We are two Indian third-culture women who became friends over a shared love of global affairs, East Asian dramas, and K-pop. Our feeds are a mix of policy articles, fan edits, and drama theories — and somewhere between late-night scrolling and endless DMs, we realized we had a lot to say. This podcast is where we bring those conversations to life, with debates, deep dives, and plenty of hot takes about identity, power, and culture.
Chinamaxxing: How has the world found itself in a very Chinese time of their lives?
Hot water over iced lates. Slippers indoors. Traditional medicine over Western pharmaceuticals. Why is everyone suddenly romanticizing Chinese lifestyle choices—and why does it feel political?
This week, Gunjan and Paroma unpack Chinamaxxing through the lens of shifting cultural power. From Fareed Zakaria and Jon Stewart on Western liberalism’s fraying moral authority to bell hooks on “eating the other,” we ask: is this appreciation, appropriation, or something stranger? A geopolitical vibe shift disguised as wellness trends? When choosing herbal tea over coffee starts to feel like picking a side, what does that say about whose culture holds capital now?
Credits and Show notes:
1. All About Love, New Visions, Bell Hooks (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17607.All_About_Love)
2. Mala Project by Sticky Rice (https://www.zomato.com/ncr/mala-project-by-sticky-rice-golf-course-road-gurgaon/order)
20 Feb 2026
Culture Debrief for the Year of the Horse: Babies, Bangers & 10-Second Attention Spans
In this episode, we ramble on about what actually defined 2025 for us and our feeds - birth-rate panic, short feeds, intense fandoms, and taste flexing as the new status symbol. We also talk about how K-systems are quietly influencing everything from music to streaming to soft power. If 2025 felt chaotic, this is the breakdown for everything that happened and everything we are gearing up for.
Credits:
Noona, You Are a Woman to Me (2025) (https://mydramalist.com/801140-nunan-naege-yeojaya)
My Korean Boyfriend (2026) - Available on Netflix
Two is already too many - Phoebe Arslanagic-Little (https://worksinprogress.co/issue/two-is-already-too-many/?fbclid=PAdGRleAPdRS5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAaebrdl5BbHd3Kxht0wXmSrUL-fJsZqgh-dRASwIWBiaAsQM9K1683BoWGWBxg_aem_Wt8VkH42Vwg9YWNuLymfEw)
Billionaires can't love anymore: China bans your favourite CEO romance. (https://newswav.com/article/billionaires-can-t-love-anymore-china-bans-your-favorite-ceo-romance-A2601_noZAH7)
‘Parasocial’ is Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2025 (https://www.cambridge.org/news-and-insights/parasocial-is-cambridge-dictionary-word-of-the-year-2025)
Declining Consumer Demand Pulls Luxury Brand Valuations Down (Forbes, 2025) (https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamdanziger/2025/10/24/declining-consumer-demand-pushes-luxury-brand-valuations-down/)
Gentle Monster (https://www.gentlemonster.com/int/en)
Learn languages on Preply (https://preply.com/en/home)
When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025) - Available on Netflix
Taiwan Travelogue - Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, 楊双子, Lin King (Translator) (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205363984-taiwan-travelogue)
Toronto International Festival of Authors (https://www.destinationtoronto.com/events/annual-festivals-and-events/toronto-international-festival-of-authors/)
8 Dec 2025
The Hierarchy Trap: Beyond Bullying
Across East Asia, school, barracks, and work often run on rank, rivalry, and endurance. In this episode we n trace how South Korea’s mandatory military service, Japan’s senpai-kohai culture, and China’s exam pressure shape what “strength” and “justice” look like for young people. We discuss why bullying and revenge narratives resonate, and how pop culture can turn private harm into public debate and try wrapping our heads around what it would take to build real belonging instead of fear.
Instagram: @policypopdumplings.
Email: policypopdumplings@gmail.com
Credits:
Ta Park, Van My et al. “Promising Results from the Use of a Korean Drama to Address Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors on School Bullying and Mental Health among Asian American College-Aged Students.” International journal of environmental research and public health vol. 17,5 1637. 3 Mar. 2020, doi:10.3390/ijerph17051637
Hong MY and Goo J (2024) The significance of school bullying prevention program: a narrative inquiry from the perspective of a school police officer at a Youth Police Academy in Korea. Front. Educ. 9:1408275. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1408275.
27 Oct 2025
When School Becomes Survival: Korea’s Education Crisis Through the Lens of K-Dramas.
This episode explores how Korean dramas are turning classrooms into mirrors of society. Through stories of bullying, competition, and survival, we ask: can fiction spark real conversations about what students face behind closed doors? And when does storytelling stop reflecting reality and start shaping it?
Credits:
The Glory, Available on Netflix
Weak Hero, Available on Netflix
All Of Us Are Dead, Available on Netflix
Sky Castle, Available on Netflix
Class of Lies, Available on Netflix
Lord of the Flies (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7624.Lord_of_the_Flies)
12 Oct 2025
The Cultural Console: East Asia's Gaming Dilemma
South Korea’s gaming culture shaped a generation and then found itself at the center of a national debate. From PC bangs that became social lifelines to curfews that sparked controversy, this episode looks at how a country known for its esports glory began rethinking its own creation. And what if gaming addiction isn’t really about games at all but everything around them?
Credits:
Addiction by Design - Machine Gambling in Las Vegas (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13748038-addiction-by-design)
K-pop Demon Hunters, Available on Netflix
Welcome to N.H.K. (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/710499.Welcome_to_the_N_H_K_)
3 Sept 2025
How K-Pop Fans Turn Fandom into Climate Activism
One of us is fresh off a Blackpink concert high and obsessing over their new banger "JUMP", and the other is still in a BTS and Stray Kids induced haze. But here's the thing about K-pop that'll blow your mind: 150 million fans worldwide aren't just streaming and screaming, they are organizing climate campaigns that are making corporations sweat. We are diving into how fandoms went from bulk-buying albums to forcing Hyundai to drop coal partnerships, why luxury brands are getting called out for "K-washing," and how Indonesian presidential candidates are literally using concert tickets to win elections. From photocard addiction to carbon activism, this is the story of how stan culture accidentally became a powerful climate movement.
Credits:
Blackpink Toronto Concert Audio, personal.
Books by Kim Youna (https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/1039948.Youna_Kim)
Unboxed: High Fashion, High Carbon (https://event.kpop4planet.com/unboxing)
Twitter and teargas: the power and fragility of networks protest, by Zeynep Tufekci (https://doi.org/10.1080/24701475.2017.1383639)
Daughters of the Fragrant Flower Garden, Zhuqing Li (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58999178-daughters-of-the-flower-fragrant-garden?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=pcpYw1F3ik&rank=1)
Hometown Cha Cha Cha, Available on Netflix
Racket Boys, Available on Netflix
Princess Mononoke, Available on Netflix
14 Aug 2025
Saltwater Matriarchs: Haenyeo, Heritage and the Fight to Stay Afloat
Beneath the turquoise salt waters of Jeju, a sisterhood of women has held its breath for centuries. The Haenyeo dive without tanks, armed with only their lungs, a knife, and the quiet rhythm of the sea. They have built lives from the ocean’s gifts, defied traditional gender roles, and passed their skills from mother to daughter. Now, warming seas and dwindling harvests threaten not just their livelihood, but an entire way of being. This is the sound of waves meeting history- of women, water, and a fight to endure.
Further reading, watching and spiralling:
Daughter of the Sea: Sisterhood in the Sea | Patagonia Films (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nNXdzvex08)
Deep Dive Korea: Song Ji-Hyo's Haenyeo Adventure (https://www.bbcasia.com/deep-dive-korea)
The Island of Sea Women, Lisa See (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40538657-the-island-of-sea-women)
We Do Not Part, Han Kang (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205436018-we-do-not-part)
When Life Gives You Tangerines, Available on Netflix
Our Blues, Available on Netflix
Welcome to Samdal-ri, Available on Netflix
My Lovely Sam Soon, Available on Amazon Prime Video
30 Jul 2025
Pilot: Why Are We All Watching Across Borders Now?
Two policy nerds decode the Hallyu Wave, the rise of Asian dramas, and why subtitles are changing the world. They explore how pop culture, soft power, and identity collide in a global age. From pandemic binge-watching to the boom of OTT platforms, they unpack how art, identity, and influence intersect—and what it means to belong everywhere and nowhere at once.
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