Cultural anthropologist (!) Michael Wong (Asian Verified,The Stranger) chops it up with us about what makes something Asian Verified, why he switched from covering food on IG to covering it in print, and the problems with foodie influencer culture. And he’s got some tough-love content creation advice for small business owners who don’t know where to start.
We also talk about the ethics of content creation and the Keith Lee fiasco, along with the importance of thoughtfulness, research, and humility—whether you’re an influencer or a journalist. We shout out some food influencers who we think are doing it the right way, and…we might’ve called out a few who we think aren’t. It’s a spicy one, and we throw some elbows here—let us know what you think!
Plus Meg finally makes it to Buddy’s Chicken and Waffles, Mark finally gets into Led Zeppelin (?!), and we give you all the local restaurant news and best bites of the week.
Follow Asian Verified on Instagram
00:00 Intro
03:48 The Origin of Asian Verified
07:10 What Makes Something Asian Verified?
09:45 The Problem With Discussing Food Online
12:26 Instagram “Foodie” Culture
15:54 Content Creation Advice For Small Businesses
20:11 Restaurant News This Week
30:44 What Does Content Creator Mean?
32:09 Michael’s Equipment Setup
35:00 The Ethics of Filming People in Public
37:08 The Keith Lee Sushi Fiasco
45:00 Business Spikes Aren’t Necessarily Good
46:55 Negative Lists
51:22 Thanks, I Ate It
01:07:16 What’s Next