Akil and Hong welcome Director of Admissions and Records (and Akil's boss) Michael Medel to the show to discuss SBCC Admissions and Records, growing up in Carpinteria, and where to find some of the best steak, taco, and pizza places across the country; the show closes with a discussion on cultural get togethers, Burna Boy's "Twice as Tall," and Michael Jordan's "The Last Dance" documentary.
Mentioned in this episode:
SBCC Admissions and Records - https://www.sbcc.edu/admissions/
Mangonadas in Goleta (La Tia Joanna) - https://www.instagram.com/latiajoanna/?hl=en
La Michoacana Santa Barbara - https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-michoacana-premier-santa-barbara-2
Tacos el Gordo - http://tacoselgordobc.com/
King Taco - https://www.kingtaco.com/
Mony's - https://monyssb.com/
El Zarape - https://www.elzarapesantabarbara.com/
El Sitio - https://www.elsitiorestaurantsb.com/
Mariscos Jalisco - https://www.instagram.com/mariscosjalisco/?hl=en
Carnitas El Momo - https://www.instagram.com/carnitaselmomo/?hl=en
Sonoratown - https://www.sonoratown.com/
Tacos Pipye - https://www.yelp.com/biz/tacos-pipeye-santa-barbara-2
Taqueria Cuernavaca - https://www.yelp.com/biz/taqueria-cuernavaca-santa-barbara
Lilly's Taqueria - http://lillystacos.com/
Metropolitan Grill Seattle - https://www.themetropolitangrill.com/
Moe's - https://moesamericangrill.com/
Chicago Chop House - https://chicagochophouse.com/
Mastro's - https://www.mastrosrestaurants.com/
Tee-Off - https://www.teeoffsb.com/
The Palms - https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-palms-carpinteria
Lombardi's - https://www.firstpizza.com/
Pizzeria Uno - https://www.unos.com/
Zachary's Pizza - https://zacharys.com/
Little Star - https://www.littlestarpizza.com/
Patxi's Pizza - https://patxispizza.com/
Rusty's Pizza - https://www.rustyspizza.com/
Mesa Pizza - https://mesapizzaco.com/
Revolver Pizza - https://www.instagram.com/revolversb/?utm_source=ig_embed
Bettina - https://www.bettinapizzeria.com/
Burna Boy - Twice as Tall - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waImBy8OMrs
(editor's note: Burna Boy's song "Another Story" on African Giant is about Unilever and Nigeria, not Liberia - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHxJvDQT9bw)
Michael Jordan: The Last Dance - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Dance_(miniseries)
Captions provided by Zoom
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Hong Lieu: Hello and welcome to another episode of SPC bucket of voices a podcast highlighting the unique voices that comprise our campus culture and how we're all working together to serve our students in the community at large, as usual, and drove on the coast. He'll. He'll
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Akil: Was always up
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Hong Lieu: And today we are honored to welcome Michael medallia to the show. Welcome.
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Michael Medel: Michael Hey,
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Hong Lieu: Man Thanks for having me. Officially, you're the Director of Admissions and Records. Yes.
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Michael Medel: Last time I checked, yes.
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Hong Lieu: Admissions and Records.
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Hong Lieu: I mean, if you had to break it out, percentage wise it's not 5050 admissions quote unquote and records. Is it. I mean, it's
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Hong Lieu: A lot of it is probably records and kind of dealing with things. I mean, is it as someone who's kind of a lay person to the department, could you kind of break down what the responsibilities are the kind of the comings and goings of workings of the department or
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Michael Medel: Yeah, it's everything right. So I think
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Michael Medel: You know, the four year school it's you would be two separate departments. Right. So at the four year schools, you have your, your
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Michael Medel: Office of records and the Office of Admissions and they're two separate departments two separate functions in the community college. You are one in the same. Right, so you you handle all your admissions application processing you handle all
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Michael Medel: You know, bringing in the new students and working with new students getting enrolled all that which encompasses the admissions aspect, but
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Michael Medel: Also, it's the registrar right so it's registering students helping them register for courses and then the record aspect of it is maintaining records transcripts course rosters and managing that aspect of it. So it's all encompassing it's a it's a big department. I think if
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Michael Medel: From the exterior
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Michael Medel: You know, you hear the words admissions and records and you think, like, okay, you register students, but
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Michael Medel: You truly don't get the grasp of it until you actually work in that department to see just how huge. It is. I mean, it took. There's not one single department on campus that can mimic
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Michael Medel: The kind of reach that our Department does. I mean, we're, we're working with students of every single population. I just one soon population.
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Michael Medel: Every single student population. We're servicing faculty were servicing managers were servicing staff were so it's just it's its enormous, enormous operation. So yeah, it's a little bit of everything.
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Hong Lieu: And it's and it's not something that's just like an onboarding where you get them, you get them in. That's it, you're
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Hong Lieu: You're supporting them the entire way you're keeping you keep tabs on folks when something pings your record books, you have to reach out and say, Hey, what's going on here so it's
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Hong Lieu: It's a for the entire career of the student NSPCC you're kind of involved in kind of what's going on. Is that fair to say
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Michael Medel: Yeah, I mean every student comes through our office right so every student comes to our office and then
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Michael Medel: Even after the fact. Right. So once you've transferred on and you moved on. We still get, you know, students that we're dealing with that.
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Michael Medel: You know, want to obtain their records information what transcript sense. So even long after they've left our, our college, we're still working with students and some sort of capacity. So, yeah.
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Hong Lieu: So you seem right when they come in and then somebody department gives them a diploma. Shout out to Amanda Neal.
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Hong Lieu: Degrees and then a keel is also in the department as well. So, yes.
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Akil: Yeah it is, it's literally the first knowing department on campus where we're the first point of contact, usually. And then the last point where they're picking up to
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Akil: Their certificates. So they come up. Come to us right when out the gates and then when they're transferring on and they earn their degree in certificates, they see us one last time.
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Michael Medel: Yeah, I'll point out too, because a kill, you know, kill works in admissions and records and, you know,
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Michael Medel: He's kind of the man behind the scenes doing stuff that probably most people won't even know. Right. And again, it's, it's, you listen to that the name of the department admissions and records.
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Michael Medel: And you think, oh yeah, they're only doing registration and processing applications. So kill a kill. Does he works with the athletics department.
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Michael Medel: And he processes all of their athletic eligibility. What does that mean that means that every single student athlete at the college
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Michael Medel: Does not take the field or the court or the course, unless a killer goes through and deems them athletically eligible. So he goes through a whole process where he has to spend weeks at a time.
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Michael Medel: Evaluating a student's athletic eligibility and there's a huge a huge book of policies and rules, right, that that you have to
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Michael Medel: To follow
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Michael Medel: To make sure that the students eligible. And so, you know, weeks leading up to the start of the semester.
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Michael Medel: All these teams, all these players all these coaches, the whole entire department. Everybody is sitting back waiting
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Michael Medel: For admissions to make that call and allow them to take the field. And so that's a whole that's a that's an operation itself right you as an outsider at the college
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Michael Medel: You, most people probably don't even know that that's going on in their missions right but its massive. And so there's a bunch of those. There's a bunch of those instances where people are emissions are doing jobs to other departments.
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Michael Medel: So that students can continue their education that has
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Michael Medel: Something to do with admissions registration, but in other aspects. It's touch base. It's in counseling. It's in
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Michael Medel: Other areas. And so it's a subtle massive operation.
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Akil: It is. And I kind of also think to like for each special like boutique program we're touching those students that people don't even know about. You know what I mean. So
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Akil: I'm thinking like dual enrollment that touches a mission and record. Some people may not even or are unaware of for a long period of time. International that was touched by a mission in records all the specialty like
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Akil: Other programs like
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Akil: Was expressed to success. All these programs on the back end. They're bringing stuff that needs to be processed to our office so it's it's a it's a big ship and shout out to Angelica and Michael for being super, super
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Akil: Just amazing bosses to work for it, especially in light of covert the communication has been great. The, the work ethic. They're keeping us looping in and
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Akil: It's a pleasure, it's a pleasure to actually interview you Michael and to have you on the show. And have you as a boss and wouldn't want to work for anyone else. Well, I mean, I should say that too. But I would want to work for anyone else.
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Akil: I think you're standing up doing. Maybe that's a career suicide, but I'm happy where I'm at mad.
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Hong Lieu: And I met
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Michael Medel: Appreciate that.
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, it's something that you really can't streamline I mean those subsets of students, you kind of just get different subsets they you know they they kind of swivel and go here and there, but
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Hong Lieu: It's never going to be something that's just like boom, boom, boom, because you you are dealing with the entire campus community. So you have to be able to kind of accommodate any kind of situation that comes up.
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Hong Lieu: So in light of the cove it you know times and the campus being mostly online for this semester, how have things that you know shifted for you. I'm sure it's been pretty substantial. But if you could go into that a little bit.
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Michael Medel: Yeah, this is a I'm I mean I've been working at the college for 20 years right full time and part time
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Michael Medel: I'm also an instructor and the communication department. I've been teaching in the communication department for about 13 years now. I've never seen a time like we're going through now in terms of work and the type of work that's required during a world pandemic.
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Michael Medel: It's been like nothing I've seen before in terms of, you know, trying to adjust your work style change your policies or procedures I you know I look at it this way.
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Michael Medel: You know, we live in a community of Santa Barbara, and we've had lots of emergency situations that have come up in the community, you know, whether that be wildfire mudslides or or whatnot, and
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Michael Medel: You know, kudos always get sent out to the first responders and the community rightfully so well deserved for sponsors always coming through in times of emergency in and I looked at Santa Barbara City College. And I think of us as a community.
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Michael Medel: You know when you add up all the students all the staff all the factory managers. I mean, we're talking about thousands of people. Right.
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Michael Medel: functioning as a community. And so when I think about this pandemic and I think about our community of Santa Barbara City College in my eyes.
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Michael Medel: classified staff or the first responder
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Michael Medel: You know, it's like I said I I'm a faculty member, so I had to adjust my class to the online world quickly in a matter of a week or two and
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Michael Medel: Continue to take trains over the summer and and figure out how how to convert my class to, you know, remote remote learning and the curriculum and and make it good for students and as a manager. Yeah, had two weeks to try to turn around.
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Michael Medel: Entire department and make sure that it could be functioning, you know, functioning for for students and if my role as a faculty member my role as a manager was a challenging. Absolutely. Was it was demanding absolutely stressful. Yes, you know, do we make huge changes for students. Yes, but
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Michael Medel: That pales in comparison to the lifestyle of a classified staff member
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Michael Medel: I don't have students to teach. If it's not for the classified staff member. I don't have a department to manage it was not from the classified staff member the classified staff members had been carrying the college on their backs during this pandemic.
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Michael Medel: And they've been working miracles, given the situation working from home. We know it's not the most ideal situation. It's not your traditional office work environment, you don't have the same tools you're constantly interrupted with
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Michael Medel: home environment children, trying to get them, you know, on their online schooling and making sure they're fed or meal periods and and you got spouses at home and
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Michael Medel: You know everyone's on the internet. It's not as fast as it used to be. There are so many challenges, but the classifieds that especially in admissions and records has just stepped up to the challenge.
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Michael Medel: Embrace the challenge. They've been working around the clock to make sure that students are taken care of and staff.
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Michael Medel: And faculty, you know, again, I mentioned that our department is servicing not just students right we're we're responsible for making sure faculty are up and running that that staff and departments and programs and and that's a lot. That's a lot to turn around and classified staff just
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Michael Medel: In my eyes. They're the equivalent of the first responders right i think i think they need more more pub. I'd like to see our college embrace them and kind of lift them up a little bit more and realize that
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Michael Medel: They're in this pandemic to right
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Michael Medel: We serve students and we love her students, but I love my staff to right and so I'm just trying to make sure there's a balance right in my department that
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Michael Medel: That we that we love our students. We make sure they have the tools to be successful, but that we love our staff to take care of our staff and make sure they're well right they got the tools they need to succeed and so
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Michael Medel: In that regards I think we've been successful, we turned around pretty quickly and weeks and and we're able to provide online services for students with the ability to submit online forums.
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Michael Medel: You know, provide a way for them to contact us, whether that's via email or live chat and get special assistance and and
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Michael Medel: And really make sure they have the tools they need to succeed in this remote environment. So it's been an adventure. But we've survived and mainly because of classified staff.
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, most projects you think of you, you get a deadline day you say, oh, you know, by the end of March will be X, Y, and Z. But here it was literally after like
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Hong Lieu: Two or three days, the message came out and the switch turned on and we all had to turn around. So there wasn't time to get like this.
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Hong Lieu: One or two week training period or an orientation like someone from zoom didn't come and give everyone webinars about how to use the platform to its best.
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Hong Lieu: It was just, boom, boom, boom. Move it, move it, move it and then as issues come up. We plug into the wall and then people would reply with answers in add coming out the woodwork and we would get through it and i mean
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Hong Lieu: In a lot of ways that just kind of battle hardened, a lot of a lot of folks to kind of doing the best in under the circumstances and it's it's
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, it continues students are always the number one. But yeah, it is true that the staff were really, you know, on their heels for a while and we're doing our best to kind of
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Hong Lieu: To kind of get get to where things need to be. And we're and we're pretty close. I'd say that yeah things, things have gone relatively smoothly.
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Hong Lieu: Personally speaking, but yeah, it's, it's, it is interesting working from all
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Hong Lieu: And it is something where I used to think of home is my respite. Like, I go to work and I'd come home. It was two separate things.
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Hong Lieu: But they're totally blended. Now like I sit on the couch and work where I would sit on the couch before. And maybe that's my, that's my mistake. I think that's my problem.
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Hong Lieu: Is I should have
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Hong Lieu: I should have had like a designated office work area sooner.
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Akil: It's the couch. It's comfortable. Go ahead and
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Hong Lieu: So it's the best economic
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Hong Lieu: My like you know like lumpy slouchy selves. Yeah.
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Akil: So say that too loudly Adrian very might hear this.
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Hong Lieu: Oh yeah, she's
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Hong Lieu: I do have an office chair, too. So what I really would. That's the thing that over the months that I've done the best that is in terms of
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Hong Lieu: Actually getting a desk and getting a separate space where when I wanted to get into clinical work mode. I can actually go to a place now where before it was too much blending were
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Hong Lieu: Getting off work would be closing the laptop lid and then trying to get into a relaxed mode and especially when no sports. I'm like,
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Hong Lieu: Oh, I can't relax right now what do I do you know like what my distractions were minimal. And so, yeah, it's, it's, it was, it was adjustment period there too. But once again, we do the best we can and
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Hong Lieu: All things considered, not doing pretty well. I think
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Akil: Well, yeah, and also to speak to Michael's point. It's funny because right before we started recording. I was emailing back and forth with a faculty member who was
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Akil: requesting that I reinstated student. And so I was telling them what the, what the procedure is during the first two weeks, how you can just
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Akil: You know, it's good to teach give the student email or not code so they can actually I was what I was saying was email the student back, giving them a code and the student can add themselves.
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Akil: And then, you know, I'll take on reinstatement from week three, and so the professor, email me back still was a little bit confused about that so
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Akil: And then so I basically had to tell him like, look, this is what it, what it is.
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Akil: And so, but then before that I had a completely different.
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Akil: Email or I was dealing with a completely different situation from a parent in regards to their son or daughter. So it's just really interesting working in admissions, it's just, it's like
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Akil: When you're talking about first responders are made me think about. I'm sure like police officers each call is you just don't know what you're going to get right. And so that's a lot.
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Akil: To be said about how a mission and records functions like it could be dealing with an incomplete. You could be dealing with the reinstatement. You could be dealing with the
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Akil: irate parent, you can be dealing with the student that needs to know what the policy is around academic renewal. It's just so many different things coming at you, you know, which I actually personally love and I think
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Akil: You know that type of work is it makes definitely makes the day go by faster.
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Michael Medel: That's for sure.
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, that's, that's the thing I remember most from working in food service was the rushes were like agony in the moment.
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Hong Lieu: But then you look at the clock and like, though only got like an hour left now because it just time flew by so quickly. And there's definitely days that that that that does apply everywhere.
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Michael Medel: Yeah, yeah. That's funny. I, yeah. Growing up, I worked in two different restaurants as a cook, and
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Michael Medel: You're right I mean those days for it's just like the lines out the door and you're just hammering out food. Man, those days used to go by quick
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Michael Medel: He looked up, and you're like, Oh man, I have been, I've been added for, you know, five hours and didn't even know didn't realize how quick that what
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Hong Lieu: You're in the moment. It's like pure agony. But then the same time you're not even thinking about that too much because your brand new, just like this, then this then this then this get it out, then this then this then this
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Hong Lieu: Then this then this get it out. So users like running those reflexes and then we know days over so
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Hong Lieu: So it is one of those things where, like, yeah, it's it's it's a lot, but in the grand scheme of things you do the best to get it done and then it gets done, somehow, some way
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Hong Lieu: I've had a million products are like all its own. Every day you have to delay and you just grind it and next thing you know it's done and you never want to speak of it again so
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Akil: Maybe, maybe that explains why the, I think the last potluck we had before coven a Michael may talk was for the Department
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Akil: And
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Akil: Those things were on point, man. So maybe that is why, since he just alluded to him being a chef at two different restaurants. That's, that's probably why to talk to her, so good.
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Michael Medel: Yeah, I enjoy cooking man, especially tacos I you know I got one of my birthday gifts. A couple years ago I asked my wife to get me.
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Michael Medel: A taco grill so that I could you know fulfill my lifelong prophecy have been at that girl.
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Michael Medel: If I wasn't recommendations I probably be probably be at that ghetto sermon at
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Michael Medel: SoCal somewhere.
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Michael Medel: Are you
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Hong Lieu: Are you talking about are you talking about like a flat top grill or like a tropical
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Hong Lieu: Storm or something.
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Michael Medel: That girl. Yeah.
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Michael Medel: And so I ended up buying
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Michael Medel: A meeting need fat girl like
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Michael Medel: A small single burner one right and so I brought that one.
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Michael Medel: Back in the old days when we actually had to come to the campus to work.
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Michael Medel: I bought a I bought the grill to the patio and and surprise the staff and had them all come out. We I did tacos for them. And yeah, it was it's good stuff. I enjoy it. Enjoy it. It's not, it's not work. It's one of those things where it's not working work for me. You know, I enjoy
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Michael Medel: I enjoy cooking and watching people enjoy your food that's that's fun stuff.
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Hong Lieu: Oh yeah, it's grilling Grilling Is definitely that for me, where it's easy to feed a lot of people and it's and it's like the prep can be a lot then once you're actually cooking and getting it done like
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Hong Lieu: everything's moving and people are the scene is humming and it feels good, you kind of like a conductor of an orchestra has the most you know ready sides everything prepping everything
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Hong Lieu: We almost to the shortcut to the food section, but we do want to touch base really quick and ask, Michael, what brought you to SPC. I mean, or Santa Barbara. I think you're you're born and raised here or
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Michael Medel: Yeah, born and raised in Carpinteria
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Michael Medel: So the little beach town south of us.
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Michael Medel: So yeah, born and raised there grew up went to all the carpentry schools graduated from corporate High School.
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Akil: Or
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Michael Medel: You know the warriors, man. We're spirit never dies.
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Michael Medel: I got adopted into the dons families. Now, so, uh, so now I'm honoring Don
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Michael Medel: But yeah, you know, small town in Carpinteria you know I think growing up. No time being, being a child and teenager, you know that the population time was like 13,000
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Michael Medel: total population, you know, one high school small community. Everybody knows everybody
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Michael Medel: You know, used to be and growing up as a kid, you know, it was a carpenter a police department so
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Michael Medel: It was that small that, you know, instead of the the cop pulling you over he'd actually just call your dad.
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Michael Medel: You know,
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Michael Medel: And
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Michael Medel: And rat you out. Right.
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Michael Medel: It was literally that small like everybody knew everybody you could not, you could not do anything without being related to someone, or a friend of a friend or family where everybody just knew everybody right
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Michael Medel: And so that had its benefits, it didn't have its benefits, but a small school. You know, I, I'm not gonna lie, full disclosure in high school.
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Michael Medel: You know, I was not college bound. I think I you know I was all about sports girls and parties not in that order. Probably, but you know, I, I'm fortunate that I had an older brother.
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Michael Medel: So he's he's three years older than me for years in terms of grades, but he he ended up going to Santa Barbara City College and and
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Michael Medel: then transferred to Fresno State. He graduated Fresno State. So, and at one point time was actually working in the UPS department at Santa Barbara City College, one of the cofounders of the running start program at the time and
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Michael Medel: I'm unfortunate for him because he kind of was the
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Michael Medel: Was the person in my life that made sure I was, you know, doing good stain on it.
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Michael Medel: Making sure I needed to do the things I needed to do and
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Michael Medel: I, you know, incorporate a lot of people they don't leave that city. You know, it's a very mom and pop town growing up so you know a lot of people just you graduate high school and you start working a job.
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Michael Medel: Like you start working on a trade and you you help support your family and you stand up town and you work and you start, start earning money right and it wasn't often You Weren't coached up to go to college.
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Michael Medel: Or leave the city, you know, if you stayed home it because the families before you for generations. Every generation did that and
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Michael Medel: If it wasn't for sports.
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Michael Medel: At probably, probably wouldn't be where I am today. So I, you know, at a high school, I was a three sport athlete and track and field basketball, football.
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Michael Medel: Track and Field ended up becoming my, my best sport my top sport that I was there was doing and and I wanted to keep continuing on. And in college and so
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Michael Medel: I started running at Santa Barbara City College and long B hold that they said, well, you can't compete if you don't enroll.
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Michael Medel: In college, and take classes and and so I was not happy about that. I can see myself as a school person was not happy about that. But
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Michael Medel: I knew I wanted to keep competing. And so I thought, okay, I'll all enrollments and classes and, you know, just to to kill time. And so I can keep competing and
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Michael Medel: Man when I got similar city college and I got into those classes.
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Michael Medel: And experienced instructors and the level of instruction. I was just, I was blown away. I was blown away.
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Michael Medel: And
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Michael Medel: I felt like for the first time that someone genuinely cared about making me better in the classroom.
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Michael Medel: And and that they were really
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Michael Medel: really involved with making sure that I developed I you know I came in at all remedial math and English, you know, bottom, bottom level, you know, so
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Michael Medel: Really understanding today's students when you come in. I didn't have anybody that in high school. You know my counselors my teachers, nobody told me that was called material, nobody put me in college classes. No one told me that I didn't go to college.
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Michael Medel: And so that's the way I treated myself I treated myself like
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Michael Medel: That's what I was worth and so yeah you know I didn't pay attention to stuff I struggled in school and you know paid the price coming in college and starting out at the very lowest level English and math and and you know trying to survive, but
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Michael Medel: Got wrapped up in in the quality of education and how personalized instructors cared about you.
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Michael Medel: And the rest was history. I took off from that I my first semester at Central City College. I made the the honor roll had never done that not one single semester in high school, have I had ever made. The Honorable
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Michael Medel: And and i i got i got bit by that bug and I like that feeling that I I want that feeling to last.
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Michael Medel: First time feeling important. Feeling like someone you know Caesar worth and they and they see
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Michael Medel: That you are that you are able, and I wanted that I got addicted to that man and I want more of it and I came back for another semester and I came back for another semester.
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Michael Medel: And the rest is history. I end up transferring after two years to San Diego State University got a degree in communication from San Diego State and then finished up my my graduate degree at Cal State Northridge.
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Michael Medel: And so your question. This is kind of a long response to your question is, like, well, how, how City College. I ended up
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Michael Medel: actually ended up my first job was substitute teaching elementary school.
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Michael Medel: And I started out small mentors conquer and carpentry account. We know elementary and
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Michael Medel: ended up teaching a got assigned it a second grade class. So within like the first few weeks of me teaching a teacher took an extended materially and they ended up giving me that second grade class all to myself or majority of the year and
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Michael Medel: We that's a whole that could be a whole other podcast.
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Michael Medel: But it was it was crazy. And that summer, you know, I thought, well, I need to pick up some part time work from the summer, you know, because school is over and I reached out to my context at similar City College and
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Michael Medel: My contact information skirts said come on up and we'll have you work in admissions and records as a part time America.
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Michael Medel: And so I came up for that summer to work as a part time our lead in admissions and records.
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Michael Medel: And never left. So from there on, I just stayed there for college and worked my way through different departments and eventually have been an instructor and the communication department and full circle director and admissions and records. So it's been a, it's been a nice journey but
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Michael Medel: It's been a great one at the college
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, and shout out to older siblings, because in personally without my two older sisters. I don't know where I'd be either. And sometimes I think about my son who's an only child.
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Hong Lieu: I kind of feel like I've deprived them of having an older sibling or him being the older sibling kind of dropping knowledge on younger folks, you know, like is
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Hong Lieu: You can always get get the info from your friends but but something about older siblings like that.
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Hong Lieu: Can really kind of kind of scary straight in some ways because yeah i was i was opposite where I kind of smart, but I was just like, you know, like I use that to my advantage right to slack off.
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Hong Lieu: So I needed that kind of stern hand because my parents are always strict so when you just keep hearing the same thing over and over again.
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Hong Lieu: You know you can tune it out and you can find ways around it, but my sisters were like had that little touch of the real That would snap me back and like okay let's focus on this so
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Hong Lieu: So that's, I mean, the fact that you, you mentioned your older brother helping you out. I mean that's something that really resonates with me because my older sisters are
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Hong Lieu: They kicked me out of jail, a couple times and he taught me about a good credit and those are probably the two most important lessons in my life without even on the straight and narrow and maintain good credit so
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Akil: You know, it's funny, I was just listening to you speak. I think I'm that how you've completely come full circle. And I also was thinking about Angelica to because she was
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Akil: In a mission to record as a student worker to so I would venture to say we're probably the only department on campus that
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Akil: The director and assistant director, both are student workers in that department at one particular time. And I think that also enriches the department in some in a lot of ways.
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Michael Medel: Yeah, it's so when i when i came that summer that I had started as an app parked in Maui in admissions and records.
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Michael Medel: And head ago was it. He's a current student at Santa Barbara City College and she was working as a student worker and admissions and records.
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Michael Medel: Yeah. And now, now we're both the director and Assistant Director of Admissions and Records. So yeah, that's great.
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Hong Lieu: It's it speaks to like the continuity of the experience. The folks have that you know how it's been and how it was. And in terms of institutional knowledge and how things are done and how things are going to be done.
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Hong Lieu: You know, in terms of you ever have to streamline and make things efficient, you know, kind of
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Hong Lieu: The path of how things got to where they were. And that's and that's very important in any kind of department to maintain that kind of continuity. So absolutely, definitely nice any any any words about Foster's freeze closing
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Hong Lieu: Heart.
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Michael Medel: My heart. Yeah.
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Michael Medel: I took my niece and nephew shout TO MY NEPHEW, MY MY NIECE, Emma. A I took them down and Carpentaria my wife and I and we and
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Michael Medel: We took them down to the beach and you know I was telling my gosh. When I was a kid. There was nothing like spending the whole day at the beach, and after a long, hard day.
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Michael Medel: stop off at foster freeze and get yourself a nice or nice cold root beer float. And they were like, what's foster free. I'm like, oh,
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Get in the car.
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Michael Medel: We went to foster freeze and it was closed that day. And I'm like, oh, so I gave him the whole historical breakdown of foster freeze and and foster that location in Korea that had been that's been there longer than I've been born
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Michael Medel: It's been there that long. And so it's a staple in Carpinteria and and so my niece and nephew like three days later they sent me a picture.
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Michael Medel: With them at posture for us with the with the root beer float. So I'm glad that God that in before they turn the lights off. But yeah, broke my heart, man. It's been there a long time.
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, the carpenter libraries across the street from that fosters free. So I would go down there a lot when I have to do work at the library. So I'd always go there.
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Hong Lieu: And At different hours a day, it serves different audiences like you know after school. It's like it's overrun by by students
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Hong Lieu: But then in the mornings. There's like folks strolling to grab a cone, you know, you have a lunch rush you have the burger dinner rush. I mean, it's
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Hong Lieu: It's a feel like it's. It was a pretty you know not essential, but essential part of the community. You know, like it was it was a meeting spot for a lot of different groups in that town so
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Hong Lieu: I mean I've you know I'm optimistic about the folks are taking over the run that little farm stand. It'll be a nice restaurant but
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Hong Lieu: If they don't have some kind of like two or $3 item that kids can go in there by something eat to hang out for a little while, then it'll be
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Hong Lieu: Interesting to see how how how things change. Because yeah, for me, foster trees growing up was a cheap spot to get, like, you know, the fried burritos or a dip cone.
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Hong Lieu: You know, it was like under, under three bucks. You know, it's something that you could just hang out with friends.
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Hong Lieu: And then you have to, to not have that spot because now the closest Foster's reason been turned out because we had one in St. Louis. And I was in school, and that was like my cheap student meal as possible reason they closed. I was like all the garden in Santa Barbara, the mesa that closed.
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Hong Lieu: If I went in Carpinteria that's, you know, so it's
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Hong Lieu: Yeah.
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Akil: I had a friend that worked at the one up on the Mesa, which now is the Chase Bank, but man.
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Akil: That he was Jessica and shout out to her and she would hook it up and
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Akil: I was. She was like, she will hook it up and I kind of remember those days back in the days where you had a friend that first got the job at a certain spot and you will get those hookups
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Akil: And the icing always get the pie. Now he did the pineapple shake or the butterscotch shake, those, those two are like my always my go to the pineapple, or the butterscotch shake
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Akil: Yeah, it's those are those are great times, you know, thinking back on foster freeze and how everyone that's local has that has that memory, you know, and it's sad to see it's going I currently live in carp. And so I would I drive by
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Akil: I remember many nights driving by on carbon, we have a new in that places line out the door around the corner, you know,
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Akil: You know when this was the last day, is it this month, or is it gone already.
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Akil: I know it's coming ups.
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Hong Lieu: It was supposed to be the end of the month, but they might have closed already
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Hong Lieu: Share. Yeah.
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Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: Need to be, you know, yeah. My first job was a wiener schnitzel. And I was the opposite. I was the guy who looked at you and said, Don't even ask me for hook up. I just want to go home. I don't want to be here right now.
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Hong Lieu: I'm trying to discourage anyone who visited me. Don't come near me, but yeah.
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Hong Lieu: I know kicking it down. You know how it goes.
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Hong Lieu: So,
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Michael Medel: Oh yeah, I get
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Michael Medel: To the deal. I know you got
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Michael Medel: You got a job in that bag kicks. Come on.
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Akil: There that my first job was at Vons Montecito I was in high school. And that was the job of all jobs because we just get paid once a week every Friday. So a brother was never broke. Okay.
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Akil: I was like,
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Akil: I would get paid on Friday, I may have burned through that by Thursday. But guess what. Tomorrow's Friday. So that was my job.
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Akil: That was kind of like I just remember, especially in Montecito too because he would see a lot of celebrities come in. I remember seeing like ice cube and
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Akil: What's your name, once it was a Cindy Crawford, one of the famous models were there and we would just see just famous people roll in and out of that.
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Akil: Supermarket all the time, you know. So every time I go back there are happy to stop by there it's it's nostalgic.
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Akil: In some ways, I remember seeing ice cube. We had a big old afro. This was like in the 90s. Right. And so you could see his head.
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Akil: His Afro over the aisle, but you couldn't see him, you know, to be there like ice cubes down there and then on my end I school so I went down there. And then I actually saw him, I was like, Yo, so cute.
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He's all about
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Hong Lieu: That was still probably death certificate days I'm
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Akil: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: Give it a like I'm not going the right skew right now, you know, after. Are we there yet and all
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Akil: Yeah yeah
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Hong Lieu: Yeah. But before that, like, Man, that I'm not going near that guy.
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Yeah.
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Akil: He was looking. I was I asked him, I said, You are right. He's uh yeah I'm looking for my lady or something like that. So, but
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Hong Lieu: Yeah.
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Akil: That was my job. I didn't. I never worked in the restaurant industry it, you know, but I, that was my job. And that was a good job to have.
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Michael Medel: Yeah, I used to work in someone there was a little, little burger joint called Stacie seaside
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Michael Medel: Oh yeah. Awesome. And that across my nugget and saying, we get all the all the Hollywood stars live in the area they did come in there and get food a kill. Was it are you thinking about with a Kathy Ireland.
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Akil: Yes, yes. Kathy Ireland that was. Yeah, yeah. She was always in there. She was always in there.
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Akil: Yeah, that was, that was funny. I was actually I just thought of story about you, Michael. When speaking to you cooking tacos. I remember one time you posted on Facebook.
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Akil: That you were joking around you took a couple pictures you were cooking and then you're like, I think I'm gonna quit my day job.
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Akil: And then the feed on that was people like, are you serious, did you get a new job.
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Hong Lieu: People are going
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Akil: People are going nuts. I knew Michael was jokey I knew he was ever gonna, I was gonna leave a mission and records to start cooking tacos. But I was laughing at the comments because people were like, Oh really, when was your last day and
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All that fun stuff.
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Michael Medel: Right. I think that was the might have been one of the first times that broke out the new the new flat grow. And so I had a I had a grip of me on a flat girl just living it up right and posted on social media, enjoying the first day at my new job.
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Michael Medel: And
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Michael Medel: The feed went crazy people.
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Michael Medel: Left the college
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Akil: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: So to this, this is a perfect segue. And our food conversation. I can ask you to start. What were you grill. Another flattop. Was it just carne asada where you put limits on there too.
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Michael Medel: Oh that day. Let's see. Yeah, you can't go wrong with carne asada
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Michael Medel: Certainly, I probably had some
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Michael Medel: Some past or on their
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Michael Medel: My go to three.
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Hong Lieu: So, yeah.
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Michael Medel: shout out, shout out to all my three but taco.
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Hong Lieu: Oh yeah, I mean, and
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Hong Lieu: I read an article, not too long ago it was there, Thomas is pretty fast, like the next it meet. And it's like, I love to be plus I love the way it tastes. I love the crunch when it's done right.
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Hong Lieu: But a lot of people aren't going to get over when they look up to the buzz and it's not stomach tribe, you know, eating it. But I mean, it's really good eating. It's, it's, it's that that little bit of funk it whether it's clean, well or not. Yeah.
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Michael Medel: I love it. Yeah, yeah, my boy, Eli, it works in a UPS. He has one of these days I asked him about his three cleaning experience. He's got a good story to tell.
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Michael Medel: Yeah, you, you gotta, you gotta do it. Right, right. It's gotta be
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Michael Medel: It's gotta be that in between point where it's not not fully crunchy.
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Michael Medel: But it's not soft like you've got that middle spot where there's crunch to it. But there's still little sadness to it that's that's the sweet spot and
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Michael Medel: Again, I'm not trying to mess around with no like Ronnie Ronnie three parts manifest like soft and I'm like, yep. Nope, not touching. It's got it. It's gotta be. It's gotta have a little bit that crunching
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, but when the fried too much. And just like all hard all the way through. It's not
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Hong Lieu: Sad that you have to have a little bit of what you have to know what it was. It's like are neat. This is the same way. Some people just fried to death.
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Hong Lieu: And it's like, Okay, this is good, but you need a little bit of that braised aspect to come through and especially with the bus has that interesting to to it. If you don't, if you get all crunch and know to it's not it's not all, not the same. Absolutely.
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Hong Lieu: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: Michael was one of the
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Hong Lieu: Oh no God.
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Michael Medel: I look I love me some tacos, man.
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Michael Medel: Yeah, it's a taco taco steak and pizza and that order, man. I could. Those are the three types of food. I could not live without. Like I just, I mean tacos pizza and steak. I can't, I can't do that.
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Hong Lieu: That's what I was gonna say is that in the email to kind of figure out what we're talking about Michael had covered all the topics you'd like tacos pizza and steak. It's like
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Hong Lieu: Well, I don't really need to suggest anything because between those three things you could just go all day. You know, you can run the gamut. I mean, the pizza conversation alone could be like a six part series. So yeah, definitely.
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Michael Medel: Yeah, kills been putting in some time and he's been like exploring like taco trucks across America.
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Michael Medel: Down, man.
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Akil: Just, just local man just local I the Nard man.
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Hong Lieu: I let me
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Akil: Go ahead.
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Hong Lieu: You keeping up with the food trends you got the video, Robin. Like, like all have been there before anyone else for it's like gone wide, wide spread mainstream. You know, so you're on it.
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Akil: Yeah, I might latest man my latest is tacos are there are those, that's my, that's my go to man, just the rolled up crispy, crunchy with the lettuce and
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Akil: Tomatoes, and the Mexican cheese on top with the Mexican sour cream. Like, that's my go to right now is tacos or others. I kind of, I kind of moved on from the beauty of stage man because I'm barely get out, man.
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Akil: I can't, I don't think I can do it. But I will say this.
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Akil: I'm into the mango, not as
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Akil: That's my new thing. Y'all mega nadas man like
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Akil: There's a spot down in Oxnard, actually there's a spine Santa Barbara, there's a, there's the, what's it called La michoacana michoacana right that's I think that's the name of the place.
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Akil: It's just the mango with the sweet with the salt. Sea with the turmoil and tahini and man. That's a hot day.
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Akil: It seriously, it's a problem. It's a problem.
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Michael Medel: Yeah, yeah. They got a spot with here on Hollister, an old tech leader to has those yes
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, they have these among the response they run the whole desert gamma
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Michael Medel: Easily. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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Akil: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: And the toasty logos, which I do like
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Akil: Yes. And then they have the cheesy flaming hot cheetos to where they cut the bag on the side and put the case. So in the bag.
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Akil: I love going to those spots because one of the things I always look for and it just warms my heart, you know,
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Akil: Looking at the kids that are in mind and the excitement and the joy of what they're going to get are the different flavors of ice cream and
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Akil: That is that this feels real special to me. You know, I kind of had that same foster foster fees vibe, in some ways, you know, mean where you see the kids light up when they see the ice cream or whatever they're ordering and the last time I went actually changed it up I instead of doing
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Akil: The mango I switched it. I went with guava use that guava ice cream and man that was I was a game changer. To me, man. I'm going to take a break from mango while I'm just stick with guava
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Akil: In there. So, but, yeah, it's just, it's just such a great, great place to visit and in supporting local businesses and businesses in diverse communities. And I think that's what we need to do all more of
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Michael Medel: Yeah, for, for all the talk listeners out there. I definitely got my go tues man I my my my all time best taco place ever to eat.
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Michael Medel: Was a chain of started out in the corner me. He goes, I was a student at the time in San Diego, and we would travel down across the border to pick one and there was a place called tacos and quotable
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Michael Medel: That was working out of TJ and I kid you not, we drive down there, like every other day just to go eat tacos.
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Michael Medel: And it started getting popular and they actually expanded so they came over to the to the US side and they opened up shop in Chula Vista, California.
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Michael Medel: And that was the best as soon ever happened where like what they came into the last. And so they were operating and they ended up getting like two more places down there and Chula Vista. I think they still have places down in Chula Vista San Diego.
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Michael Medel: And then, and they expanded and put one on the strip in Las Vegas. Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: Oh, yeah.
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Michael Medel: Yeah and that that blew up and became like now that's like the stop off. So when you watch like a during presidents or elections, like I think Hillary Clinton.
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Michael Medel: When she was campaigning for the last election, she's she stopped off and went there and like they filmed it and and
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Michael Medel: So other presidential candidates Biden's been there, like, now it's like this political spotlight. Let's go eat at Dr. Gordon Vegas. But yeah, that that highly recommend it. You ever. If you ever been to other stuff or a planner or Las Vegas tackle Gordo great spot.
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Michael Medel: Last and Tom my largest peeps that they're probably familiar with teen taco.
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Michael Medel: So keep taco. It is a popular chain Los Angeles that has has great tacos and from my local flavor curious to hear your guys's a local go tues but
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Michael Medel: little place called money's in
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Michael Medel: In a funk zone little small little place, man, barely got room for like you and your dog sit down.
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Michael Medel: But they got the end they got those three paths, they cook them right to
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Hong Lieu: Be doing right they do.
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Michael Medel: Yeah yeah yeah
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Michael Medel: So Moni tacos. And then also local shout out to a as a rapper or on Sandra street man best Carney thousand pounds, got it. You got to get some tackles there and
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Michael Medel: They'll see deal. So there's a couple of seals in town over on Salinas del Veena got one out here and delete on Fairview but good darkness at the CTO to
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Michael Medel: watch you guys, what's your go to
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Akil: Man. Listen, I'm excited that she named all those places because legit. I think I eat I've eaten that every single place you just mentioned. And I actually have a funny story about tacos to go though I was
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Akil: I was in Vegas once and I heard about this place. And so I'm like, I just made a point to try to go there. Right, so it was packed it was packed and and so
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Akil: It was so packed it was packed to the point where you couldn't sit with people who you
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Akil: Who you came with right so you everyone had to like break up and be like, Okay, I'm instead of here. I'm so very because there wasn't any tables for everyone to sit down together. So I end up sitting down at this table and
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Akil: I was talking to this one guy and
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Akil: He was like, Yeah, where are you from, and I'm like, I'm from California. So I'm from California to. And so we start talking about bit further and then he goes
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Akil: Something came up. I said something he's like oh yeah like that sounds familiar. He's like, wait, what's he's like What city are you from, I'm from deleted. So this is just random guy.
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Akil: I'm like, you're from, I'm from Santa Barbara. So yeah, we so we were laughing about that. And then he you know he told me he's like, look, I must go play the tables after this
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Akil: You know what I mean, because he's like, what are the chances of the odds that I end up eating that you know from someone from Santa Barbara in this place. So, but, yeah, that place was good, man. I remember I saw the tacos.
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Akil: And Monique Monique is actually
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Akil: One of my favorite spots in Santa Barbara to eat the chiller killers have are on point. That's always my go to when I go there. I think actually ate there too, with you once on. We went there.
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Hong Lieu: Oh yeah and and yeah, in terms of you if you're involved with SBC
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Hong Lieu: Community all your new this area and you don't know about money's like that is that is the lunch, but it's pretty close, you get in and out, you get back in time, you have to, but
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Hong Lieu: Then there's also bar is legit. They got they got the nice like traditional sources that copy and stuff, but they do like the peanuts also
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Akil: The pistachio. I think they have a pistachio a pina
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Akil: And listen, y'all. Han was going in on a saucer. Man, this first time ever, a Mexican foods. When my man over here, but when he grabbed the habanero, and he was like he was drinking it y'all.
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Hong Lieu: Man, he was drinking. I like spicy. I like spicy. I like spicy. So, yeah.
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Akil: What is going on right now with my man.
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Hong Lieu: And the places that do the habanero sauce, where they kind of like you have, you know, you always have people to go, you haven't read your green, but
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Hong Lieu: They always have a little extra spicy one for the for the folks that like real spicy like that always like an extra
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Hong Lieu: little notch in the belt for the place where I'm like, Okay, I really like this place because you know like
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Hong Lieu: It's the the salsa is, you know, half of the experience for me like whatever meat is in there is is number one, but
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Hong Lieu: The salsa than the truck do so. But in terms of in town. I like I like Monique, you know, Lily's is the classic. And then there's also a PPA on the bus and Cuernavaca on Korea.
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Hong Lieu: Those places are all doing, you know, doing their thing and La a lot of trucks for me the squad this go they do the shrimp tacos. That would become pretty classic
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Hong Lieu: Or any other, more, more, they do like they
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Hong Lieu: Need to specialists and then Sonora town downtown is doing the classic partners, Allah, but they do the
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Hong Lieu: The small little flour tortillas for the kindness. Other and they've if they've been there flower in from Mexico. Every like every couple weeks. So they're really trying to stay. You know, so there's
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Hong Lieu: Just a lot going on. I mean, and that's just taco see Michael was like tacos steaks pizza. So that going on mistakes. I mean, let's, let's, let's go. I mean, let's see what we got.
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Michael Medel: Alright folks if your state person out there, man. I feel like wherever I travel, I definitely got to research and look up like, where's the steak place to eat man to get a good state.
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Michael Medel: So if you're ever in in no particular order, starting with metropolitan grill that's been Seattle.
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Michael Medel: Seattle. I definitely would recommend him metropolitan grill top notch prime rib their
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Michael Medel: little place called most Steakhouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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Hong Lieu: Oh,
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Michael Medel: We are find yourself in Minneapolis, Minnesota pair called most steakhouse.
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Michael Medel: Best one of the best filleted and we're had you can't go wrong with original Chicago chop house. So if you find yourself in the Windy City, Chicago
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Michael Medel: Chicago chop house is one of my favorites. If you're, if you're looking for like one of those change date places and something go to California, you can't go wrong with masters. I'm a fan of Mastro steakhouse.
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Michael Medel: And then put a local if you've never hear of in the tee off in Santa Barbara.
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Hong Lieu: Oh, yeah.
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Yeah.
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Michael Medel: You gotta check that out if you'd like that old like dark, you know, steak booth house effect.
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Michael Medel: You go in there and they've got a bar and the lights are can turn low and it got the police in there. But, as well as places if you drove by it.
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Michael Medel: And you looked at it, you'd be like, there's no way that could be a steak restaurant right and you go in and yeah best if you're looking for prime. I'm a prime rib person. So certainly, you know, I like to look for those steak houses that have prime rib and then
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Michael Medel: You know, so when I'm gonna throw a curveball. Alright, so this is some, something that people wouldn't expect in terms of like steak. Right, so
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Michael Medel: Every time I tell people this to, like, get out of here. You're, you're not a steak person, but I'm like okay go try it for yourself, man. So people will be like, hey, we're gonna get a good steak and Santa Barbara Mike look honestly, you can't go wrong with the steak at California Pizza Kitchen.
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Hong Lieu: Oh,
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Hong Lieu: Okay, that was a curveball. That was a guy was
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Akil: A curveball.
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Akil: Pretty hard to
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Hong Lieu: 12 six
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Akil: Six to 12 to six.
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Hong Lieu: That was, that was the dice gave the gyro right
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Hong Lieu: Okay, okay, the kitchen.
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Michael Medel: It's I heard it's closing too. So you got the one Santa Barbara. So you got to
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Michael Medel: Camp. Yeah, but they they do a sirloin on a would put on a wood plank.
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Michael Medel: And they use a special marinated with the with the steak. Right. So that's like a red wine.
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Michael Medel: Type marinate. But they're marinated for like few hours, right, and then they cook it on the wood plank. And then once they pull it out. They put a little scoop of like blue cheese, garlic butter to Mel on the top and then they laid over a bed of a ruler salad.
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Michael Medel: Oh my
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Michael Medel: Oh, man.
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Michael Medel: most tender state out there, man. I had it, and I'm like, You gotta be kidding me. And for the price to write and talking about like point our state. It's like you get that for like 4050 bucks and steakhouse. Right. But for for $20. It's a good size serving of a steak that's juicy.
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Michael Medel: In my opinion on like I'll take that every day, twice on Friday.
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Akil: And
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Hong Lieu: You know I'm always looking for something to
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Hong Lieu: Work from there, because a lot of people like to go there for like big meals and stuff. So I'm always interested in order CP case I will definitely try and stick next time.
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Hong Lieu: Usually I'm getting the kids meal and it's like kind of milk in that, you know, like, oh yeah, my son needs to kids meals and then they're looking at me funny, but I don't care.
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Hong Lieu: I love
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Roni.
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Hong Lieu: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: I will second recommendation for the tee off. They do, they used to do all you can eat ribs on Wednesdays, I don't know if they're still doing it. But yeah, I'll eat ribs on Wednesdays, where we're definitely solid and then no mention of the poems, because the carpentry or
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Michael Medel: Korean people are gonna kill me for Allah
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Akil: Too late. No, no. Take backs.
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Akil: Don't take it back to the show, man. Oh.
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Michael Medel: Man, you throw a curveball me. I didn't know. Yeah, I know you knew about the palms, man.
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Hong Lieu: Oh, their salad, what their celebrate legit. I mean, you know, I love that salad bar. I love to stake there because
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Hong Lieu: Grow Your Own is something we have we have a place in LA in East LA called the Venus room. It was a bar that you could grow your own steak.
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Hong Lieu: So I was all about that when I saw the palms, but then when I saw the salad bar. I'm like, oh, this is I could just be here all day like I'm enjoying this early. I love that classic steakhouse salad bar.
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Hong Lieu: I totally
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Michael Medel: Feel what a good mood Carpinteria recently. And I'm like, Okay, once this pandemic thing dies down, it's, it's my honor as a long Carpinteria to baptize you in our community by taking you to the palms.
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Michael Medel: And treating you to a steak dinner at the palms, man. Cuz that's right that's been a, it's been a staple lot probably longer than foster freeze in Korea.
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Michael Medel: And it's always hit and miss when you take people there that never been there before, right, because I've taken people there before. And I'm like, okay, like
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Michael Medel: Here's your snake and they're like, what, like I gotta cook my own steak, like what do I couldn't a restaurant. I want people to cook for me and now you're telling me that I go on stage. So it's always hit or miss some people. I'm like, I'm excited about cooking. My mistake, to be honest.
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Hong Lieu: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: I like the crisis.
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Hong Lieu: The prices for what you get. That's why, that's why you could get yourself because the prices are really good for the you get, it's good. Pretty good quality means. So I would, yeah.
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Akil: Well, I'm looking forward to that.
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Akil: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: So should we do the quick pass on pizza, then to what's good, so hit all three. All three bases.
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Michael Medel: Factor.
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Michael Medel: I was just do it. Let's do it.
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Michael Medel: Here my pizza joint. If you're ever in so
445
00:54:04.200 --> 00:54:05.850
Michael Medel: Let me quick disclaimer.
446
00:54:07.860 --> 00:54:18.450
Michael Medel: There will never be any pizza is the equivalent of pizza, Italy, so I took my first trip to Italy. This last year. Oh my goodness. So
447
00:54:19.260 --> 00:54:29.190
Michael Medel: Full Disclosure like there that you're just not going to be able to get that quality of Italian then pizza bread pulled right out of the
448
00:54:29.790 --> 00:54:41.010
Michael Medel: Oven. So, but that being said, if you want to get as close to that as possible. It does not get any closer than Lombardi's pizza and Little Italy, New York.
449
00:54:41.250 --> 00:54:42.270
Akil: Yes, yes.
450
00:54:43.710 --> 00:54:46.500
Michael Medel: That is, that's the joint man.
451
00:54:46.620 --> 00:54:51.000
Michael Medel: Yeah, I think it's the idea was the first pizza place to ever come to United States.
452
00:54:51.180 --> 00:54:59.070
Michael Medel: Yeah, Italy. Yeah, so it's been there like 100 and some years, but oh my goodness so that that's number one list for sure.
453
00:55:01.200 --> 00:55:10.890
Michael Medel: If you want to change it up and do that deep this style than the original uno in Chicago over there on Eastern Ohio street in Chicago, so
454
00:55:11.430 --> 00:55:20.010
Michael Medel: So dang good deep dish pizza. You gotta try a deep dish. And, you know, try to keep this in Chicago. But for those of you that don't want to travel that far.
455
00:55:21.420 --> 00:55:24.720
Michael Medel: Also on my list coming from Berkeley, California.
456
00:55:24.870 --> 00:55:25.380
Akil: I know
457
00:55:25.440 --> 00:55:28.170
Michael Medel: He'll play a little place called Zachary's kusa
458
00:55:28.170 --> 00:55:30.750
Michael Medel: Accessories. Yeah, that
459
00:55:30.750 --> 00:55:42.030
Hong Lieu: Was my number one for a long time still probably my number one, even after going to Chicago, because it's also employee owned everyone that works there. It's like the Green Bay Packers they get an ownership stake in the place. So it's like it's it's a good good model to
460
00:55:43.320 --> 00:55:47.010
Michael Medel: Yeah, and then they do that, like, half baked so
461
00:55:47.100 --> 00:55:47.520
Akil: Yep.
462
00:55:47.580 --> 00:56:00.780
Michael Medel: You can get a hat, you know, half baked for the ride home and then eat again, man. That's a good my saw I I married my wife is a she went to school at Berkeley and funny Zachary story is
463
00:56:02.100 --> 00:56:06.090
Michael Medel: He she took me when we went to Berkeley. She was outside of the show me around.
464
00:56:07.050 --> 00:56:14.880
Michael Medel: Her old stomping grounds. She's like, Yeah, I got to this place called Zachary's probably be the best pizza. You ever had. Right. So we go there. I'm like, looking around.
465
00:56:15.390 --> 00:56:23.010
Michael Medel: I had already gone it's been to Chicago and tried deep dish pizza and and you know considered myself a pizza guru. And so we sit down and
466
00:56:23.430 --> 00:56:32.490
Michael Medel: And waiter comes and they're like, okay, what can I give you, and she starts to order and I jump in. I'm like yo, I thought I got this right. So I'm like, you're going to get
467
00:56:33.810 --> 00:56:47.490
Michael Medel: Our to Chicago deep dish pizza. And she was like, no, that's not the one you want to get like you want. And I'm like, look, I got this like I'm good like order for us. I got this right. So I ended up ordering a and
468
00:56:48.810 --> 00:56:57.540
Michael Medel: Your pizza comes and I'm looking at it and I'm looking all over. I started looking around, everybody else in place and their pizza looks a lot different than the one Iron Man.
469
00:56:58.920 --> 00:57:06.480
Michael Medel: And I'm, I'm looking, I'm like, God, I got their pizza looks better than ours. And she's like, because you ordered the wrong one.
470
00:57:08.010 --> 00:57:15.330
Michael Medel: I'm like, man, that's how you know love right there right where your where your girl knows your mom and she just let you make them stick anyways.
471
00:57:17.130 --> 00:57:17.790
Hong Lieu: Very true.
472
00:57:17.910 --> 00:57:25.950
Michael Medel: Cheers. Cheers, correct me, man. She didn't she led me or the wrong one, and taught me the lesson. And I'm like, Oh, I love this. I'm sorry, man.
473
00:57:27.240 --> 00:57:33.750
Michael Medel: So I learned a value valuable lesson that day. Your wife is always right. Even when she's wrong. She's right.
474
00:57:35.280 --> 00:57:37.260
Michael Medel: But that was my Zachary story. Good stuff.
475
00:57:38.490 --> 00:57:47.580
Hong Lieu: Yeah, there's a place in town in Santa Barbara Apaches pizza PA te Si, it's actually like old workers from Zachary's you spun off and made their own pizza place so the
476
00:57:47.850 --> 00:57:55.980
Hong Lieu: Zachary's family trees. It runs pretty deep, actually. So that was my first taste of the factories and I still think of it probably is my number one.
477
00:57:56.430 --> 00:57:57.840
Akil: Yeah, I've been
478
00:57:58.440 --> 00:58:02.220
Akil: I've been that Zachary's as well. And it's definitely at the top of my list. I
479
00:58:03.390 --> 00:58:06.870
Akil: There's also a new spot up there. I tried is called. I think it's called Red Star.
480
00:58:07.950 --> 00:58:08.880
Hong Lieu: Little Star.
481
00:58:08.940 --> 00:58:09.660
Akil: Little Star.
482
00:58:09.870 --> 00:58:10.770
Hong Lieu: Yeah, it's like
483
00:58:11.070 --> 00:58:25.140
Akil: It's like a rivals but Zachary's definitely by far outweighs it and then Lombardi's actually been there a few times. And yes, that is definitely the spot. You cannot pass if you ever find yourself in New York.
484
00:58:26.340 --> 00:58:36.780
Akil: And from what I know to as well. I think it is the oldest piece of joint in the country. So don't ever if you're in the New York area. Don't miss that. And the meatballs. They're really good.
485
00:58:37.860 --> 00:58:49.350
Hong Lieu: Yeah, I made a point when I went to New York City hit Grimaldi's Lombardi's Joe's all the places that heard so much about and Lombardi's did have not just the best pizza but the atmosphere because it's so old timey like
486
00:58:49.620 --> 00:58:50.340
Hong Lieu: Yeah, like
487
00:58:50.520 --> 00:58:52.740
Hong Lieu: Big huge family gatherings like
488
00:58:52.740 --> 00:58:56.160
Hong Lieu: Yo, like, it doesn't matter. It was just, it was just a hop and place it was
489
00:58:56.190 --> 00:58:56.580
A yo
490
00:58:57.870 --> 00:58:58.230
Akil: Yeah.
491
00:58:58.500 --> 00:59:03.690
Michael Medel: Also, you also can't be from Santa Barbara, not have Rusty's on the list, right, like I
492
00:59:04.140 --> 00:59:06.180
Michael Medel: I got, I got a shout out to receive man.
493
00:59:09.060 --> 00:59:11.670
Michael Medel: If your local Rusty's is the spot.
494
00:59:12.990 --> 00:59:17.280
Akil: And their salad bar it to you want to talk about salad bar rescue salad bar is good.
495
00:59:17.760 --> 00:59:19.980
Hong Lieu: They do have that classic salad bar that
496
00:59:20.310 --> 00:59:22.710
Hong Lieu: I mean post coven may be going away, but will what
497
00:59:23.910 --> 00:59:25.380
Hong Lieu: Will serve you, it'll still be there.
498
00:59:25.560 --> 00:59:38.310
Hong Lieu: Someone will serve it to you, but you know yeah so Mesa pizza we got we got some pretty good pizza places in town, Python, I was just got turned over to become revolver pizza on the west side. So I'm looking to try them pretty soon.
499
00:59:39.120 --> 00:59:40.260
Michael Medel: I saw that. Yeah, I saw an
500
00:59:40.260 --> 00:59:41.160
Michael Medel: Article and independent
501
00:59:42.090 --> 00:59:50.220
Hong Lieu: Oh yeah it looks. Looks good. And then Bettina in Montecito in to the Vons plaza your old stomping grounds. They got Bettina and they're
502
00:59:50.880 --> 00:59:59.550
Hong Lieu: Doing some really delicious pizza over there and they do sourdough loves so you can get a, get a, get a pizza and then grab a low for sourdough and good old time patina
503
01:00:01.140 --> 01:00:07.770
Hong Lieu: Yeah, we did it. We hit we hit the trifecta not as in depth as probably could have gone because like I said it's six part miniseries on just
504
01:00:08.130 --> 01:00:18.870
Hong Lieu: Just one of those three food items, but I feel that was pretty comprehensive you hit all the big time spots a lot of curious about the New York steak houses. You've been to like Peter Luger and stuff like that before. But yeah.
505
01:00:19.410 --> 01:00:24.150
Michael Medel: Yeah, yeah. Again, you can do a whole steak podcaster,
506
01:00:24.270 --> 01:00:25.680
Hong Lieu: Another time yeah we're
507
01:00:25.860 --> 01:00:36.510
Hong Lieu: Now, now we can segue to, uh, to, to our cultural touchstone section. If you where you want it. You want to leave this off again. Michael, you seem to be a good MC here where you can just kind of fire off a you
508
01:00:37.890 --> 01:00:39.750
Hong Lieu: You got you dropping serious dollars today so
509
01:00:41.220 --> 01:00:51.330
Michael Medel: Cultural segment man I'll stick it culture. Culture. Culture, uh, probably in light of the pandemic, I would say the one
510
01:00:52.980 --> 01:01:03.390
Michael Medel: You know, I come from a Latino Mexican American culture and and we we certainly like to have parties, you know, we're never for a lack of a party and so
511
01:01:04.350 --> 01:01:16.590
Michael Medel: celebrations are always shoot milestones in our family graduations weddings, but these malls, will you name it it if there's an opportunity, throw a party. We throw a party so
512
01:01:17.820 --> 01:01:23.520
Michael Medel: That's the biggest thing in this pandemic from a cultural standpoint that I that I missed. Like, I'm just
513
01:01:25.440 --> 01:01:37.680
Michael Medel: I need that I want that. Right. I think my wife and I can we keep having conversations of, like, ooh, the first party. We're going to throw all right the first party. We were the first barbecue. We want to throw a, you know, once this is all over
514
01:01:39.030 --> 01:01:56.070
Michael Medel: You know, we talked about the last, we did a joint birthday party, a year ago. And, you know, had a had a live maniaci and and we were cooking fresh garden ethos and tacos and and singing and and having fun and
515
01:01:57.480 --> 01:01:59.760
Michael Medel: It was, it was great and and we
516
01:02:00.990 --> 01:02:13.200
Michael Medel: That's the one thing from from our culture that and this is just the gatherings, right, the social gatherings and and being around family and friends and hugging and and playing children running around and
517
01:02:14.400 --> 01:02:24.420
Michael Medel: You know that that's our food, you know, in our, in our culture. It's our food. It's our music. It's our storytelling family and
518
01:02:25.980 --> 01:02:29.880
Michael Medel: missing that this pandemic so that multi step one is definitely something that
519
01:02:31.020 --> 01:02:33.450
Michael Medel: is absent right now that I'm longing for, for sure.
520
01:02:35.460 --> 01:02:43.980
Hong Lieu: Yeah, and and that's something that I definitely latched on to growing up in East LA cuz you know my, my family. We didn't have really big gathers like that and the weekends. We did. We did stuff.
521
01:02:44.520 --> 01:02:49.980
Hong Lieu: But it wasn't until I started hanging out some friends from school and they invited me over on the weekend, like my first big Super Bowl party.
522
01:02:50.280 --> 01:02:56.880
Hong Lieu: Was like a weekend kickback where there was carnies out in the grill, all kinds of family members showing up rolling through and everyone's everyone's having a good old time
523
01:02:57.360 --> 01:03:02.040
Hong Lieu: And you know just knowing someone you felt welcomed and it was such a communist atmosphere.
524
01:03:02.460 --> 01:03:09.810
Hong Lieu: And just just learning from everybody like you just jump in, you sit in on a conversation. You don't have to you first couple times. I went, I didn't say anything.
525
01:03:10.140 --> 01:03:15.810
Hong Lieu: Then you get to know everybody you start to, you know, you can you can talk a little more than by the end of it. I'm Mr. Motor mouth tell you know like like
526
01:03:16.140 --> 01:03:22.650
Hong Lieu: Leading discussions in certain areas. I mean, this is the politics circle. This is the children were listening to music over here like, you know,
527
01:03:23.010 --> 01:03:30.870
Hong Lieu: Like there's there's sometimes there's DJ. I mean like full blown parties, you know. So yeah, it was, it was definitely something that resonated deep with me and and something that
528
01:03:31.380 --> 01:03:38.730
Hong Lieu: That I know is it's hard to kind of find your footing in this in these environments in terms of how to how to how to function in those because
529
01:03:38.970 --> 01:03:46.050
Hong Lieu: Because it is an institution like every weekend. It's not a kickback it's a birthday party, or if it's or it's a you know someone's getting together with somebody to do something.
530
01:03:46.470 --> 01:03:55.890
Hong Lieu: So in terms of finding funding there it's, I mean, there is no, because this is these are such unprecedented times there is no playbook. There wasn't a workshop of how to do this in this environment.
531
01:03:56.430 --> 01:04:04.920
Hong Lieu: But it's really is something where we just got to do the best we can and and we'll get there soon enough. But yeah, it's I can definitely see that even with the with the homies. I still talk to in LA.
532
01:04:05.490 --> 01:04:13.980
Hong Lieu: That that piece that's missing. It's, it's a big piece. I mean it culturally significant. Absolutely. And it's hard to figure out how to fill that gap for sure.
533
01:04:17.040 --> 01:04:17.340
Yeah.
534
01:04:22.950 --> 01:04:24.870
Hong Lieu: Okay, so, uh, and then
535
01:04:26.550 --> 01:04:28.440
Hong Lieu: I guess I will go next.
536
01:04:30.450 --> 01:04:31.170
Hong Lieu: I will
537
01:04:32.370 --> 01:04:40.920
Hong Lieu: I want to discuss. I want to have a conversation about the songs of the summer. I know that we can kind of, I don't know if it's an environment for that, but
538
01:04:41.880 --> 01:04:49.170
Hong Lieu: My up. I wanted to pick up, pick a musical record of time with Michael was suggesting about, you know, kickbacks and barbecues and stuff. So I was looking for music that kind of fit with
539
01:04:49.650 --> 01:04:58.020
Hong Lieu: Kind of that kind of environment like a like a weekend get together, hang out and my pic is Bernie boy he put on a new album called twice as tall.
540
01:04:58.590 --> 01:05:10.440
Hong Lieu: Bernal is a musician from Africa, and he's notable because he put this album out like last week. But, I mean, it doesn't. A year ago, get another album out called African giant
541
01:05:11.010 --> 01:05:21.360
Hong Lieu: And both of them are really good and for a musician in this area to put out two records in that amount of time and having a multi really super high quality is kind of, it's, it's something
542
01:05:22.770 --> 01:05:27.300
Hong Lieu: And he's, he's the kind of musician. It's and he's an artist. That is a good mix of
543
01:05:27.780 --> 01:05:35.250
Hong Lieu: He has enough, he has no jams to kind of rock a party, you can, you know, you can put them off a kickback but he's he's got a message to he saying something like on the on African giant last year.
544
01:05:35.730 --> 01:05:47.070
Hong Lieu: He had a track where he mentioned that Liberia was how it was tied into the company you know lever and how they were invested in that country from the get go. So just tying in those colonial kind of messages with
545
01:05:47.670 --> 01:05:55.110
Hong Lieu: With with what was happening in Africa at the time, and it was just cut some. There are a lot of messages that kind of like piqued my interest and got me thinking and
546
01:05:55.890 --> 01:05:59.760
Hong Lieu: About stuff that I hadn't really had time to research before never really thought to research, but
547
01:06:00.690 --> 01:06:03.450
Hong Lieu: Those are the kind of the best musicians in my life that guy, the folks that
548
01:06:04.020 --> 01:06:09.840
Hong Lieu: Are not only good to listen to in terms of entertaining, you know, in this, but they also have messages and stuff. And then he kind of dig a little deeper.
549
01:06:10.350 --> 01:06:19.080
Hong Lieu: So that the African giant ALBUM LAST YEAR really kind of kind of got me on a wave of of African music and then so this album is also in that vein, where
550
01:06:19.440 --> 01:06:24.450
Hong Lieu: There's enough stuff to entertain you. But it was also a little messages here and there, beneath that are really, really resonate and kind of
551
01:06:25.080 --> 01:06:33.810
Hong Lieu: kind of hit pretty good. So there's a couple tracks on there that that were that kind of fit my fit my song of the summer nomination process. I really
552
01:06:34.710 --> 01:06:42.750
Hong Lieu: Thought about it. The album is executive produced by P. Diddy, who I mean it's kind of strange to see P. Diddy executive producing an album again. But I mean,
553
01:06:43.260 --> 01:06:52.530
Hong Lieu: For those of us that are old enough to remember when P. Diddy was breaking artists. I mean, everyone knows biggie. But at the same time, heavy D and Craig Mack where
554
01:06:52.560 --> 01:06:53.430
Akil: You know, Craig Mack.
555
01:06:53.760 --> 01:06:56.850
Hong Lieu: Yeah, that's leaving your remains were big he got on.
556
01:06:56.880 --> 01:06:57.750
Hong Lieu: Was deflate. Yeah.
557
01:06:58.440 --> 01:06:59.880
Akil: Yeah, yeah, yeah. No.
558
01:07:00.090 --> 01:07:08.760
Hong Lieu: So getting getting and heavy D, he was he was at uptown records and he and he and four and bad boy, then he will do an uptown. So he broke heavy D. He got Craig Mack on put be on that track.
559
01:07:09.090 --> 01:07:12.240
Akil: Today, Keith Murray to I don't Keith Murray very cute.
560
01:07:12.480 --> 01:07:14.850
Hong Lieu: Yeah, death squad I yeah yeah
561
01:07:15.030 --> 01:07:15.420
Akil: Yeah.
562
01:07:15.780 --> 01:07:21.390
Hong Lieu: Yeah. So, and then, yeah, and then I mean everyone remembers the shiny suit era with Diddy. So like
563
01:07:22.500 --> 01:07:28.230
Hong Lieu: In terms of the culture. It's, it's hard to save the impact of that had in terms of the gross materialism and stuff like that but
564
01:07:29.070 --> 01:07:35.610
Hong Lieu: I mean, did he had his core was like an a&r trying to break art is trying to make you know make help people be successful. So yeah, there's
565
01:07:36.300 --> 01:07:45.600
Hong Lieu: I mean, he, he had of that second wave abattoirs loon etc etc was not as, you know, and then the stuff was shine. Yeah, it's been it's been a mixed bag or DD post Biggie but
566
01:07:46.110 --> 01:07:52.560
Hong Lieu: But him at producing this album was kind of really nice to for him to give that cosine and try to get burned up like kind of bigger
567
01:07:52.920 --> 01:08:01.920
Hong Lieu: In terms of American audience because he's really big and like Europe and Africa, of course, like he sold out Wembley Stadium last year he was nominated for a Grammy so he's definitely on that cusp.
568
01:08:02.310 --> 01:08:09.090
Hong Lieu: So to get that cosine from Biggie and to get the cosine for me for a song of the summer. I think those are really big milestones Roberta boy and he's, you know,
569
01:08:10.770 --> 01:08:11.490
Akil: We yeah yeah
570
01:08:12.720 --> 01:08:15.690
Akil: That's that's everything that he got the CO sign for it's
571
01:08:17.970 --> 01:08:18.780
Hong Lieu: Not really. Yeah.
572
01:08:18.840 --> 01:08:20.220
Hong Lieu: It's all those things where
573
01:08:20.670 --> 01:08:25.380
Hong Lieu: I mean the song of the summer is kind of a thing. It's like informal kind of thing. But we all know. Yeah.
574
01:08:25.560 --> 01:08:35.310
Akil: Yeah yeah familiar with an Amen. So you a song of the summer track that everyone knows and that's DJ Jazzy Jeff Fresh Prince.
575
01:08:36.870 --> 01:08:39.600
Akil: When that song came out this summer it was it was over.
576
01:08:39.690 --> 01:08:44.970
Hong Lieu: You remember when it came out. Right. I was actually gonna bring that up because it came on after an episode of fresh prints. It was like
577
01:08:45.030 --> 01:08:45.810
Hong Lieu: Oh, yeah, yeah.
578
01:08:46.050 --> 01:08:47.490
Akil: Your video, yo.
579
01:08:48.330 --> 01:08:56.220
Hong Lieu: Yo, and it was a brand new song and it was like, I heard it for like 15 years it was like already like a timeless track and there and that's that's what songs. The summer to me.
580
01:08:56.580 --> 01:09:05.130
Hong Lieu: Not just that they get played to death. And they're like, super Thomas and you hear over and over again but like they're just like this classic vibe like like grooving on a Sunday afternoon I think of it like that, you know, those
581
01:09:05.130 --> 01:09:06.210
Hong Lieu: Old yeah like
582
01:09:06.240 --> 01:09:06.900
Akil: Yeah, like
583
01:09:06.960 --> 01:09:09.360
Hong Lieu: You can grew to it, but it's not a Buddhist like
584
01:09:09.420 --> 01:09:23.490
Hong Lieu: Your children to yeah California vibe is like you gotta chew with it. It's not just about rocking the party and getting straight ignorant like there has to be like a CIO component component reflection to that's, that's my criteria and that that that Will Smith song was big.
585
01:09:23.790 --> 01:09:27.450
Hong Lieu: Because he was like, yeah, yeah. That was the song of summer for a long time.
586
01:09:27.630 --> 01:09:33.960
Akil: All Time. I think my dad was listening to a couple weeks ago, like prior to Kobe hitting. I think I heard in his office.
587
01:09:35.700 --> 01:09:40.140
Michael Medel: Yeah, man. I had to get right. How to get my summer mentality, man.
588
01:09:42.150 --> 01:09:48.090
Michael Medel: Yeah, but had that one I had that one, that one blasting then right after that I had a summertime by double check.
589
01:09:50.490 --> 01:09:51.660
Hong Lieu: Oh,
590
01:09:52.110 --> 01:09:52.920
Nice.
591
01:09:54.990 --> 01:09:56.880
Michael Medel: That's a good summer tonight. There
592
01:09:58.500 --> 01:10:07.230
Akil: Yeah, so I'll go ahead and throw my peace out. I started a new series on Netflix. I just
593
01:10:08.280 --> 01:10:12.990
Akil: I'm only one episode in and it's it's titled, The Last Dance.
594
01:10:14.040 --> 01:10:15.030
Akil: It's a series
595
01:10:16.260 --> 01:10:34.800
Akil: Basically documenting Michael Jordan, the bowls and in their run throughout the 90s, and I think it's a 10 part episode are two part series. I'm only on one and the first one. They were just talking about. I didn't even realize it at the time. All the animosity between
596
01:10:37.440 --> 01:10:39.990
Akil: The. What was the name, Jerry.
597
01:10:40.260 --> 01:10:45.510
Akil: very pronounced Jerry Krause, yes. Jerry Krauss and Phil Jackson and Jordan and
598
01:10:46.080 --> 01:10:53.880
Akil: How that how that was weighing on the bulls, you know, I mean, in the early 90s, you know, you're just watching Michael Jordan and, you know,
599
01:10:54.330 --> 01:11:04.890
Akil: You weren't really paying attention to what's going on in the back end and stuff. So, um, it's really interesting to start to look at that from that lens, as you know, obviously I'm a lot older than
600
01:11:05.580 --> 01:11:12.570
Akil: Now, but yeah, so that's what I'm that's my piece, and I'm sure I think you have you guys watch that or
601
01:11:12.990 --> 01:11:20.640
Hong Lieu: I mean, because it they debuted in April. So it was on TV in April and it was like it was like an event, everybody was watching it, because I feel like I feel like folks. They don't even watch basketball.
602
01:11:20.940 --> 01:11:27.030
Hong Lieu: We're hitting me up like OH YOU WATCH THE LAST DANCE. I'm like, oh, yes, and some of it. But yeah, it's hard for me to relive those Jordan years for sure.
603
01:11:28.860 --> 01:11:34.620
Michael Medel: Yeah, I mean I record. I watched them and I recorded them and I still go back and rewatch them again.
604
01:11:35.640 --> 01:11:43.110
Michael Medel: I was all about the me growing up those both teams, man. I used to. I used to my VHS cassette. I used to record games.
605
01:11:44.580 --> 01:11:47.340
Michael Medel: And and come back and watch them and and
606
01:11:48.360 --> 01:12:01.740
Michael Medel: Just was totally into the bulls dynasty, but that's a great series. I think I what I took away from you know definitely the focus Michael Jordan. And it's through the lens of Michael Jordan.
607
01:12:03.600 --> 01:12:09.510
Michael Medel: But I came to appreciate the leadership of Phil Jackson and just
608
01:12:10.740 --> 01:12:18.000
Michael Medel: How he was able to just manage so many different personalities, you know, from from the speech with
609
01:12:19.740 --> 01:12:28.710
Michael Medel: You know, the general manager and, you know, then, then you're trying to manage the go, you know, Jordan, but then you have you know Pippin that wasn't happy with his
610
01:12:29.220 --> 01:12:50.850
Michael Medel: Contract and all the things he was doing. And then you might have dennis rodman that was just off the charts. There was just so many moving parts for him to lead that and and and be successful at it. That's, I was like, wow, that's just crazy especially how we handle dennis rodman
611
01:12:52.620 --> 01:13:01.410
Michael Medel: I had mad appreciation for for that. How he and Jordan and the team managed dennis rodman I mean it. They there was one of those things where
612
01:13:02.640 --> 01:13:09.840
Michael Medel: You've got rules, but sometimes rules don't apply to people and you need to figure out when those times are, and he was definitely one of those people where it's like they knew
613
01:13:10.380 --> 01:13:18.630
Michael Medel: They knew when he was great and how we could be great. And they gave him a long leash, you know, to
614
01:13:19.320 --> 01:13:27.090
Michael Medel: To take care of things in his lifestyle and the way he wanted to approach it. And, but at the same time the fine line of not letting that affect
615
01:13:27.780 --> 01:13:37.650
Michael Medel: The cookies. None of the other team and the team goals and and that's a super fine line man they pulled it off. I was just amazed by that. So that's kind of my takeaway from
616
01:13:38.160 --> 01:13:44.910
Hong Lieu: When the whole series. Yeah. That is a big lesson I'm managing personalities, because they knew when when Dennis showed up, he would, he would be out there and he was
617
01:13:45.210 --> 01:13:54.360
Hong Lieu: One of the hardest grinders. I've ever seen on a court grabbing rebounds at his height and send their, you know, playing really tough nose defense on anyone that he's asked to defend he would take any assignment.
618
01:13:54.810 --> 01:13:59.580
Hong Lieu: And it's one of those things where they gave him that leash outside of the court because they knew on the court. He would always come through.
619
01:13:59.910 --> 01:14:07.530
Hong Lieu: And there weren't very many coaches that gave them that leash. I mean, Chuck. Daly game that least when he was on the assistance that that was early in his career. So he was not full fledged
620
01:14:07.920 --> 01:14:15.720
Hong Lieu: The worm, yet he was just kind of dennis rodman little, little while I mean by the balls. He'd already done the dress. He'd already. He's already dietary crazy colors.
621
01:14:16.050 --> 01:14:23.610
Hong Lieu: I mean, it was really a balancing act to seeing, seeing how Phil and just the team understood what they were dealing with like an all time. Great.
622
01:14:24.000 --> 01:14:30.900
Hong Lieu: Defensive rebounding you know ability on the court and they just allowed him to be him so they could get the most of him when he was on the court.
623
01:14:31.740 --> 01:14:37.620
Hong Lieu: The other thing that I took away from that just watching that is just the difference in terms of episode. I mean, Jordan, then
624
01:14:38.220 --> 01:14:45.090
Hong Lieu: Versus the players today and you know the episode five is when Jordan discussed his famous line about, you know, Republicans buy sneakers to
625
01:14:45.390 --> 01:14:54.300
Hong Lieu: And that's why he was not more kind of vocal on some political stances versus the players today and you know the things that they're doing in terms of their Wildcat strikes and
626
01:14:54.630 --> 01:15:01.830
Hong Lieu: And really kind of putting pressure on folks to to enact political change. It's an interesting contrast because, you know, Jordan is
627
01:15:02.370 --> 01:15:08.970
Hong Lieu: Pound for pound, the greatest of all time because I it's hard to call him like it depends on your criteria, right, if you're doing like a one on one. All time tournament.
628
01:15:09.330 --> 01:15:17.340
Hong Lieu: You take someone like will or Shaquille curry because one on one, you're going to be a big will win. But in terms of building a team pound for pound,
629
01:15:17.880 --> 01:15:26.130
Hong Lieu: You're going to want a Jordan or LeBron or, you know, one of those kind of guys to be your greatest of all time. But in terms of like a one on one tournament, I'm thinking curry probably
630
01:15:26.370 --> 01:15:30.750
Hong Lieu: Oh, someone else was a shack, you know, Bill Russell wilt, but it's gonna be a big if you're doing one on one.
631
01:15:31.200 --> 01:15:31.620
Yeah.
632
01:15:32.760 --> 01:15:34.350
Hong Lieu: I'm in go on you.
633
01:15:35.040 --> 01:15:39.060
Akil: Know, okay. So I agree. I think if you're talking about one on one.
634
01:15:40.290 --> 01:15:50.280
Akil: And who's the greatest of all time. I one thing that I will say about Jordan and here's why I think Jordan is the greatest basketball player that ever played the game.
635
01:15:50.940 --> 01:15:56.700
Akil: It wasn't the championships. People were glued to the rings people allude to all the accolades that he he
636
01:15:57.090 --> 01:16:03.330
Akil: Basically acquired throughout his career, but the reason why to me, Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever is because
637
01:16:03.720 --> 01:16:21.060
Akil: The people who did when when they played in the Jordan era. Look at all the Hall of Famers that they don't have one single ring because they played in a Jordan air like we can name them all. We can go from Patrick Ewing to Reggie Miller to
638
01:16:21.540 --> 01:16:23.820
Hong Lieu: Wrigley Barkley calm.
639
01:16:23.940 --> 01:16:31.020
Akil: Calm alone. Alone john Stockton all the list of the great site were first ballot all time.
640
01:16:32.400 --> 01:16:47.910
Akil: NBA best player Hall of Famers didn't win anything. So it's not so much what it to me, not so much what Jordan accomplish. But those who were in the air that didn't accomplish anything because of him. That's why he's the greatest
641
01:16:48.090 --> 01:16:50.400
Hong Lieu: My boy Drexler snuck it in with the rockets while he was
642
01:16:50.430 --> 01:16:52.170
Akil: Playing baseball. So, exactly.
643
01:16:53.340 --> 01:16:58.590
Akil: That is exactly what I'm saying. Like I wouldn't have had that probably it.
644
01:16:59.010 --> 01:16:59.490
Hong Lieu: Probably
645
01:16:59.880 --> 01:17:05.100
Hong Lieu: Is because I keep a team is one of those old timers to so keen with Clyde going up against Georgia Pippin I would
646
01:17:05.550 --> 01:17:15.390
Hong Lieu: I would have loved to see it, but you know, I'm kind of glad I didn't get to see a tooth. I saw, I saw Clyde lose, lose to Jordan in 92 or 99 I believe so. Yeah. Didn't need to see that again, for sure.
647
01:17:16.410 --> 01:17:30.900
Akil: Yeah, I mean, like, look, if you talk about Colby if you talk about LeBron other people who still want and they're in their error. You know what I mean. So, but nobody. You want no body when when Jordan was in his air.
648
01:17:31.110 --> 01:17:39.360
Hong Lieu: And that's statistically with Jordan, you have to say undefeated in the finals never lost a final series. There's no other player.
649
01:17:39.690 --> 01:17:45.750
Hong Lieu: Than that, that is undefeated in the final. So you talk about the clutches player of all time is definitely Michael Jordan.
650
01:17:46.350 --> 01:17:50.400
Hong Lieu: And he taught you know so that's that's the, the number one where he taught you know the brawn is probably
651
01:17:51.210 --> 01:17:57.690
Hong Lieu: In terms of athletic build and ability. He can do more on the court and Jordan Can but I can't put the brought over Jordan in the goal conversation.
652
01:17:58.440 --> 01:18:09.390
Hong Lieu: Colby is very similar to Jordan terms of what he could do on the court. I'd say on the court. Very similar, but because Jordan came first. I have to give that not to Jordan because Jordan mentored Colby we found out more than I knew
653
01:18:09.780 --> 01:18:18.180
Hong Lieu: After the fact, you know, in terms of how much Jordan was in Kobe's here so I knew so i i can't fool. I mean, I want to give it a go because he he kind of he did a lot in terms of
654
01:18:18.720 --> 01:18:28.950
Hong Lieu: Learning how to play with with with other players a little better than Jordan, I think, I mean it didn't seem like it at the time, but in hindsight, I can appreciate the little things that he did to kind of adapt his game to other players better than Jordan. Jordan was just like
655
01:18:29.370 --> 01:18:32.220
Hong Lieu: You know what you're getting with me, give me the ball, you know, so that's the thing, you know, but
656
01:18:32.640 --> 01:18:41.100
Hong Lieu: But that's the thing where I was touching on earlier about about Jordan in terms of, you know, his his his a political nature is a problem that he he was allowed to just play basketball.
657
01:18:41.460 --> 01:18:45.540
Hong Lieu: And that's one of the reasons why you so clutch because I mean you're you're an athlete, Michael, you understand this, like,
658
01:18:45.840 --> 01:18:51.180
Hong Lieu: What is really clutch clutches doing something so much and so often practicing so much
659
01:18:51.510 --> 01:18:58.080
Hong Lieu: That you don't have to think about it, no matter if you're in that if you're in that exact spot on the court where you've taken that shot 18,000 times in your life.
660
01:18:58.710 --> 01:19:02.580
Hong Lieu: It doesn't matter who's in front of you or whatever, if you get your full release in motion off.
661
01:19:03.270 --> 01:19:11.070
Hong Lieu: It's going in, you know, because you've practice it over and over, you know, think about it. You can turn around and as long as your hand is in that spot and released at that point is going in.
662
01:19:11.550 --> 01:19:13.200
Hong Lieu: And that's and Jordan was was
663
01:19:13.770 --> 01:19:21.870
Hong Lieu: He put himself in a position where he could focus a lot of basketball. He had the business stuff, you know, Jordan Brand is super successful he did, but he had a lot of people helping them, but he was, he
664
01:19:22.170 --> 01:19:28.230
Hong Lieu: He put himself in a position to just play basketball. You know where we're nowadays. Everyone's like, you know, shut up and dribble or not.
665
01:19:28.710 --> 01:19:34.110
Hong Lieu: He put himself in a position where he never even had that conversation. You just never entertained at all. He was just in the gym like
666
01:19:34.410 --> 01:19:38.880
Hong Lieu: You know, you can even go to ask them that question because he's in the gym, you know, like you can talk them before the game after the game.
667
01:19:39.330 --> 01:19:47.580
Hong Lieu: In terms of beyond that. He's doing his thing, not, you're not getting any access he's focusing on him and you can't argue with results. He is, you know, the greatest of all time.
668
01:19:48.210 --> 01:19:54.270
Hong Lieu: But at the same time there is that what if, like if john would have had more voice in some of these situations.
669
01:19:55.170 --> 01:20:06.720
Hong Lieu: With number one would have would have made a difference in the social justice side of things. And number two, would he have been less than a player, because you know because of it. So those are hypotheticals, those, those little small the straws. I can grasp as the hater.
670
01:20:08.490 --> 01:20:08.940
Michael Medel: Yeah.
671
01:20:09.090 --> 01:20:10.290
Hong Lieu: That's all I got left. I mean,
672
01:20:11.490 --> 01:20:21.270
Michael Medel: I'll counter counter with you. I'll counter with you on that and say, well, true. I mean, there were other during that time there were other you know athletes that were vocal and made political stance.
673
01:20:22.620 --> 01:20:27.990
Michael Medel: But in comparison of like today's athletes. They didn't have the platform.
674
01:20:28.680 --> 01:20:30.240
Michael Medel: You know, athletes do today. I mean,
675
01:20:30.870 --> 01:20:37.770
Michael Medel: Athletes today. I mean, the power of social media and saying, whatever you want to say, however you want to say it and
676
01:20:39.330 --> 01:20:50.100
Michael Medel: And and being able to do it effectively, you don't have to set up a time contact the studio to get down there and record a message, you know, L or contact a
677
01:20:51.390 --> 01:21:03.240
Michael Medel: writer for the for the paper right for the time to meet up so that you can say you just say it like if you want to say something you can say in seconds, and it goes to billions of people across the world and seconds seconds.
678
01:21:04.170 --> 01:21:15.360
Michael Medel: You know what, what would that era have been like or how would that have changed. Jordan You know operating and the world of social media that that's always something I think about. Yeah.
679
01:21:15.720 --> 01:21:23.940
Hong Lieu: And that's, that's a very good point because it is true that the platform is different. The platform was not in terms of the 90s platform for athletes and and just for
680
01:21:24.390 --> 01:21:36.330
Hong Lieu: For quote unquote urban culture in general in terms of having that platform was, you know, it was, it was still kind of kind of a smaller niche. Whereas now, it's completely mainstream and totally reaching everybody. Yeah.
681
01:21:36.360 --> 01:21:47.760
Akil: I mean, even to even small things like such things as like off the record like what reporters would record and and or what they would choose to actually writer or publish
682
01:21:48.480 --> 01:22:00.150
Akil: There was still some type of sanctity in that and, you know, whereas now like it's all like it's all out in the open. You know what I mean, like, I think.
683
01:22:00.900 --> 01:22:11.640
Akil: You know, in some regards that Jordan were was probably given a lot of passes back then in terms of how he conducted himself off the off the court that he probably wouldn't get now.
684
01:22:12.210 --> 01:22:21.090
Akil: And then that's a reality. So, and then, we all know that what happens off the court, you know, can affect you on the court as well so
685
01:22:21.870 --> 01:22:22.890
Michael Medel: You know, we know that to be
686
01:22:22.890 --> 01:22:23.190
True.
687
01:22:24.300 --> 01:22:28.020
Michael Medel: Here's what they offer out to that came out of that documentary a
688
01:22:29.370 --> 01:22:43.470
Michael Medel: Shout out to moms of the world we we know, we know that when we run this world, man. If you haven't figured that out, man. Women are the most beautiful, powerful things to ever walk on this earth and certainly
689
01:22:44.580 --> 01:22:58.080
Michael Medel: You know, I would say behind every great man. There's always a better woman that's the secret to their success and in Jordan's case in documentary that it showed his mama was the one that made him take that meeting with Nike was
690
01:22:58.110 --> 01:23:03.570
Michael Medel: Like he was come, yeah. When he was coming in the league, you know, endorsed. I think he was leaving it was it an
691
01:23:04.140 --> 01:23:05.190
Hong Lieu: Adidas, he wanted to do.
692
01:23:05.430 --> 01:23:11.700
Hong Lieu: He could he didn't want to go to Congress because Congress had Larry Bird and magic already on the roster. So it was a dentist Nike
693
01:23:12.480 --> 01:23:24.690
Michael Medel: Yeah, and he didn't want to even take the meeting with Nike and his mom made him like his mom can. It was like, nope, you're going to take this meeting Nike and the rest is history. Who knows what would have happened, man.
694
01:23:25.800 --> 01:23:26.100
Michael Medel: Yeah.
695
01:23:26.670 --> 01:23:28.740
Michael Medel: He. I mean, he would have been kicking it at
696
01:23:28.740 --> 01:23:29.340
UCLA.
697
01:23:32.760 --> 01:23:40.110
Akil: Well, look, I'm also to listen to that. Speaking of that point, like, and then how many people have followed suit at Nike because of Jordan.
698
01:23:40.650 --> 01:23:58.770
Akil: And because of Jordans mother so you can make the argument that she actually indirectly affected other athletes that came after Jordan, the pipeline, because everybody wants to get Nike. That's the big one to get you know and I know, yeah.
699
01:23:59.190 --> 01:24:04.530
Michael Medel: Steph Curry over your nose nose. Let's listen to your mother, man. As long as a ball about that.
700
01:24:06.660 --> 01:24:17.190
Hong Lieu: And and and the mellow ball has signed a deal with Puma, I think. So they're not going with the triple be the big baller brand for the mellow. So yeah, I think he learned his lesson is Molly must have been told to tell him about that so
701
01:24:18.270 --> 01:24:26.280
Hong Lieu: But yeah, and then I will mention that even Jordan has come around on his previous a political nature he through Jordan Brand he's he's committed to donate 100 million
702
01:24:27.060 --> 01:24:36.810
Hong Lieu: To combat racism over the next, you know, 510 years or so, even he has kind of looks back on that and price seize opportunities to to make more of a difference, you know, here and there.
703
01:24:37.260 --> 01:24:44.670
Hong Lieu: But at the same time. Yeah, he's, he was busy being the greatest of all time. So I can happen. Yeah, give him a little passing
704
01:24:45.240 --> 01:24:51.000
Akil: And, you know, I'm going to speak to that point to as well. I think that's important to mention that like look right so
705
01:24:51.600 --> 01:25:01.320
Akil: When we think about all time great athletes and who sacrifice in terms of making political statements we cannot filter mentioned the greatest of all time. Muhammad Ali.
706
01:25:01.950 --> 01:25:10.650
Akil: And here's why that is significant because yes now. It's great. Michael Jordan, you're giving your money $10 million I, you know, great. And I'm not trying to diminish.
707
01:25:10.980 --> 01:25:20.760
Akil: That but you know it's probably a drop in the bucket. It's probably a tax write off when Muhammad Ali was at his prime. He gave his belt up for two years.
708
01:25:21.720 --> 01:25:38.550
Akil: Not for a political purpose or political stance. And so what while it's great in nature to give money to organizations. I really think that gesture of not competing and stopping the mega machine because you believe
709
01:25:39.840 --> 01:25:54.270
Akil: In a particular stance is is is carries more weight and that's why the people that the athletes are protesting in the NBA. The W NBA MVP. We got tennis athletes that are
710
01:25:54.270 --> 01:25:55.380
Hong Lieu: Hockey hockey.
711
01:25:55.410 --> 01:25:57.330
Hong Lieu: Hockey League games. Yeah.
712
01:25:57.990 --> 01:26:10.860
Akil: These like this can't be under this can't be understated how people are really starting to wake up to social issues in this country. And we have to start doing better we can. We have to stop killing
713
01:26:12.330 --> 01:26:13.020
Akil: Unarmed
714
01:26:14.040 --> 01:26:21.180
Akil: People black people other ethnic groups, people of color senselessly we have to be better than this. So,
715
01:26:22.770 --> 01:26:23.820
Akil: You know, I said.
716
01:26:25.080 --> 01:26:32.580
Hong Lieu: Yeah, the thing about it is in terms of people to tell you about recycling. You know, like, oh yeah, if you recycle. If you do this you'll save the planet and then you find out for the fact
717
01:26:33.120 --> 01:26:40.680
Hong Lieu: The individual yes you'll make a difference, but it's not you. That is the problem. It is these large corporations doing 8 million tons of waste every day.
718
01:26:40.920 --> 01:26:45.300
Hong Lieu: It's the same thing here, where these NBA players. Bye bye, or the players by making their stand here.
719
01:26:45.630 --> 01:26:54.720
Hong Lieu: They're not just telling you know like making a message with with with the fans, they're talking to their owners. These guys making hundreds of millions, billions of dollars off the sports. If these guys are playing
720
01:26:55.050 --> 01:27:02.370
Hong Lieu: Hey, we want you to be involved with this. We want you to help. And that's really the way to enact changes to get these some of these owners on the side.
721
01:27:02.790 --> 01:27:12.030
Hong Lieu: Using their lobbying efforts their money their their their clout to to be a part of this as well, because you know like the the people in the streets and the people doing that.
722
01:27:12.300 --> 01:27:21.390
Hong Lieu: That's an individual that's like the person you know recycling their cans at home, but until some of these larger entities, these, these powerful people and organizations.
723
01:27:21.810 --> 01:27:28.860
Hong Lieu: Are start, start moving some things as well. Not much is going to change. And then this and the statement these athletes are making
724
01:27:29.370 --> 01:27:37.680
Hong Lieu: Is that you know we we want you to be a part of this. Please be a part of this. And that's and and you know there. That was one of the big things that struck me was
725
01:27:38.100 --> 01:27:43.950
Hong Lieu: It's the first time that they've really kind of asked the owners did not just stand on the sidelines, cuz you know when they're playing sports.
726
01:27:44.160 --> 01:27:48.270
Hong Lieu: They're not going to ask the owners were for this and that they're just saying you know that the owners of the contract they play
727
01:27:48.690 --> 01:27:53.520
Hong Lieu: This is them stepping back and saying, hey, we're doing what we can, we have black lives matter on the court. We're wearing these shirts.
728
01:27:53.850 --> 01:28:06.840
Hong Lieu: But hey, we need help, and we're and we're we're tired. We're sick and tired of being sick and tired and let's let's work together on this and the owners. I mean, we'll see. We'll see how they respond, but the opening kind of things have been promised so
729
01:28:09.120 --> 01:28:09.810
Akil: Absolutely.
730
01:28:11.010 --> 01:28:13.740
Michael Medel: Add it sure figured out that bubble, uh,
731
01:28:15.420 --> 01:28:19.530
Michael Medel: I wonder when Dr G's gonna open up the bubble to college.
732
01:28:22.530 --> 01:28:23.880
Hong Lieu: What what I'm worried about is
733
01:28:23.880 --> 01:28:31.380
Hong Lieu: Football. I mean, NFL I don't know casino how baseball's God with a random postponements in there you have a weekend series postpone this and that.
734
01:28:31.980 --> 01:28:40.110
Hong Lieu: Football just feels like, especially where there's some some owners talking about winning fans and stadiums football just feels like it's going to be an interesting social experiment for sure.
735
01:28:41.100 --> 01:28:46.710
Hong Lieu: So the bubble the bubble does seem to work because hockey's had the same, same thing where they haven't had issues. Once they got to the bubble so
736
01:28:46.980 --> 01:28:56.580
Hong Lieu: In terms of the right now the bubble seem to the best way to do large kind of gatherings or sports events, at least, and we'll see how football goes and you don't know. We don't know.
737
01:28:58.500 --> 01:29:07.260
Michael Medel: I'm not optimistic, man. I don't know. I mean, he says, I'm a huge college football. If my if my number one sport it I love it with passion.
738
01:29:08.910 --> 01:29:20.250
Michael Medel: And you know, you saw like the PAC 12 Conference and the big, the big 10 conference. It was a couple other competence cancel the season and
739
01:29:21.240 --> 01:29:28.800
Michael Medel: You know, you still have competence, like the SEC in the big 12. They're like, nope, somehow, somehow they think they're breathing. Breathing different air than the rest of us right like
740
01:29:29.190 --> 01:29:38.880
Michael Medel: Somehow. There's just, there's not going to have and I just don't, I don't love the sport out. Yeah, I want to be able to watch sport, you know, but it's just like what
741
01:29:39.960 --> 01:29:50.700
Michael Medel: What, what's the rules. These are 1718 year olds man like it's so much different than the professional athlete, where this is their career. This is their job. This is their earnings
742
01:29:51.300 --> 01:30:01.830
Michael Medel: You know, and it's a different setup than an 18 year old kid man who's at college, and you're trying to tell him or her, you know, don't
743
01:30:02.790 --> 01:30:12.900
Michael Medel: Stay in don't go out, you know, don't, don't hang out. Don't socialize. Don't you know and and they don't have the the tools like the professional athletes to to test them every day and
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Michael Medel: And and do all these safeguards and so I just don't see that football season happen i think it's i think you're gonna they're gonna try. I think there's gonna be a mass breakout and they're going to end up backpedaling saying, shoot.
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01:30:29.310 --> 01:30:30.930
Michael Medel: Maybe we can't do this, but
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01:30:33.030 --> 01:30:34.710
Michael Medel: Yeah, it's, it's very interesting. See what happens.
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01:30:34.920 --> 01:30:37.770
Akil: Have you guys have you guys been watching hard knocks.
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01:30:38.820 --> 01:30:50.100
Akil: Premiered think last know a couple weeks ago and and it's just nuts. How much technology and the resources that the NFL has around
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Akil: cove it like they get tested every day, they got to where that brace that keeps that beeps or goes off when they're too close to somebody like they have all the gadgets and tools.
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01:31:02.610 --> 01:31:10.440
Akil: You know, in place, but like what Mike was saying like, what, how are you going to implement that with 1819 year old.
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01:31:11.520 --> 01:31:23.610
Akil: Students, I have a 16 year old and it's like it's it's a constant struggle to be like, Look, no you sorry you can't do this. You can't do that. I'm sorry. You know, you got to, I don't know how that's going to happen. I just don't
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01:31:24.900 --> 01:31:29.070
Hong Lieu: Yeah, the disjointed this of the college responsive interesting because even with the top 25 polls.
753
01:31:29.370 --> 01:31:33.960
Hong Lieu: They put out their initial top 25 and then they're going to remove a bunch of teams because those teams aren't playing till the spring.
754
01:31:34.290 --> 01:31:41.010
Hong Lieu: And then it's good. I mean, how do you schedule for the teams that are playing in the fall and the teams that are playing in the spring, all these games, they're going to play against each other at night to find
755
01:31:41.310 --> 01:31:51.600
Hong Lieu: What to pull in some division two opponents or something, I don't know what they're going to do to get these schedules done, but it's just yeah this is, it's, it's an interesting social experiment all around. Absolutely.
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01:31:54.330 --> 01:31:56.280
Hong Lieu: So yeah, THE TIME THAT BACK TO THE LAST DANCE.
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01:31:58.080 --> 01:32:01.710
Hong Lieu: It's, it's, it's, yeah, it's a great, great 10 part series.
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01:32:03.420 --> 01:32:09.450
Hong Lieu: I respect your and I've always respected Jordan, even though I wasn't a fan of his well you know cuz I was referring underdog stuff but
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01:32:10.620 --> 01:32:21.030
Michael Medel: Yeah, and I oh yeah it is one of my favorite sports documentaries. Like, I can't, I'm trying to figure out a documentary to compare it to. But
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01:32:22.650 --> 01:32:27.780
Michael Medel: I just, I thought it was well done, especially all the raw footage and especially
761
01:32:28.950 --> 01:32:30.540
Michael Medel: Getting that raw footage back then.
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01:32:32.400 --> 01:32:35.850
Michael Medel: You know, it's a lot easier to get raw footage nowadays, but
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01:32:37.290 --> 01:32:37.740
Michael Medel: Yeah.
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01:32:39.240 --> 01:32:52.020
Hong Lieu: He actually had a full deal with the NBA films to follow them for that whole year. So, and that was at the time. Adam silver was running NBA films or ever was the current Commission to leak. So he's, he's probably looking back on his work and like, yeah, good, good.
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01:32:54.180 --> 01:32:54.810
Hong Lieu: All right.
766
01:32:55.260 --> 01:33:02.070
Hong Lieu: All right, not about DOES IT, THE WRAPS UP THE THE MARATHON edition of SPC McKenna voices.
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01:33:03.750 --> 01:33:07.920
Hong Lieu: Thank you again. Michael for being a guest on the show. It was an honor and a privilege to have you on here.
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01:33:08.880 --> 01:33:13.650
Akil: Absolutely. Thanks for joining us, Michael. And I look forward to that steak dinner at the palms.
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Akil: Post post call it. Yeah.
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01:33:18.840 --> 01:33:27.600
Michael Medel: Thanks for having me, guys. It's been fun and you got a good thing going on here man keep keep these podcasts. Go on. It's may have may have hit something here.
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Hong Lieu: Any, any parting plugs or anything for your department or anything else you got going on before we say goodbye.
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01:33:34.770 --> 01:33:41.010
Michael Medel: I just shout out to all the people are they all staff listeners from from city college faculty, staff, managers.
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01:33:42.240 --> 01:33:43.080
Michael Medel: Working hard
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01:33:44.370 --> 01:33:58.140
Michael Medel: At least from, from my perspective, I can appreciate you and appreciate what sacrifices you're making so that our students can get educated and stay safe. Stay healthy, we will we will all be together so
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Hong Lieu: You know, I don't think there's anything else we can add to that to say anything, any better. So on that note. Take care everyone, and we'll see you next time.
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Hong Lieu: All right.