00:00:12.340 --> 00:00:13.040
How do you feel about.

00:00:13.040 --> 00:00:17.560
Operating a business in New Orleans, in
a black city as a white entrepreneur?

00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:18.960
Do you think about that?

00:00:18.960 --> 00:00:20.520
Is that something that you,
I think about all the time.

00:00:20.710 --> 00:00:25.600
It's a black city also with a
really rich food history and a lot

00:00:25.600 --> 00:00:30.080
of that food history comes from black
cultural traditions and then all of a

00:00:30.080 --> 00:00:32.920
sudden I come in and I open up a
healthy restaurant. I'm not from here.

00:00:33.080 --> 00:00:36.800
I sell green juice, kale,
quinoa, both things like that.

00:00:36.800 --> 00:00:38.240
Sometimes I think about your success.

00:00:38.360 --> 00:00:41.000
I feel like you tap into
the soul of white people.

00:00:41.690 --> 00:00:43.680
White people love juice
and they love salads.

00:00:43.920 --> 00:00:47.680
I am being authentic to myself. As you
know, my parents had a vegan restaurant.

00:00:47.830 --> 00:00:49.840
I've always been vegan or vegetarian.

00:00:50.180 --> 00:00:52.480
So what's your privilege abatement plan?

00:00:54.790 --> 00:00:55.470
It's tricky.

00:00:55.470 --> 00:00:58.720
It's like I do think I have the
responsibility to have something like that

00:00:58.720 --> 00:01:03.680
because of my inherent privilege. I think
it has to be this holistic approach,

00:01:04.220 --> 00:01:07.160
but you can't do it all and you have
to focus on what's important to you.

00:01:07.260 --> 00:01:12.240
So for me, it's incredibly important that
I hire locally and also hire from all

00:01:12.240 --> 00:01:14.360
communities, especially the
African-American community.

00:01:14.510 --> 00:01:16.520
It's important that you
pay people a living wage.

00:01:16.900 --> 00:01:20.920
But you do that already, right? Being
employees competitively benefits you.

00:01:21.020 --> 00:01:22.920
If you pay employees competitively,

00:01:22.920 --> 00:01:26.240
they stay and you're
able to build a culture.

00:01:26.310 --> 00:01:28.480
Here that you want to
keep. A lot of times,

00:01:28.680 --> 00:01:31.640
I think one of the most
effective things I can do, and

00:01:33.140 --> 00:01:35.320
it sounds hollow, but I think
it can actually be effective,

00:01:35.340 --> 00:01:40.040
is like you use money you
make and you invest it in

00:01:40.040 --> 00:01:44.600
organizations that already do that.
Good job or charity cheer. Yeah.

00:01:44.600 --> 00:01:47.120
If you want to call it philanthropy,
a charity, whenever it may be,

00:01:47.340 --> 00:01:52.040
but say you don't like it because it's
not this romantic means it's just the

00:01:52.040 --> 00:01:52.870
end. But.

00:01:53.060 --> 00:01:53.360
No,

00:01:53.360 --> 00:01:58.080
I don't like it because it
maintains a system of patronage.

00:01:59.140 --> 00:02:02.880
One person has the power, the
other person needs something,

00:02:03.060 --> 00:02:07.400
and the system where one lacks
and the other has is maintained.

00:02:07.880 --> 00:02:09.960
I mean, it's great. Yeah,
they need resources,

00:02:09.980 --> 00:02:13.640
but why they need resources in the
first place. Inherent, structural,

00:02:14.360 --> 00:02:15.200
obstacle based on.

00:02:15.370 --> 00:02:16.360
Rates. Right.

00:02:16.410 --> 00:02:19.160
Right. Do you think that if
you do what you currently do,

00:02:19.180 --> 00:02:22.440
if you higher than black
community, pay fair wages, is

00:02:24.590 --> 00:02:29.320
that we'll close the racial
wealth disparity gap? No.

00:02:30.540 --> 00:02:34.440
So basically you know that you're going
to be ineffective doing what you do.

00:02:36.180 --> 00:02:37.720
In your context. You say ineffective.

00:02:37.920 --> 00:02:42.840
I think what it is important
in terms of toppling the whole

00:02:42.840 --> 00:02:47.240
institutional racism, I don't think it
will be as effective as I want it to be.

00:02:48.020 --> 00:02:52.720
Or you want it to be, I guess I just dunno
the answer. Put yourself in my shoes.

00:02:52.790 --> 00:02:54.920
What do you think is the most
effective thing I can do? You.

00:02:54.920 --> 00:02:55.680
Can do right now. Yeah.

00:02:55.680 --> 00:02:59.750
Share ownership when black folks or
complete ownership when black folks,

00:03:00.420 --> 00:03:04.160
the way this works is you have to
give stuff up and it's painful.

00:03:04.660 --> 00:03:07.920
The acknowledgement of privilege has
to be followed through to its logical

00:03:08.170 --> 00:03:09.000
conclusion,

00:03:09.940 --> 00:03:13.440
and for me it concludes logically
when is a transfer of resources.

00:03:17.590 --> 00:03:18.420
That, yeah,

00:03:20.640 --> 00:03:24.200
I get all that that you're
saying and I agree with it.

00:03:24.320 --> 00:03:28.280
I guess it's just so it's
drastic in a way. It's easy,

00:03:28.740 --> 00:03:33.320
me included to say I'm woke and to
speak upon these topics and recognize my

00:03:33.320 --> 00:03:34.140
privilege,

00:03:34.140 --> 00:03:38.200
but when it becomes uncomfortable and
you have to give stuff up and it affects

00:03:38.200 --> 00:03:41.680
your life and your
family, it becomes real.

00:03:41.990 --> 00:03:45.560
When you're ready to
seed my next business,

00:03:47.220 --> 00:03:50.640
let me know. That was a whole hug, right?

00:03:51.430 --> 00:03:54.680
This was all ivestment meaning meaning

00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:00.760
I like Dylan. He's the homie.

00:04:01.060 --> 00:04:04.720
But his story is an example of how much
we have normalized racial disparity.

00:04:05.030 --> 00:04:09.360
It's why most white people will swear
Dylan's success is all hard work instead

00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:12.160
of the product of casual
racial. Why are you so boring?

00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:18.800
I am not bored. I just don't
know what the fuck we're doing.

00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:20.400
I know this episode is,

00:04:21.370 --> 00:04:25.760
we're just all over the place
with this timeline energy,

00:04:27.700 --> 00:04:32.200
so let's go. Let's, what
angle is this there?

00:05:00.820 --> 00:05:03.200
All right, so yesterday I
was a little frustrated.

00:05:06.500 --> 00:05:11.400
The interview with Dylan is ridiculous.
That's the most important thing.

00:05:13.220 --> 00:05:16.440
Why am I asking him all
these questions? Is he Jesus?

00:05:17.740 --> 00:05:22.200
How is he supposed to
fix racism? And anyway.

00:05:23.310 --> 00:05:24.140
Yeah.

00:05:24.180 --> 00:05:29.040
It has occurred to me that nobody
who Tunde talks to comes out looking

00:05:29.070 --> 00:05:33.560
good, and I'm sitting here
being filmed watching this,

00:05:34.140 --> 00:05:37.200
and I feel like I'm sitting into a trap.

00:05:39.650 --> 00:05:42.960
We'll see. I mean, I'm not going
to come out looking good either,

00:05:45.340 --> 00:05:46.170
nor does he.

00:05:46.630 --> 00:05:50.810
Tene. Am I going to feel bad during this?

00:05:52.440 --> 00:05:53.120
Why would you feel bad?

00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:55.900
Did you guys edit something that pulled
out the moments where I was being

00:05:56.340 --> 00:05:56.760
terrible or something?

00:05:56.760 --> 00:05:57.640
You're going to be canceled.

00:05:58.100 --> 00:06:01.920
Am I going to be canceled?
Maybe that's the way.

00:06:02.540 --> 00:06:03.370
No, I don't think so.

00:06:03.710 --> 00:06:04.540
Okay.

00:06:06.780 --> 00:06:11.160
Did you guys edit a piss takeover
me in some metaphoric way?

00:06:13.020 --> 00:06:13.960
In episode four,

00:06:14.020 --> 00:06:18.280
we talk about my journey into food and
how I started my first restaurant in

00:06:18.280 --> 00:06:20.800
Detroit. Well, technically Hamtramck,

00:06:21.050 --> 00:06:23.440
which is an independent
city surrounded by Detroit,

00:06:24.100 --> 00:06:25.440
and while we're getting technical,

00:06:26.080 --> 00:06:30.160
I also misrepresented the recipe for
jollof rice and theo publicly sha, that's.

00:06:30.160 --> 00:06:31.760
Not how you make joah rice. We.

00:06:31.760 --> 00:06:35.240
Learned that before Theo, another crew
of white filmmakers were following me.

00:06:36.670 --> 00:06:39.240
Then I shared how I left the
restaurant. I founded with nothing,

00:06:39.570 --> 00:06:43.520
which also ended my stay in
Detroit because I eventually
left the city to pursue

00:06:43.520 --> 00:06:47.680
my cooking. Then we showed you our first
test screening, which was in New York.

00:06:47.860 --> 00:06:50.080
We call from city to hollow.

00:06:50.350 --> 00:06:53.920
Between that screening and a chat
with a New York doc executive,

00:06:54.100 --> 00:06:57.800
we learned that celebrity driven content
and true crime were the only kind of

00:06:57.800 --> 00:07:00.000
shows being bought by broadcasters,

00:07:00.500 --> 00:07:03.560
and we amused about if we could just
give the damn show away for free.

00:07:03.660 --> 00:07:06.200
We get live for free. We
just want a show. Yeah.

00:07:06.580 --> 00:07:10.040
We caught up with me on my
cooking tour stops in Buffalo.

00:07:10.780 --> 00:07:13.520
My host made a strange remark
about me and you're black.

00:07:15.420 --> 00:07:20.040
The tour continued in DC where NPR
interviewed me and I gave ridiculous

00:07:20.320 --> 00:07:22.840
responses to pretty straightforward
questions. First of all, I'm lucky,

00:07:23.560 --> 00:07:24.920
so handsome. At another tour stop,

00:07:24.920 --> 00:07:27.840
we learned how I had been coping with
being undocumented and traveling.

00:07:27.920 --> 00:07:31.560
I just started telling everybody that I
was undocumented and my dream to catch

00:07:31.560 --> 00:07:34.840
the interest of the New York Times was
finally achieved when I was invited to

00:07:34.840 --> 00:07:39.000
the offices. But despite this good
news, I was not quite enthused. Ben,

00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:41.960
do you think it's okay if I
spent the rest of the day alone?

00:07:42.150 --> 00:07:44.600
That sadness eventually
culminated in my detention.

00:07:49.800 --> 00:07:51.800
I have recently reflected on this a bunch.

00:07:52.470 --> 00:07:56.680
That moment in my life was probably one
of the more significant and meaningful

00:07:56.680 --> 00:07:59.320
moments that I've experienced
thus far. Which moment?

00:07:59.780 --> 00:08:03.880
The one where I actually
had something of real

00:08:07.870 --> 00:08:10.040
consequence and it was like,

00:08:10.360 --> 00:08:14.080
I felt like a lot of
responsibility for your freedom.

00:08:16.420 --> 00:08:17.480
We was on a roll.

00:08:17.980 --> 00:08:22.960
He had a string of gigs lined up some
seeding up to 50 people at $55 ahead.

00:08:23.870 --> 00:08:26.280
Soon after he got his biggest break,

00:08:27.080 --> 00:08:31.000
a celebrity chef invited him to his
Los Angeles restaurant on February 5th.

00:08:31.580 --> 00:08:33.520
The New York Times said it would be there,

00:08:34.140 --> 00:08:37.120
but way never made it on the way to la,

00:08:37.340 --> 00:08:41.920
his Greyhound bus stopped outside of El
Paso and border patrol agents climbed a

00:08:41.920 --> 00:08:46.320
board. They were not impressed
with his old Nigerian passport.

00:08:46.620 --> 00:08:51.080
So instead of cooking in LA, he was
locked up in an El Paso detention center.

00:08:51.550 --> 00:08:52.380
This is a.

00:08:52.630 --> 00:08:54.880
Automated operator with a free call.

00:08:58.420 --> 00:08:59.250
How you feeling?

00:09:00.760 --> 00:09:05.600
I feel good, man, right now. I feel
good. I feel good. I just got for a bit.

00:09:06.180 --> 00:09:08.120
We had a lot of laughs.

00:09:11.030 --> 00:09:13.240
Yeah, man, I feel good. I feel good.

00:09:13.300 --> 00:09:18.280
I'm just feeling my thing to myself that
I just need to sleep. Wake up. Sleep.

00:09:18.310 --> 00:09:20.080
Wake up. Sleep. Wake up until Wednesday.

00:09:20.660 --> 00:09:24.320
Way said, it seemed like everything
he'd built was tumbling down,

00:09:24.980 --> 00:09:26.120
but way's been lucky.

00:09:34.130 --> 00:09:34.960
Hello?

00:09:35.620 --> 00:09:36.450
Hi, Ben?

00:09:36.740 --> 00:09:37.570
Yes, Joanne.

00:09:37.940 --> 00:09:39.760
Hi, it's Joan. Yes.

00:09:40.070 --> 00:09:44.560
Just to let you know that they already
finished the court and he got a box

00:09:44.860 --> 00:09:45.840
for 6,000.

00:09:47.190 --> 00:09:48.410
Oh, that is so great to hear.

00:09:50.760 --> 00:09:53.500
You can actually hear in the footage
where it's like, they're like, oh,

00:09:53.500 --> 00:09:55.540
there's going to be
6,000 bucks. True relief.

00:09:55.640 --> 00:09:58.660
Really having no idea what was
going to happen with him. It.

00:09:58.660 --> 00:09:59.490
Could go away.

00:09:59.590 --> 00:10:04.380
Everything. Yeah. Daniel, your
lawyer from the get-go, he was like,

00:10:05.980 --> 00:10:08.580
probably not. Yeah, this
probably isn't going to go well.

00:10:08.920 --> 00:10:13.340
And do you remember that? He was surprised
at every attorney, he's like, oh man,

00:10:13.810 --> 00:10:17.020
they're going to give you a hearing. It's
going to be you have this many months.

00:10:17.280 --> 00:10:19.340
Oh, they're actually legitimately.

00:10:19.340 --> 00:10:20.170
Reviewing your case.

00:10:25.270 --> 00:10:29.850
Almost half the people in the US illegally
are like him. They let Visas expire,

00:10:30.670 --> 00:10:34.450
but Wei had a clean record and
a network of friends and family.

00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:39.170
They raised $6,000 and
he's now out on bail.

00:10:39.670 --> 00:10:42.650
I'm sometimes frustrated that
it's limiting, but I mean,

00:10:42.910 --> 00:10:45.050
I'm comfortable with the
reality that this is my life.

00:10:45.230 --> 00:10:46.570
I'm not ashamed of it because.

00:10:46.570 --> 00:10:51.330
There's such a backlog in the immigration
courts way has a bit of a reprieve.

00:10:51.910 --> 00:10:55.690
His next appointment with an
immigration judge isn't until 2017.

00:10:56.750 --> 00:11:01.090
The judge will decide then whether
he's allowed to stay or must go.

00:11:01.910 --> 00:11:04.970
What's your current status? What's the
update about where you're in the process?

00:11:06.610 --> 00:11:08.250
I don't know how to
describe my current status.

00:11:08.530 --> 00:11:12.370
I think I told somebody that
I am technically undocumented,

00:11:12.550 --> 00:11:13.690
but I have certain

00:11:16.210 --> 00:11:19.290
privileges as a result of my detention.

00:11:19.630 --> 00:11:22.290
So because I was detained
and released on Bond,

00:11:26.310 --> 00:11:27.310
I am undocumented, but

00:11:29.820 --> 00:11:34.030
there's documentation of me and
my status with the US government.

00:11:36.920 --> 00:11:37.750
In the meantime,

00:11:38.090 --> 00:11:42.140
he's planning more dinners and he's
just opened a Nigerian stall in a food

00:11:42.140 --> 00:11:45.740
market in New Orleans. Eliza
Barkley and PR news one.

00:11:46.800 --> 00:11:49.380
So Chapel one and two as.

00:12:02.140 --> 00:12:06.920
We are pretty excited because we've
created almost a hundred new jobs and

00:12:06.940 --> 00:12:11.480
the people are amazing and we hope that
you'll stay a little while today and get

00:12:11.480 --> 00:12:13.640
something good to eat. So thank
you to everybody involved.

00:12:13.640 --> 00:12:15.240
We look forward to seeing you soon. What?

00:12:38.950 --> 00:12:41.410
So what do you want me to say
here? Should be behind bars.

00:12:44.570 --> 00:12:47.570
I think maybe we'll cut in that
kitchen scene that just happened.

00:12:47.910 --> 00:12:52.370
Let me tell you something. Your feeling
is amazing. You got, there was one,

00:12:52.450 --> 00:12:52.810
I don't know,

00:12:52.810 --> 00:12:57.810
some subterfuge shot that you
had of me talking to Katie about

00:12:58.110 --> 00:12:59.170
my financial prospects.

00:12:59.890 --> 00:13:01.570
I would film you having
conversations at a.

00:13:01.770 --> 00:13:05.490
Distance. I know, but I have no money
in the bank, so I was freaking out.

00:13:05.630 --> 00:13:07.250
But I think it is been going.

00:13:08.040 --> 00:13:11.450
What did you do on yesterday? Thursday?

00:13:12.410 --> 00:13:17.370
Thursday was closed opening. Wednesday
was closed. Tuesday was Friday.

00:13:17.370 --> 00:13:19.770
Family, I can't remember. I don't
know. Okay. How about Friday? Wow.

00:13:19.890 --> 00:13:23.170
I don't even know. Friday.
Yesterday was Thousand.

00:13:23.900 --> 00:13:27.050
Today is like 1400. Yeah,

00:13:28.590 --> 00:13:32.690
we open on Thursday. Thursday,
Friday, Saturday. Dude, I don't even,

00:13:32.690 --> 00:13:35.650
that's crazy. I can't remember.
It feels like one long day. Yeah.

00:13:38.470 --> 00:13:42.050
No, I mean, how much money you have,

00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:45.330
technically.

00:13:45.330 --> 00:13:49.930
Technically no real call. No. Like two 50.

00:13:53.310 --> 00:13:54.140
No,

00:13:59.880 --> 00:14:03.090
from the money that we're making.
You want a little cushion question?

00:14:03.410 --> 00:14:07.970
I could just, it's just sitting in my
account. Are you serious? Yeah. I mean,

00:14:07.970 --> 00:14:12.570
you just got the back, but Yeah,
I know. You know what? Lemme know.

00:14:12.720 --> 00:14:15.850
Yeah, I will let you know.
I'll You know much. I have.

00:14:17.350 --> 00:14:18.180
Thank you.

00:14:19.170 --> 00:14:20.050
I appreciate it. Thank you.

00:14:26.540 --> 00:14:28.920
Oh, you're good. Nervous. Again,

00:14:29.590 --> 00:14:31.960
this is Ginger L because I
feel like taking the shit.

00:14:36.840 --> 00:14:41.280
VIP section VIP section VIP.

00:14:42.310 --> 00:14:44.400
Hard to swallow LA Premiere.

00:14:45.520 --> 00:14:50.400
I met Tunde and Theo this past
summer in New Mexico at the

00:14:51.020 --> 00:14:51.920
summer retreat,

00:14:52.060 --> 00:14:56.600
and we were treated to a really special
work in progress screening of their

00:14:56.600 --> 00:14:59.480
work. Can we go back to the ping,

00:15:00.970 --> 00:15:04.560
which really was around
this idea of potentially

00:15:05.590 --> 00:15:06.800
marking your territory,

00:15:07.080 --> 00:15:12.080
breaking the fourth wall and there is
going to be an amazing after screening

00:15:12.150 --> 00:15:16.320
talk by the guru producer Denise Davis.

00:15:17.690 --> 00:15:20.040
Let's get ready. Enjoy
your popcorn. Thanks.

00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:29.400
I like texting Taylor. June the fuck. Just

00:15:30.950 --> 00:15:31.780
that shit.

00:15:33.380 --> 00:15:36.200
And then we just went on this
journey of pitching list.

00:15:37.040 --> 00:15:40.000
Actually one of the folks
that we pitched with Ruhi,

00:15:40.060 --> 00:15:41.760
who at the time in the
back, we just started.

00:15:43.100 --> 00:15:43.320
So.

00:15:43.320 --> 00:15:47.800
There was a whole team and big times

00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:53.000
we were pitching to HBO and shit. Netflix.

00:15:54.000 --> 00:15:57.800
I was sweating every time, but I
was like, we're going to make it.

00:15:58.670 --> 00:15:59.880
Obviously we did.

00:16:02.390 --> 00:16:02.950
Hearing.

00:16:02.950 --> 00:16:04.080
This three oh.

00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:06.280
Bunch actually was about that.

00:16:08.020 --> 00:16:11.760
You just think about how much time,
right? We could have series on the air.

00:16:12.150 --> 00:16:16.440
This would've won three Emmys
already. Where are the Emmy?

00:16:16.780 --> 00:16:20.040
The Emmy. I could talking to the
bartenders. You just missed it.

00:16:20.040 --> 00:16:22.760
This couple walked in. They
were like, we live here.

00:16:22.810 --> 00:16:26.440
We've never seen what's going on here.
What's happening? All these colors.

00:16:26.700 --> 00:16:29.760
And he is, oh, well, it's a private
screening, and they go up to the bar,

00:16:29.960 --> 00:16:31.440
they're going to get a drink
and he's like, no, no, no.

00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:33.920
It's a private screening.
And they go, okay.

00:16:33.920 --> 00:16:36.680
They walk over to a table and they see
the cards that say hard to swallow,

00:16:37.060 --> 00:16:40.240
and they look at the cards, they flip
it back and forth. They go, honey,

00:16:40.510 --> 00:16:44.000
it's probably a porno.
Let's go and walk out.

00:17:08.840 --> 00:17:12.480
I have to just turn things
around very quickly basically.

00:17:13.300 --> 00:17:15.840
Or else this will be normal more,

00:17:22.330 --> 00:17:26.910
huh? Making some mego.

00:17:29.700 --> 00:17:31.190
Just want to try a different recipe.

00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:49.230
How'd you here?

00:17:50.080 --> 00:17:53.960
I took a plane. Took about 16 hours.

00:18:00.780 --> 00:18:02.680
No, I came here when I was
15. I came here for school.

00:18:08.310 --> 00:18:11.630
A rainy day. And nobody wants you. Yeah,

00:18:12.150 --> 00:18:13.630
A rainy day wants goose.

00:18:14.890 --> 00:18:19.800
You would think so
popular. I don't even know,

00:18:19.820 --> 00:18:24.600
man. What? I don't even know. They all
struggle equally. What's it like being?

00:18:25.870 --> 00:18:30.720
They're used to it now. Oh man.

00:18:31.760 --> 00:18:34.720
I just want some fufu with
something. That's good. Okay.

00:18:34.940 --> 00:18:38.680
You want to try the go and fu? It looks
just like this. Do you want to do that?

00:18:38.680 --> 00:18:39.510
Yeah. All right.

00:18:41.690 --> 00:18:45.270
Can we just mix it with water? Yeah,

00:18:46.050 --> 00:18:48.710
it is air. It's made from cassava.

00:18:50.090 --> 00:18:53.310
Let me show you what it looks like.
Are you Nigerian? I am Nigerian.

00:18:53.610 --> 00:18:55.670
You as well? No. Okay.

00:18:57.900 --> 00:18:58.730
Just knows more.

00:19:02.340 --> 00:19:04.110
This looks good. Good. Thank you.

00:19:04.490 --> 00:19:07.030
If I were hungry and it
hadn't been rejected by dirty.

00:19:07.060 --> 00:19:10.630
Rice, I would definitely find
something yummy here. Well,

00:19:10.630 --> 00:19:12.750
we are here all the time. Every day

00:19:17.280 --> 00:19:20.110
Kevin came,

00:19:20.980 --> 00:19:25.830
came at me like a tax collector. Not
to compromise your food or anything.

00:19:26.380 --> 00:19:31.150
That sauce. Do you guys have
anything past in Nigeria?

00:19:31.180 --> 00:19:34.950
Food, anything? Like, I have a.

00:19:35.060 --> 00:19:38.270
Tapioca noodle ish. Nothing.

00:19:39.090 --> 00:19:41.070
Why don't use Put it
on your noodles. Yeah.

00:19:41.540 --> 00:19:41.830
Dude.

00:19:41.830 --> 00:19:46.430
That's good. Yeah, that's not a bad
idea. That's what we were talking about.

00:19:47.380 --> 00:19:50.430
Free fusion between the
people. I want to do, yeah,

00:19:51.270 --> 00:19:52.430
I don't want to do the fusion in here,

00:19:52.530 --> 00:19:54.510
but I want to do You can
take it or you can just,

00:19:55.820 --> 00:19:56.950
what do you mean you don't
want to do it in here?

00:19:57.230 --> 00:19:58.950
I don't want to fusion it up now.

00:19:58.950 --> 00:20:01.390
I want to just be traditional
stuff first and then

00:20:51.150 --> 00:20:55.290
how are you doing? You know how
I'm doing? You see the numbers.

00:20:57.670 --> 00:21:02.600
What are you going to do? I'm
going to, I don't know, labor,

00:21:03.880 --> 00:21:06.660
reduce labor. I'm going to
get a handle on my food costs.

00:21:07.460 --> 00:21:09.500
I will tell you this, in my experience,

00:21:10.950 --> 00:21:14.090
you can't cut your way to
profitability. You got to build revenue,

00:21:15.880 --> 00:21:17.970
sell more. I think first thing,

00:21:18.110 --> 00:21:21.810
you need to be behind that loop as much
as possible because you are that concept

00:21:22.470 --> 00:21:25.050
and people, that's what they want to
do. They want to meet you, talk to you,

00:21:25.080 --> 00:21:27.530
hear about your experience,
hear you describe the food.

00:21:28.290 --> 00:21:30.530
I think that that's the critical part.

00:21:31.230 --> 00:21:33.810
And I mean like that chicken stew you.

00:21:33.810 --> 00:21:37.130
Did for the, I dunno, I'm just ready.

00:21:37.980 --> 00:21:41.490
Ready for what's next there.

00:21:41.490 --> 00:21:46.010
Weren lines out the door
for a goosey, which is fine.

00:21:47.910 --> 00:21:48.930
I'm not going to change anything.

00:21:49.840 --> 00:21:51.970
There's certain tweaks that have
to make to the business. Yes.

00:21:52.030 --> 00:21:53.330
But the core concept,

00:21:54.510 --> 00:21:57.050
I'm just going to wait until
the world moves towards me.

00:21:58.510 --> 00:22:01.450
If I'm going to fail, I
want fail. Spectacularly

00:22:03.450 --> 00:22:04.730
crashing, burning style.

00:22:21.450 --> 00:22:26.110
So you were doing these
pop-up Nigerian dinners all.

00:22:26.110 --> 00:22:27.910
Over the country when you were detained.

00:22:28.730 --> 00:22:33.470
Hot and spicy can also describe the
dinner conversation at this pop-up

00:22:33.540 --> 00:22:34.210
meal.

00:22:34.210 --> 00:22:38.550
What's the point of charging white people
more than twice the amount for your

00:22:38.550 --> 00:22:39.170
dish?

00:22:39.170 --> 00:22:43.950
What's less usual is that Wei also wants
his diners to think about power while

00:22:43.950 --> 00:22:44.780
they eat.

00:22:44.800 --> 00:22:49.470
We're about to meet a chef
who says, good restaurants,

00:22:50.290 --> 00:22:51.190
let them die.

00:22:51.750 --> 00:22:54.550
I don't think of you
necessarily as a provocateur.

00:22:54.750 --> 00:22:58.990
I think of you as someone
who bends the narrative.

00:22:59.700 --> 00:23:03.470
Fort Day food has become a way of
critiquing power and privilege.

00:23:03.980 --> 00:23:04.830
Just walk.

00:23:14.060 --> 00:23:16.390
What have you been up to, man?
Why are you in Oakland right now?

00:23:17.130 --> 00:23:21.790
I'm working on a documentary with a
friend that we've been doing since 2019.

00:23:22.050 --> 00:23:24.470
You want to tell us a little bit
about what you're making or what?

00:23:24.830 --> 00:23:25.910
I mean, I can try it.

00:23:25.930 --> 00:23:30.070
So idea was to basically
tell this super story about

00:23:30.440 --> 00:23:33.510
capitalism and then use
my own personal story.

00:23:33.740 --> 00:23:38.030
Live places that I've lived in
New Orleans, Detroit, Lagos,

00:23:38.920 --> 00:23:42.510
connecting all these different
places and cities together.

00:23:42.610 --> 00:23:45.840
And then connecting them to the
larger story of exploitation

00:23:47.420 --> 00:23:52.280
and capital. We've been doing
this for five years and I'm tired.

00:23:53.700 --> 00:23:56.840
I'm tired of being in Theo's space.

00:23:58.380 --> 00:24:00.320
I'm tired of editing. I'm
tired of seeing myself.

00:24:02.220 --> 00:24:05.240
I'm tired of hearing
myself challenge people,

00:24:07.590 --> 00:24:09.240
whether the challenges are

00:24:10.990 --> 00:24:13.720
justified or not justified on a

00:24:16.490 --> 00:24:21.200
individual emotional level.
I'm just like, I'm tired.

00:24:21.300 --> 00:24:22.130
And so

00:24:24.260 --> 00:24:26.760
I'm saying that to say that
we need to pick an end.

00:24:27.030 --> 00:24:28.760
This is not the end
that I would've picked.

00:24:28.830 --> 00:24:31.120
This is the end that Theo has picked.

00:24:31.180 --> 00:24:35.360
And I think there is a way
that I'm agreeing with him

00:24:35.710 --> 00:24:38.840
because one, I want this to
end. And two, I think there's

00:24:40.360 --> 00:24:43.640
a super lesson or what's the super lesson?

00:24:44.510 --> 00:24:46.240
Theo and Conde,

00:24:46.580 --> 00:24:50.280
should you maybe share your special
news because it might influence.

00:24:50.790 --> 00:24:55.440
Yeah. Shout out to you guys for
supporting us before we were cool.

00:24:57.340 --> 00:24:58.480
And shout out to you, Kim.

00:24:59.580 --> 00:25:00.410
Yay.

00:25:01.620 --> 00:25:04.520
We just got back from
drinking some champagne.

00:25:04.570 --> 00:25:09.480
We're going to premiere in KA in April. So

00:25:13.590 --> 00:25:16.640
it's the series festival,
which isn't the film festival,

00:25:16.660 --> 00:25:21.520
but it's in the same place. Wow. Yeah,
it's got the red carpet kind of thing.

00:25:21.580 --> 00:25:22.410
You guys should come.

00:25:23.820 --> 00:25:28.360
That's amazing. They were one of the first
folks to be invited. It's top secret.

00:25:28.510 --> 00:25:30.840
They will make the
announcement on March 12th.

00:25:31.260 --> 00:25:34.600
And they literally just told me
this morning and I said, oh my God.

00:25:34.980 --> 00:25:37.080
Oh my goodness. Yeah.

00:26:22.140 --> 00:26:25.160
The universe needs a
host. He was that host.

00:26:25.310 --> 00:26:29.480
Pete talked to hundreds of people
and then this white boy was like,

00:26:30.140 --> 00:26:32.920
yo, you are, come to me.
That means something.

00:26:32.950 --> 00:26:36.120
Sure, sure, sure, sure. And it really
has nothing to do with the individual,

00:26:37.020 --> 00:26:39.040
but it's just pointing out what's
moving through the individual.

00:26:39.340 --> 00:26:42.200
He don't even know why he's doing what
he's doing. That's what makes it so Pope.

00:26:43.660 --> 00:26:45.600
That's why the universe is too powerful.

00:26:45.950 --> 00:26:49.200
It's like he's just going to find
the person to just do that. Whoever.

00:26:49.200 --> 00:26:51.280
It is may have, I dunno,

00:26:51.280 --> 00:26:54.800
taking a step outside of their little
comfort zone to say, absolutely,

00:26:54.850 --> 00:26:57.280
let's do that. And I'm like, you
know what? Absolutely cheer me.

00:26:57.380 --> 00:26:59.320
We are not just making film, right?

00:26:59.690 --> 00:27:02.240
We're trying to make film
in the film industry.

00:27:02.940 --> 00:27:05.640
That's something specific.
And I understand that.

00:27:05.980 --> 00:27:10.680
And I think the interesting thing about
that is that you don't really know how

00:27:10.680 --> 00:27:11.960
you're going to enter
that industry though.

00:27:12.300 --> 00:27:15.480
You may obviously not even enter that
TV industry. You end up somewhere,

00:27:15.820 --> 00:27:18.200
end up somewhere. You know what
I mean? Fucking museums and shit.

00:27:18.580 --> 00:27:21.040
All them things that I salute
everybody along the way.

00:27:21.780 --> 00:27:23.560
And I think that's the beauty of the.