[00:00:00] Brian: Nice. Thanks again for getting this.

[00:00:08] Lisa: Look, Brian, I think this is gonna be the last batch for a while. Okay.

[00:00:13] Brian: Oh, am I not paying you enough because I can give you more money. I really need these pills.

[00:00:17] Lisa: No, I'm just a little spread thin. Okay. There's plenty of places to get Viagra without a prescription.

[00:00:22] Brian: I know, but my mom's on my bank account and she reads my statements line by line.

[00:00:26] Lisa: B. There's no shame in having performance anxiety.

[00:00:28] Brian: Lisa. My mom is so worried about the whole lottery thing. Okay. I can't give any kind of impression that I'm infertile, too.

[00:00:34] Lisa: Well, then cut them in half for a while.

[00:00:38] Sanjay: What pills?

[00:00:39] Lisa: Brian, you didn't check if there's anyone in here. Sorry,

[00:00:43] Brian: I've, I've never bought drugs from a dealer before.

[00:00:45] Lisa: Also, isn't this the woman's room, Angela? You in here?

[00:00:49] Sanjay: She is not. She's at the table already, desperately trying to keep her Duolingo canto streak. It's mad scary. But while you've got your bag open, do you happen to have anything in that Fendi baguette to help me catch some Zs? 'cause my sleep schedule has gone to total sh** since Henry hit 30,000 followers.

[00:01:06] Lisa: Okay. I'm not a dealer. Can you just throw in some earplugs? I mean, it can't even be that bad.

[00:01:11] Sanjay: Last night was brutal. He was trying new stuff out.

[00:01:15] Lisa: Here.

[00:01:16] Sanjay: Thank you so much. Much appreciate the family discount.

[00:01:19] Lisa: Yeah, whatever. But that's it. No more favors. Okay, now go back to the table before someone else comes in here.

[00:01:24] Lisa: Let's stagger.

[00:01:25] Sanjay: Hey, what is that one that, let's go.

[00:01:28] Angela: f***.

[00:01:31] Henry: Oh man, this sh** is

[00:01:32] Lisa: spicy. Hey y'all. Oh damn. Those doses look fire. Hey Angela.

[00:01:39] Angela: God damn nerds trying to take my spot in the Pearl League.

[00:01:43] Lisa: Okay. A little hostile.

[00:01:45] Sanjay: Angela, the phone can wait. Dosas cannot.

[00:01:48] Angela: Just a second. f***. f*** no!!!!

[00:01:53] Henry: I guess that Duolingo owl's gonna kill your family now.

[00:01:57] Henry: Okay. I'm sorry. It was just a joke. Okay. Can someone switch with me? I don't like being in Angela's striking distance.

[00:02:05] Brian: You okay?

[00:02:06] Angela: I'm done for

[00:02:07] Lisa: What's going on?

[00:02:08] Angela: I'm leaving for China for the first time next month.

[00:02:13] Kevin: Whoa. Whoa. I I thought you said your mom would never let you go. Like, forbid you from going.

[00:02:21] Angela: I bought my ticket.

[00:02:22] Angela: I'm leaving.

[00:02:23] Lisa: I never thought I'd see the day.

[00:02:25] Angela: Yep, me neither. But I'm going because I am going to solve the biggest mystery once and for all

[00:02:32] Lisa: the location of Malaysian Airlines, flight 370?

[00:02:35] Kevin: The identity of the Zodiac killer?

[00:02:37] Brian: The meaning of life?

[00:02:39] Angela: My mother's immigration story.

[00:02:43] Henry: God, I feel like my mom changes every time depending on how bad she's, to me like. The less I've called, the more mountains she's had to cross barefoot to make it here.

[00:02:51] Angela: I know. It took us 25 years to get to the point where she'd even call herself an immigrant.

[00:02:56] Lisa: Angela, this is gonna be so good for you.

[00:02:58] Angela: I know, I, I, I think finally meeting some of my mom's family will put things into perspective.

[00:03:04] Angela: I've always felt so outta place with this unexplored side of my heritage. I mean, sure, I had my father's side of the family, but listening to my father's relatives talk. I felt like someone who stumbled onto the set of the Sopranos looking for a bathroom.

[00:03:19] Henry: Yeah. I mean, you didn't even have to say all that and I could see you being the black sheep.

[00:03:23] Henry: Also, you get like mad Italian when you're angry, by the way.

[00:03:26] Angela: What do you mean Italian? Huh? That I'm kidding. Relax your face. Daisy looked at me the same way you're looking at me right now.

[00:03:36] Lisa: That's your cousin, right? The one we ran into in the restaurant. Wild, isn't she? From like far, far away?

[00:03:44] Angela: Yeah. New Jersey.

[00:03:47] Angela: Can't believe they had the gumption across the New York City border.

[00:03:49] Lisa: You've got Chinese relatives in New Jersey since when?

[00:03:52] Kevin: I always remembered you saying you don't have family here.

[00:03:55] Angela: Daisy's just visiting from Taiwan. It's a little complicated.

[00:04:02] Daisy: What are the chances, how'd you find the place? They just opened.

[00:04:06] Daisy: My father told me to ask Uncle Zi about where to eat in the neighborhood.

[00:04:10] Angela: Ah, old Uncle Zi he sent me to, can't believe. He didn't mention that you'd be in town. Well, he worked every day with grandpa at the restaurant. I'm sure he knows that our parents hate each other for some reason.

[00:04:23] Daisy: I don't even know why they're estranged.

[00:04:26] Angela: Your dad doesn't talk about it?

[00:04:27] Daisy: He just says, 'your Aunt Banana, she sold out to White America.'

[00:04:32] Angela: Yeah. I can see why they don't talk. Gosh, when's the last time we saw each other ?

[00:04:38] Daisy: When grandma passed?

[00:04:40] Angela: Ah, that's right. Yeah. And your dad got us that Dollhouse.

[00:04:45] Daisy: The Barbie University house.

[00:04:47] Angela: Yeah, that's right. Oh my gosh.

[00:04:49] Angela: I remember we spent all day fighting over who got to sit in the jacuzzi with Ken. Oh gosh. Anyway, the reason I'm here, well, I hope no one died. 'cause I feel like that's the only time I get to see you. You know? Well wait, that was a joke.

[00:05:11] Angela: I was kidding. Someone died.

[00:05:12] Daisy: Not yet, but soon probably. That's what I came to talk to uncle Zi about. It's your mother's sister, are you all right?

[00:05:26] Angela: This happens a lot.

[00:05:27] Daisy: Your mother's sister is not, well,

[00:05:30] Angela: what are you talking about? My mom doesn't have a sister. She just got uncle Lee. Right. Right.

[00:05:38] Daisy: Your mother never told you ?

[00:05:41] Angela: What the f***? What the f***? What the actual f***.

[00:05:45] Daisy: Your Italian side is scary.

[00:05:47] Angela: Sorry. I haven't been this mad since I got kicked outta my eating club at Princeton for playing too much Joy Division. My mom has a sister.

[00:05:55] Daisy: Yes.

[00:05:56] Angela: How old is she?

[00:05:57] Daisy: 63

[00:05:59] Angela: An older sister. What the f***? Why didn't she tell me? Didn't she think this would f*** me up?

[00:06:06] Daisy: I don't know. Maybe it's better if you ask her. I'm scared of your Italian Stallion.

[00:06:11] Angela: My what?

[00:06:12] Angela: I can't believe this.

[00:06:26] Angela: Hello? Is anyone here? I brought Dewars? Huh?

[00:06:35] Helen: Angela!

[00:06:36] Angela: Why didn't you let me in?

[00:06:38] Helen: Oh, I'm sorry. I was having some wine while I watched tv.

[00:06:42] Angela: Is this Bridget Jones'? Diary. Part two.

[00:06:47] Helen: Yeah.

[00:06:48] Angela: Haven't you seen this, like, 19 times? Are you even watching?

[00:06:52] Helen: Yeah. I love watching two men fight over a woman.

[00:06:56] Angela: Where's daddy?

[00:06:57] Helen: He's upstairs watching baseball.

[00:06:59] Helen: You know how he is? Hey Bobby, your daughter's here.

[00:07:04] Bobby: Okay.

[00:07:06] Angela: Uh, mom. I saw Daisy today. Uh, uncle Lee's daughter.

[00:07:12] Helen: Oh, how is she? Is she done with medical school yet?

[00:07:16] Angela: She's like 40 now.

[00:07:18] Helen: Well, she could still be in school. Your uncle never finished anything, so why would she?

[00:07:24] Angela: She's finished with medical school. You're not even gonna ask why she was here?

[00:07:29] Helen: Why, did my asshole brother die?

[00:07:32] Angela: Well, no, but. Someone is very sick.

[00:07:36] Helen: Who?

[00:07:37] Angela: Your sister.

[00:07:39] Helen: So that's what the Dewars is for.

[00:07:41] Angela: When were you gonna tell me that you have a sister?

[00:07:44] Helen: Never.

[00:07:44] Angela: Don't you think I'd wanna know?

[00:07:46] Helen: No, I don't care. Why should you have a shot? You don't make you feel bad.

[00:07:55] Helen: You wanna drink? Angela brought Scotch.

[00:07:59] Bobby: A what?

[00:07:59] Helen: Shot? We are doing shots.

[00:08:02] Bobby: I'm not getting involved.

[00:08:04] Helen: I'll bring it up there. You wanna go up and watch the baseball game? Well, I don't wanna miss my favorite part though. They're gonna fall into the fountain.

[00:08:13] Angela: No, I didn't bring the Dewars to get you to avoid talking to me. I brought it so it'd make talking easier.

[00:08:20] Angela: Mom, listen to me. I dunno who I am, I don't know anything real about myself.

[00:08:28] Helen: What do you mean?

[00:08:29] Angela: Um, well, for one that you apparently have a sister that I have never heard of and the fact that I haven't seen Daisy, my first cousin, but twice in my whole life. There's no one to talk to from my Chinese side of the family.

[00:08:44] Helen: It's not my fault. They moved all the way to New Jersey. And what do you mean? You have your grandma and your grandpa? You could have talked to them when they were alive. We didn't speak the same languages. And whose fault is that?

[00:08:59] Bobby: Your grandparents wanted you to be an American!

[00:09:01] Angela: Yeah. So they never spoke Chinese to me.

[00:09:04] Angela: And you pulled me out of Mandarin school.

[00:09:06] Helen: You have a family. Think of all your father's family.

[00:09:10] Angela: I mean, if I wanted to be an extra Goodfellas, it'd be perfect, but I'm, I'm trying to figure out who I am!

[00:09:15] Helen: Wahh imagine being on Goodfellas. Talk about a career move. Are they doing another?

[00:09:22] Angela: Mom! Not the point! I want to understand myself.

[00:09:28] Angela: I've always felt like pieces of my life are missing. Maybe if you just tell me a little bit about my aunt ...uhhh...

[00:09:33] Helen: What do you mean missing? You've got me and daddy.

[00:09:37] Bobby: What?

[00:09:38] Helen: What is it?

[00:09:39] Bobby: Did you call me?

[00:09:40] Helen: No.

[00:09:41] Bobby: I thought I heard my name called!

[00:09:43] Angela: Yeah. She said, you have me and your father.

[00:09:45] Bobby: We have who and what.

[00:09:46] Angela: Stop getting involved.

[00:09:48] Bobby: I already told you I'm not getting involved.

[00:09:50] Angela: Oh, Jesus Christ, mom, will you at least tell me this? Why didn't I know you had a sister?

[00:09:59] Helen: Because she always acted like she was better than us. When we all came here, we at least had each other, but she didn't want to be in America. She always resented us for getting more care.

[00:10:13] Helen: I was the baby. Uncle Lee had a bad back, so to punish us, she left.

[00:10:20] Angela: What was her name?

[00:10:22] Helen: Uh, Powww Lee?

[00:10:25] Angela: You don't even remember her name.

[00:10:28] Helen: Well, she wasn't my real sister.

[00:10:31] Angela: What?

[00:10:31] Helen: Well, she was my half sister. Uncle Lee isn't my real brother. He is my half brother too.

[00:10:38] Angela: Well, are they your half siblings by grandma or grandpa?

[00:10:40] Helen: Uncle Lee and Bali are grandma's kids from other marriages. Grandpa wasn't either of our father's.

[00:10:50] Angela: What? So who's your father?

[00:10:52] Helen: I don't know !

[00:10:54] Bobby: What ?

[00:10:54] Angela: Nobody's calling you.

[00:10:55] Bobby: I heard you say father.

[00:10:56] Helen: We are talking about my father.

[00:10:58] Bobby: Who?

[00:10:59] Helen: Exactly.

[00:11:00] Angela: Christ Almighty Mom. Doesn't this bother you?

[00:11:05] Helen: No. Our lives were horrible until we got here.

[00:11:09] Helen: Grandma wanted us to be American. Oh, poor mom. Traumatized. Thank God I was too small to remember anything clearly.

[00:11:19] Angela: Maybe the Dewars was a bad idea.

[00:11:22] Helen: You know what she would do when she first got here? She'd panic about being robbed and swallow all her gold jewelry. She would do seven rings at a time.

[00:11:34] Angela: So that's where I get that from.

[00:11:36] Helen: Do you know how many times I had to stand over the toilet bowl, sifting through sh** for a ring? Is that what you want to go back to? Huh?

[00:11:45] Angela: No, but you know what? Maybe if you had told me about this earlier, I would feel less guilty about my rampant, constant paranoia because I'd know PTSD ran in the family, or things like flaky versus wet ear.

[00:12:01] Helen: What?

[00:12:02] Angela: Yeah, Asians have flaky earwax, but no one ever told me because I never had a Asian family I could talk to. There are just so many things that I don't understand.

[00:12:13] Helen: Well then go, go to China. I won't stop you. You'd be breaking my heart and I'd have to write you out of my will.

[00:12:22] Angela: Is that even a real threat?

[00:12:23] Angela: I mean, do you have anything of value?

[00:12:25] Helen: Of course I do. I have a modest amount of bullion and even better, my unopened collection of original banana flavor Twinkies !

[00:12:38] Angela: Are those... Edible.

[00:12:40] Helen: That's the beauty of a Twinkie. America's favorite treat. They never expire.

[00:12:48] Angela: I don't know if that's true, but you know what does expire people, your sister included. You really don't wanna see your sister?

[00:13:01] Helen: No.

[00:13:01] Angela: Why not?

[00:13:03] Helen: Some things are better left in the past.

[00:13:09] Lisa: I can understand why your mom wouldn't want to revisit all that. Maybe that's why Asians own so many nail salons, all those years of digging through sh** to find their valuables. They deserve a lifetime of self-care.

[00:13:20] Kevin: Yeah, but to just shut family out like that.

[00:13:22] Brian: I'd suffer a lifetime of war crimes just to get a break from living in Sean's shadow.

[00:13:27] Henry: But are we even entitled to knowing these things? Your mom shouldn't have to live the rest of her life with constant dooo digging. PTSD immigrant moms are like the combat veterans, you know? That's why I don't talk to my mom.

[00:13:40] Henry: I just thank her for her service and leave her alone.

[00:13:42] Sanjay: It's tough. Sometimes you're better off just dropping it. If she wants to say something, she will. Like, once my grandpa was sitting drinking a chai and he blurted out how he killed a guy in a war using only his helmet.

[00:13:54] Lisa: Maybe your mom isn't the person to ask. Did your dad know anything?

[00:13:58] Angela: Well, I did ask him.

[00:14:04] Angela: Hey dad, I'm, I'm going.

[00:14:07] Bobby: Already? You just got here.

[00:14:09] Angela: I'm just, I'm feeling a little lost.

[00:14:12] Bobby: Ugh.

[00:14:13] Angela: Not exactly, but I appreciate the solidarity.

[00:14:16] Bobby: Nah, these goddamn Yankees, they're breaking my heart. Sorry, what were you saying?

[00:14:23] Angela: Uh, I, I said I'm leaving. Mom passed out on the couch. I brought Dewars.

[00:14:29] Bobby: Uhoh. What was that about?

[00:14:33] Angela: Did you know that mom had a sister?

[00:14:35] Bobby: Yeah, uh, Bali. Uh, she was always writing the house. Asking about you.

[00:14:41] Angela: She was?

[00:14:42] Bobby: Yeah. sh**. Don't tell her I told you that.

[00:14:45] Angela: Why wouldn't she tell me?

[00:14:47] Bobby: I don't know. Maybe it makes her feel lost too. Thinking about all the parts of her life that fell to the wayside. You should talk to your uncle, but that involves crossing the border over to Jersey.

[00:14:56] Angela: Yeah, I don't think I'd go that far. She'd feel even more betrayed.

[00:15:00] Bobby: Well, nothing could be worse than going to China.

[00:15:03] Angela: Why ?

[00:15:04] Bobby: Your mom wouldn't want you to go.

[00:15:05] Angela: Why though?

[00:15:06] Bobby: I don't know. Your grandma didn't like the idea either. They actually got in a huge fight when your mom put you and your sister in Mandarin school.

[00:15:14] Bobby: Then, Grandma had that heart attack and passed. But you're not supposed to know that. Don't repeat that.

[00:15:21] Angela: Jesus. I had no idea.

[00:15:23] Bobby: I just remember her saying she'd disown you at the drop of a hat if you went. Her words.

[00:15:28] Angela: Okay. Well. Goodnight, daddy. Oh, um, sorry. By the way, do we still have that old Dollhouse?

[00:15:38] Bobby: The Barbie sorority house uncle Lee got you? Yeah, maybe check the basement.

[00:15:43] Angela: Oh, come on.

[00:15:48] Angela: How does anyone see down here? Hey, is there a light in here? Oh, f***. Oh, here we go.

[00:15:59] Angela: Wow. The Barbie sorority house, alpha, beta, gamma. Hey Ken, I know you're really into half Asian chicks. Would you wanna get into jacuzzi with me? Sure thing. My little mixed babe.

[00:16:17] Angela: Oh sh**. She wasn't kidding. Ye Old Accord general provisions. What the hell is in this bag? An original banana flavored twine. Best by June, 1975.

[00:16:34] Angela: Huh? So they do expire. What the hell are these photos? Grandpa?

Marker

---

[00:16:46] Angela: Hello? Hey Anna. How are you?

[00:16:48] Anna: I told you not to ask me that anymore. What do you need?

[00:16:50] Angela: Um, well, I was over at mom and dad's and...

[00:16:54] Anna: I already gave you my opinion. If you wanna do family group therapy, I think we need to hire a mediator. And a caterer. It might take a while.

[00:17:01] Angela: No, no, no, no. I'm, I'm calling about Uncle Lee's dollhouse.

[00:17:04] Anna: Oh, the one with the two car garage, that Daisy wasn't allowed to park in.

[00:17:07] Angela: Yeah, that one. I, I was, um, playing with it, I mean, looking at it, and I found a bag full of Twinkies and some photos inside of what? Well, it, it looks like grandpa when he was about 30 years old. He's like on a dock or something and there's a woman with him.

[00:17:25] Anna: Oh, you don't remember. He came to America by boat.

[00:17:27] Angela: He did?

[00:17:28] Anna: Yeah. Mom told us when we were smaller, he was a cargo loader or something before he was a chef, and that's how he got to America. But there's a storm and he washed ashore and was forced to fight rival gangs called the Mott Street Malls. They've even burned his house down.

[00:17:42] Angela: Isn't that the story of Fivel: An American Tale?

[00:17:46] Anna: Yeah, mom's a little fuzzy on the details, but I looked it up on ancestry.com once they've got everything on there.

[00:17:52] Angela: Well, who's this lady?

[00:17:54] Anna: I don't know.

[00:17:57] Angela: I, I have to tell you something. Mom has a sister who left the family and went back to China.

[00:18:03] Anna: She does?

[00:18:04] Angela: Yeah.

[00:18:05] Angela: And I'm trying to figure out who she is and I think it might have to do with the people in this picture. I mean, isn't that crazy?

[00:18:13] Anna: I mean. Angela, what does it matter? Mom lived in a roach infested tenement growing up. She performed child labor just so they could put food on the table. Who knows why they don't talk.

[00:18:23] Anna: Mom's finally doing what she wants to do and she's happy.

[00:18:27] Angela: Look, we have an aunt out there that's sick. Talking to her might be the last opportunity to learn something about our history. Isn't that important?

[00:18:36] Anna: I guess. I mean, did you try asking Mom? Maybe if you bring a bottle of Dewars or something, she'll loosen up.

[00:18:43] Angela: Yeah, I already tried it. She's fully passed out inside, so.

[00:18:47] Anna: Ah, then you're outta luck.

[00:18:51] Angela: Okay, thanks.

[00:18:54] Anna: Angela?

[00:18:55] Angela: Yeah.

[00:18:56] Anna: Promise you won't go to China.

[00:18:58] Angela: Why?

[00:18:59] Anna: I don't know. That's something Mom would always tuck us into bed and say, promise you won't go to China.

[00:19:04] Angela: Right. Okay. Talk soon. Bye.

[00:19:11] Kevin: Okay, so no one in your family seems comfortable talking about things.

[00:19:14] Kevin: Relatable.

[00:19:15] Lisa: I don't know. I'm my mom's best friend and sometimes impromptu sex therapist.

[00:19:21] Angela: Well, my mom had ingested a little too much truth serum, so I couldn't press for more details, but my world had been turned completely upside down. I had to figure out my story. So I turn to the Chattiest b****. I know. Ancestry.com.

[00:19:38] Angela: What the f*** is grandpa's name? We always called him Gong Gong. Oh sh**. Okay. Let's do this. Let's go search by image. Okay. Upload and no record. Hmm. Maybe. Maybe grandpa's secret lady friend has a clue. Okay, who are you Mystery Lady? Upload and boom. There you are, Lily Wong. Wait, what the. A marriage license?

[00:20:25] Lisa: Whoa, you didn't know about this.

[00:20:27] Henry: So your grandma is the other woman.

[00:20:30] Angela: Well, not exactly. Come on, come on, come on. Lily Wong. Bingo. Hello, grandpa. Or should I say hin? Nice to meet you. Wait, what the hell? I found divorce papers two years later, the same year. My grandpa married my grandma and brought her kids, including my mom to the U.S.

[00:21:02] Henry: so, your grandpa married this other woman for a green card. Okay. OG game in the system.

[00:21:07] Angela: Yeah. He apparently linked up with her via matchmaker to get his paperwork, then split and went back to the matchmaker again and got linked with my grandma. But that's all I could find.

[00:21:17] Lisa: Yeah. Who knew matchmaking was a huge back channel for immigration to the us.

[00:21:21] Angela: After all my sleuthing, I was still in the dark about my mom's family and how they came here. The trail was getting cold. I had come so far and even created an ancestry.com login. Is this all I was gonna get after scouring for leads, an IBS flare up and a lifetime of hearing aid related spam, that couldn't be it.

[00:21:41] Angela: And then Ye Old Accord General Provisions, jackpot. I found an old lease from their house in Accord, a marriage license sealed by a Hong Kong matchmaker between my grandma and grandpa. And I'd figured I'd searched for my mom's adoption records next, but there were none. I couldn't find them anywhere. My mom had never been adopted by my grandpa.

[00:22:09] Angela: In fact, none of them were not my aunt, not my uncle. Nobody, neither blood nor paperwork bound them. And the last thing I found was that my aunt's green card was denied.

[00:22:26] Lisa: So your aunt didn't abandon your family at all?

[00:22:29] Angela: Yeah, I know. I mean, at first I was like, wow, this is so stereotypical deadbeat immigrant dad that you're not gonna adopt your second wife's children.

[00:22:36] Angela: But it turns out he actually tried and that the adoption process is really tricky and f***ed up. Only US citizens can adopt non-US citizens. So my grandpa wasn't even in a position where he could adopt them at all. Yeah. Immigration's so hard and so often unfair.

[00:22:52] Sanjay: So why did your aunt get deported?

[00:22:54] Angela: Well. Ancestry.com didn't have any insights on that. I was so close to unveiling my origin story, to figuring out who I really was. I could taste it, but I'd run out of resources. I had to turn to my last resort. This better be worth crossing the border. It smells like hot gabagool out here. Hey, is anybody home?

[00:23:19] Angela: Anybody home?

[00:23:21] Uncle Lee: Well, the last time we already bought Girl Scout cookies and we aren't interested in new solar panels!

[00:23:28] Angela: Uncle Lee, it's me, Angela, your your sister's daughter. Your niece, step niece. I guess I'm still learning.

[00:23:42] Daisy: Please don't unleash the stallion.

[00:23:44] Angela: Look, I'm not mad. I only came to talk. You're the only one who can help me.

[00:23:50] Uncle Lee: Ask your mother. Have you tried a bottle of Dewars?

[00:23:54] Angela: I wanna know why Bali was deported. Hoarded. Damn, you've got a lot of chains there.

[00:24:03] Uncle Lee: I don't take risks. I have a very rare collection of shakuhachi flutes, Japanese shakuhachi flutes.

[00:24:10] Angela: Yeah. I heard. Can I, uh, can I come in now?

[00:24:17] Angela: Here you go. Please don't hurt me. Why does everyone think I'm violent? I've never done anything violent in my life! Ah, mannaggia!.

[00:24:25] Uncle Lee: There's a violence inherent in all of us. It runs in our family. It's the violence of struggle and survival.

[00:24:31] Angela: It's a little intense. Uncle Lee.

[00:24:34] Uncle Lee: You said you came here because you wanted to talk about your mother's sister.

[00:24:39] Angela: Uh, Bali

[00:24:41] Uncle Lee: Pauline.

[00:24:43] Angela: I'm sorry.

[00:24:43] Angela: Her name is Pauline ?

[00:24:45] Uncle Lee: Bao Lin. Our parents gave us American sounding names, so we too could be the prom king or queen. She reminds me of you.

[00:24:54] Angela: She does?

[00:24:57] Uncle Lee: These photos are from where we all live together in the country. Rural, upstate New York.

[00:25:03] Angela: Whoa. Is that a moped?

[00:25:05] Uncle Lee: Yes. Pauline was quite adventurous in her heyday.

[00:25:09] Uncle Lee: Prone to the occasional outbursts.

[00:25:13] Angela: I have one just like that. Everyone looks so happy.

[00:25:16] Uncle Lee: Mm-hmm. We were happy.

[00:25:20] Angela: So then why was she deported?

[00:25:23] Uncle Lee: Daisy? Can you help me set the scene?

[00:25:32] Uncle Lee: Times were tough. When we were here, the parents couldn't find work. Your mother and Pauline worked in the town, smelting car parts, and your grandfather educated as a scientist, became a cook. We were so poor that your grandpa would feed us picked over scraps from the restaurant.

[00:25:52] Uncle Lee: Those were the days. Pauline, your mom and I would huddle together around the tube and watch Gilligan's Island.

[00:26:00] Uncle Lee: I remember how everything smelled like motor oil and chicken nuggets.

[00:26:04] Angela: Sounds putrid, but still kind of nice. Also, I can't believe my mom knew how to work a smelter when she was six years old. Could she even reach the levers?

[00:26:16] Uncle Lee: Yeah. Oftentimes baby size, hands help get into those small cracks and crevices on the molds.

[00:26:22] Angela: Huh. And, uh, what did you do?

[00:26:26] Uncle Lee: Oh, well, I was a boy, so I just studied. Well, life was brutal, right? Your mother was the youngest. We hid how bad we had it from her. We distract her with tv. She asked Pauline the night for things she'd see on the commercials, like a toy or a candy bar, never wanting to disappoint her.

[00:26:51] Uncle Lee: We lied and told her since we were Americans, we could have special things in life. Like Twinkies too.

[00:26:59] Twinkie The Kid: Hey there, it's me. Twinkie the kid. You know what reward every American hero craves at the end of the day? The delicious goodness of a hostess Twinkie. That rich, creamy feeling, the cake on the outside, it just tastes good.

[00:27:14] Twinkie The Kid: Yahoo. It's a big delight in every bite.

[00:27:17] Helen: Pauline, if I am good and I work hard, I will get a Twinkie reward too, right?

[00:27:22] Pauline: You don't want to eat those. We get much better scraps from daddy's Chinese restaurant!

[00:27:26] Helen: But a twinkie is a big delight in every bite. To eat one is my American dream.

[00:27:33] Pauline: Okay. You are right. You've worked hard. We even got all those little iron fragments out of the smelter before the health and safety people came today. You deserve a treat.

[00:27:43] Helen: Yay.

[00:27:44] Uncle Lee: But Pauline, how we going to buy a twine? We don't have any money.

[00:27:48] Pauline: I think I have some change in my pocket. Oh damn. This is just five washers and a wing nut.

[00:27:55] Pauline: Look, I'm just gonna go to the store real quick and get little sis that Twinkie. Okay.

[00:28:00] Uncle Lee: How ?

[00:28:01] Pauline: With my moped and my five finger discount!

[00:28:03] Uncle Lee: But that's stealing. Isn't that unfair?

[00:28:06] Pauline: In America, a lot of things are unfair. We're just leveling things out a bit. Ride backsies?

[00:28:17] Uncle Lee: Oh, would you look at that? They closed for the night. Look, I got essays to finish and, and little sis has the early shift in the smelter. Why don't we go back?

[00:28:27] Pauline: I know they keep the back window open. It'll only be a second wait here and if anyone comes run. Okay?

[00:28:35] Uncle Lee: Five minutes.

[00:28:37] Uncle Lee: I watched the seconds, turn in to minutes as Pauline wriggled through the back window and found the Twinkies, those nuclear golden tools of American goodness.

[00:28:49] Uncle Lee: She grabbed one, ran up to the door and waved it at me from above her head, triumphant and smiling. And then--

[00:28:58] Shopkeep: oh, what do we have here? It looks like we got a little thief on our hands, boys.

[00:29:05] Pauline: Lee! go. Go!!!!!!

[00:29:14] Uncle Lee: It was one of the first passes I ever caught. In that moment, snatching that Twinkie from me mid air and zooming it home on that crotch rocket, I felt like a real American hero, like Twinkie the kid, Yahoo. But the American dream always comes at a price. Pauline got arrested and charged for burglary, theft, and destruction of property.

[00:29:43] Uncle Lee: We had applied for our green cards, but hadn't got them approved yet. Her criminal record was flagged and she was deported. I was so upset. If it weren't for your mother's Twinkie obsession, maybe we would all still be together, but Pauline made me swear to never tell your mother about what really happened.

[00:30:05] Uncle Lee: Pauline was unlucky, but rebellion runs in our blood.

[00:30:12] Angela: It does?

[00:30:13] Uncle Lee: Oh yes. Our biological father was arrested when we were very young for speaking out against the government. His parting words when he was dragged off were to our mother to 'leave China and never return.'

[00:30:28] Angela: Oh, wow. That explains a lot about my mom's parenting and my own personality actually.

[00:30:37] Angela: It's like a window I didn't know existed has opened, and I can finally see where I come from, who I come from.

[00:30:46] Uncle Lee: Just a resilient little family. Little did we know life would be so hard in the impoverished Hudson Valley.

[00:30:55] Angela: Wait, like Hudson Valley, Hudson Valley. It's actually super nice there now, like the real estate market is through the roof with million dollar listings and they have some really sick breweries. If you--

[00:31:06] Uncle Lee: I've crossed the border, I'll never go back.

[00:31:10] Angela: So Pauline's just in China by herself ?

[00:31:13] Uncle Lee: Pretty much. She lives in the part of Hong Kong we grew up in. She's an activist, artist always speaking up when things weren't right. Angela. I'm going back to see her before she passes. Would you be interested in coming?

[00:31:34] Uncle Lee: I'm not just offering because I find you a bit scary. You seem lost, and I think a trip to meet her might help you.

[00:31:45] Angela: It might be the last chance for me to figure myself out. I need to talk to her, but what about the whole, 'never go to China thing.'

[00:31:56] Uncle Lee: Well, as Pauline would say, some rules are meant to be broken.

[00:32:06] Lisa: You know, Angela Pauline sounds a lot like you.

[00:32:09] Angela: I know I'm finally starting to understand where I come from. I'm not the fiery black sheep. I am the second fiery black sheep. I found a part of myself and Pauline, I have to meet her.

[00:32:25] Lisa: Whoa. So you're going?

[00:32:27] Angela: Yep.

[00:32:28] Kevin: Have you told your mom yet?

[00:32:29] Angela: Not yet.

[00:32:30] Kevin: Do you want us to chip in for a handle of Dewars? 'Cause it seems like you might need one.

[00:32:35] Angela: Definitely.

[00:32:37] Brian: God imagine if your mom knew that Pauline just wanted the best for her. This is all just a huge misunderstanding.

[00:32:45] Angela: All the Twinkies they would've shared. Damn.

[00:32:48] Henry: Suddenly. I feel like I've taken my parents for granted, even though I have no idea what for yet.

[00:32:54] Lisa: Me too. My mom doesn't really like to speak about how she came here either. I'm gonna call her.

[00:32:59] Sanjay: Me too. Yeah. I should call my mom too. Whoa. I

[00:33:04] Sanjay: guess the universe really heard my thoughts.

[00:33:07] Henry: Or any evesdropping aunties who're just grabbing a doza after temple? Oh wait. Are there any secret aunties planted here?

[00:33:13] Henry: Any secret aunties?

[00:33:14] Sanjay: Hello? Mom?

[00:33:16] Geeta: Beta get home this instantly. We need to talk.