David Chang Explores Cities with Queer Celebrities
We know there are queer armchair travelers out there, so if you’re looking for something new to binge, we recommend Chef David Chang’s Netflix show, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Although it’s been available to binge since October 2023, the show is worth watching because it features celebrities, including LGBTQ+ stars Kate McKinnon and Lena Waithe.
You may be familiar with Chang as the Korean-American founder of Momofuku restaurants and brands, seen his producing credits for the show Drag Me to Dinner (streaming on Hulu), or seen his newest show on Netflix show, Dinner Time Live With David Chang.
Yeah, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner isn’t new, but it’s worth watching if you haven’t seen it. The four-part series features Chang traveling to learn more about each featured city’s food, culture, and popular attractions. He travels to Vancouver with Seth Rogan, Marrakech with Chrissy Teigen, Los Angeles with Lena Waithe, and Pnom Penh with Kate McKinnon.
With the queer celebs, Chang explores Lena Waithe’s favorite spots in Los Angeles, including Amoeba Music (record store), Hot N Juice Crawfish (which has closed), and Round Two (for sneakerheads). For eats, the duo stops at Winsome where they try a few of Waithe’s recommendations, including the buckwheat & semolina pancake and the corned beef rosti. They discuss everything from Waithe’s rise to fame as a Black queer screenwriter, producer, and actress mogul to her proposal to her now fiancé Alana Mayo to a convo about a boom of diverse restaurants in LA.
Chang shows Waithe a different side of LA and takes her to Gardena, known to have the largest population of Japanese residents in the US outside of Honolulu. The Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop (a 24-hour diner) and Chikara Mochi (for dessert). They also stop in Otafuku, a hidden Japanese restaurant where they eat dashimaki tamago (rolled omelet), katsudon (fried pork chops), and sea eel tempura.
For the fourth episode, Chang travels to Cambodia to uncover the complex Khmer Rouge history of Cambodia with out lesbian comedian (and vegetarian) Kate McKinnon. Together, they explore Phnom Penh, making this Chang’s first trip to Southeast Asia. The two visit Phnom Chisor, a temple once built to honor the god Shiva, but now features Buddhist statues.
McKinnon and Chang also visit the Phnom Penh Central Market, the famous Foreign Correspondents Club, and Malis Restaurant to chat with Chef Luu Meng about the influences that created Cambodia’s current cuisine and how the Khmer Rouge transformed the Cambodian diet. They try moringa vegetable soup, freshwater prawn, vegetable curry, and durian fruit ice cream.
One of the highlights of this episode is a conversation with Cambodian filmmaker and dancer Kuliker Sotho who talks about Royal Classical Dance and Prumsodun Ok, Cambodia’s first gay dance company.
Check out the Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner promo below. It’s a quick Netflix binge and highly recommended!
