg of luggage?!

    46:56 Meeting a distraught Canadian in Day 1 Kuala Lumpur

    49:48 Breaking down the options

    51:33 Day 1 continued Kuala Lumpur

    52:28 Having a panic attack, forcing a cry with Jackie Chan vids

    55:09 What makes us cry?

    57:43 How does Phil pick where to go next on holiday?

    1:04:23 People put themselves in a box to stop them from doing things

    1:07:12 Is what you believe because you've been told that your whole life?

    1:10:28 The investment property argument

    1:11:54 Passive income does not exist

    1:15:22 Why Tung travels more

    1:16:12 The advice old clients have given

    1:18:24 You can't travel with the same pair of eyes now vs later

    1:20:38 Our parents don't have much time with us

    1:22:44 Phil and his Dad not agreeing on business

    1:23:35 Not all advice from our parents can be good

    1:24:30 Gary's partying regime and lifestyle inflation

    1:28:58 The nightlife and Gary's wake up call

    1:31:44 Gary's bet with his partner to go sober

    1:34:55 Spiralling out of control with substances

    1:35:56 How much harder is online coaching vs in person?

    1:37:21 Online physio?

    1:39:09 Best type of coaching style?

    1:43:48 How to break out of a 'box'? The harsh truth

    1:58:04 Everyone's the main character in their own world

    1:59:16 What's the best diet?

    2:00:42 Is it harder to gain or lose weight?

    2:01:47 Do you like cold showers?

    2:03:16 Cryotherapy?

    2:04:36 The real hard sh*t

    2:06:12 Sometimes there's no magic massage from physios

    2:09:51 Phil's overseas trip continued - Georgia

    2:11:48 The Turkey $4,000 scam

    2:21:29 The lesson from the scam

    Show More Show Less
    2 hrs and 24 mins
  • 51 - Engagements & Weddings
    Sep 10 2024

    I'm back to doing video with podcasts! Check this one out on YouTube!

    With big news from Nathan, we decide to dive into this topic of engagements and weddings, and the rules/things you should/shouldn't do around them. Everyone around us is also getting engaged and setting up dates for their wedding. It's an exciting time.

    Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ricenmicspodcast@gmail.com

    Follow us on our socials: https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast

    Music: aKu - Love Shine | aKu - The Final Blow

    Chapters

    00:00 Intro

    00:55 What’s New?

    02:38 What’s Vo2 Max?

    03:10 A bakery in Cabramatta that’s run by a school girl

    04:18 Has this been the warmest winter?

    06:47 Another marathon?!

    08:11 Engagements

    09:53 Everyone’s having kids/getting engaged

    10:57 Nathan and Matt’s engagement experience

    17:23 Real diamond vs Lab vs Others

    18:32 Navigating buying a gemstone

    22:39 Diamond traits

    25:13 Do you feel any different after getting engaged?

    25:36 Judging each other’s engagements

    30:48 How is Nathan finding planning a wedding?

    32:54 Sponsor - Son of a Booth

    33:08 Finding vendors you know

    37:01 Wedding themes?

    37:27 Charging for a wedding?

    38:15 How much are you meant to donate at a wedding?

    39:58 Money or gifts?

    41:35 Trying to buy less, consumerism

    43:06 Destination weddings

    44:32 Frugal vs extravagant wedding

    48:20 Popular wedding venues in the area

    48:58 Wedding DLCs

    53:06 Choreographed dances

    54:50 First dance songs

    57:29 Engagement being recorded on Strava

    58:20 Have I gone ring shopping yet?

    59:08 Legal question: Can you get an engagement ring back?

    1:00:18 Would you call your engagement off if your partner thought you were ugly?

    1:00:47 Are running clubs the new dating scene?

    1:01:13 AllenInCabra breaking trends in the dating scene - FIRST DATING EVENT IN CABRA

    1:02:11 Rocking up in a fancy car

    1:04:48 We’re getting old…

    1:05:44 Will we get sick of attending weddings?

    1:07:07 No engagement party?

    1:08:25 How organised is Nathan’s calendar?

    1:09:07 Where to go for honeymoons

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 11 mins
  • 50 - The Fruit Nerd // Bringing Excitement Back to Produce
    Aug 14 2024

    This was recorded in April 2024, so some topics that were raised may be a little outdated (been to Korea btw).

    When you think of the term 'fruit and veg', what comes to mind? Grocery shopping? The food pyramid? A healthy lifestyle? Something I need more of? Well for people like Thanh, it's something that really excites him. So much that he was donned the name 'The Fruit Nerd' from his mates.

    His mission is to revolutionise how we see and enjoy fresh produce. After listening to this, I hope that you can appreciate some of the work that goes behind the scenes for grocers to have produce stocked on the shelves. Thanh is an incredible story teller and shares many stories of his fruit experiences and his tips and tricks for fruit/veg. If you want the full encyclopaedia, be sure to check out his recently released book 'Don't Buy Fruit & Veg Without Me!' Honestly a good read and I don't read books that often. It has heaps of tips/tricks, recipes and stories that go along with it. I wasn't paid to say that but Thanh very kindly sent me a book for free. The review is all my words. 😂

    We discuss:

    • Who is Thanh Truong?
    • How did the 'fruitnerd' start?
    • Taste testing fruits every day for work
    • Working as the national buyer for Coles
    • Why the price of avocados plummeted and will never go up
    • Where are apples stored?
    • Our first memories with fruit
    • Should I grow a mulberry tree?
    • How different kinds of grapes are made
    • Some life hacks for picking out grapes
    • Tomato picking tips
    • What hacks are farmers using for growing produce?
    • Is the tomato a fruit or a vegetable?
    • Finding alternatives for fruit/veg
    • Why you should be more adventurous with trying out new produce
    • What vegetables I cook with
    • I try a mangosteen
    • What season would Thanh be stuck in?
    • How we all get our experiences from pop culture
    • How Korea is overtaking Japan in popularity
    • What makes Kyoho grapes so special?
    • Fruit giving culture in Australia
    • Appreciating the imperfections of produce
    • If in Jeju Island, try the Red Hyang or Hallabong Mandarin
    • Using all of our senses when picking out produce
    • Mandarin choosing tips
    • Experience being on Masterchef and Plate of Origin
    • How changing the packaging on fruits affected sales
    • Being able to tell the exact percentage of sweetness between fruits
    • Asking shoppers how they look for the best produce
    • How fruit will now change my travel habits
    • Trying other forms of fruit, like dried
    • Which fruit should you try from each Australian state?

    Guest: Thanh Truong / The Fruit Nerd

    Thanh's links:

    • Website
    • Instagram
    • 'Don't Buy Fruit & Veg Without Me!' book

    Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ricenmicspodcast@gmail.com

    Follow us on our socials: https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast

    Music: aKu - The Final Blow

    Show More Show Less
    2 hrs and 14 mins
  • 49 - Erbzmagic // Magic Life & Overcoming Adversity
    Jul 18 2024

    CW: Themes of self harm and depression.

    The willpower it takes to break out of a depressive mindset is not easy (just smile lol!). Justin's story is emotional, inspirational and something you need to hear. I almost cried filming this, and then the recording turned into something more light hearted. He's gone from fastfood, to retail, to banking, and now he's a magician and MC. He knows how to work a room!

    We discuss:

    • Who's Justin/erbzmagic?
    • His routine before performing magic
    • His life journey from the bottom to where he is now
    • Throwing your life away after one adversity?
    • What happened after finding out his dad had cancer?
    • Experience working in multiple retail jobs
    • The wake up call after an OD attempt
    • What's it like working at Cancer Council?
    • Having 2 AVOS?!
    • Experience working for Volt
    • Experience working as a disability support worker
    • Priorities changing once having a kid
    • Working at an influencer bar
    • Being scouted to work for corporate building events
    • Keynote speakers making big money
    • Fighting between finding what's gonna pay the bills and what's gonna fulfil him
    • Getting paid to do what you love
    • Memorable reactions while preforming
    • Appearing on the TV Show 'The Doghouse'
    • Justin's advice if you're going through a tough time
    • Inside out metaphor for controlling emotions
    • How a good support network helped him get out of a rut
    • How Justin's mum supported him throughout it
    • Modifying the act depending on the behaviours of guests
    • Working at Macquarie Bank

    Guest: Justin Ung / erbzmagic

    Justin's links:

    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • Website

    Items mentioned:

    Justin's appearance on The Doghouse - 28:40 timestamp

    Justin's reel about his life journey

    Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ricenmicspodcast@gmail.com

    Follow us on our socials: https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast

    Music: aKu - The Final Blow

    Show More Show Less
    2 hrs and 13 mins
  • 48 - iFlyFlat // Turning Points into Cheap Business Class Flights
    Jun 23 2024

    You're walking to your seat in the airplane and walk past the first/business class seats. You might wonder what these people do for work. What if I were to tell you there was a way to experience that an affordable price? This is where I need to drop in that this isn't financial advice and you should seek independent, professional advice.

    Credit card churning is very lucrative. Joining me is Steve Hui from iFlyFlat who explores this with me and also his business which helps other businesses turn their everyday business expenses into points.

    We discuss:

    • Who is Steve Hui?
    • What is iFlyFlat?
    • Finding the best value for credit card points
    • Steve's first business class flight experience
    • What credit cards does Steve have?
    • Credit card hacking is addictive?!
    • Finding loopholes in maximising points
    • Monetary value vs emotional value
    • Business class vs First class

    Guest: Steve Hui

    Steve's Business: iFlyFlat

    Items mentioned:

    • Doing yoga in first class
    • US $1 coin debacle
    • Emirates first class for just $620 USD

    Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ricenmicspodcast@gmail.com

    Follow us on our socials: https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast

    Music: aKu - The Final Blow

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 1 min
  • Collab: Perfect Blue (1997) review w/ Two Asian Blokes Podcast
    Jun 2 2024

    A bit late but here we are! I visited Melbourne in early April and had a great opportunity to collab with Thanh and Davy. We chat about the film, idol culture, our experience growing up with media and more. If you want to listen to the full episode, you can check them out in the link below.

    Full Episode (Spotify Link)

    Two Asian Blokes Podcast

    Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ricenmicspodcast@gmail.com

    Follow us on our socials: https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast

    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
  • 47 - Bargain Tips [Extreme Edition]
    Apr 2 2024

    I remember reading this old reddit thread about someone sleeping in their car for two years to save for a home loan deposit. While interesting I don't think it could be something I would be able to do personally. We discuss the extreme side of bargain hunting that we do and some other ideas if ego was off the table. Some of these are meant to be comedic and we don't expect anyone to actually do them. Haha, unless...?

    We discuss:

    • Using our lowest coin (5c) to our advantage
    • Pooping at work
    • How would we survive living in a van?
    • Nathan's hack to get free coffee
    • Where to get free wifi?
    • Nathan reveals the freebies he gets from his UFC gym
    • The MK Special Poke Bowl
    • Overnight oats
    • Dominos and Pizza Hut coupon hacks
    • Are the Coles and Woolworths self checkouts intrusive?
    • How the hell do Uniqlo self check outs work?
    • How scams are getting more and more sophisticated
    • Getting free toilet paper and food from work
    • Adding special requests for reservations
    • Justifying the cost of comfort

    Guests: Matt & Nathan

    Items mentioned:

    • The Uniqlo self-checkout machines use radio frequency identification readers to automatically detect RFID chips hidden in the price tags of Uniqlo's products. from: WSJ
    • The infamous Ozbargain public BBQ post

    Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ricenmicspodcast@gmail.com

    Follow us on our socials: https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast

    Music: aKu - The Final Blow

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 3 mins