Viral TikTokker Owen Han reflects on his first viral video and how he found his niche as the sandwich king. He dishes on the key to capturing the perfect TikTok, from the best ASMR sounds to the importance of the first three seconds of content.
Viral TikTokker Owen Han reflects on his first viral video and how he found his niche as the sandwich king. He dishes on the key to capturing the perfect TikTok, from the best ASMR sounds to the importance of the first three seconds of content. The USC graduate shares that it was always his hope to work with food, for his alternate career plan was sending him down the food path as well. Owen speaks highly of his fellow food creators, shouting out a few of his biggest inspirations in the space. On that same note, he raves about the uplifting and collaborative community he’s garnered through social media. He reveals the key things he looks for in a perfect sandwich and how listeners can up their sandwich game at home. Owen remembers his passion for cooking forming at an early age, being surrounded by his Italian and Chinese heritage. Reminiscing on his childhood, Owen talks drawing inspiration from the dishes he grew up with and his hopes to ‘sandwich-fy’ them for his audience. The chef cites his biggest inspiration as his Nonna from which he learned to cook from the heart without measurements. Owen gives an inside scoop of what he hopes to tackle next and provides a sandwich suggestion for any upcoming occasions.
Find episode transcripts here: https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/owen-han-has-a-sandwich-for-every-occasion
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Jaymee Sire:
Hello, hello, and welcome to Food Network Obsessed. This is the podcast where we dish on all things food with your favorite chefs, food influencers, and food network stars. I'm your host, Jaymee Sire, and today we have the TikTok Sandwich King here to talk about his rise to nearly 90 million likes and honing in on his signature style. He is a content creator, cook and has a sandwich for any occasion. It's Owen Han. Owen, welcome to the podcast. I feel so honored to be interviewing sandwich royalty. Should I be like bowing to you? How does that normally work?
Owen Han:
No, no. I mean, that's what people call me is like the sandwich king, but that's just, I like Owen.
Jaymee Sire:
Just Owen. All right, we'll stick with that. Well, you are best known for your mouthwatering sandwich videos that give their viewers a choppy, sloppy, crunchy dose of ASMR landing you that title of Sandwich King. How did you land on this specific style?
Owen Han:
Well, the way I got into sandwiches was actually kind of by chance, so I started posting food videos on TikTok. Originally, I first thought the app was, when I heard of it, was just the dancing app. And then once I actually downloaded it and started scrolling, it's very good with the algorithm, seeing what you like, and I love food. And so instantly I just was drawn to that. Didn't even realize people were cooking on this app. And to me, I saw a few people doing ASMR type videos, and for me, that's what really stuck out. And so the more I used the app, I realized personally I liked the sounds. That's what drew me in. And so I started posting a few videos. One of the first ASMR cooking videos I did was a recipe from my grandma's cookbook, and it was a shrimp toast recipe, and it did relatively well, really honed in on quick cuts and the sounds, did a few more videos after that, I think like a pasta and a salmon dish. And then one day I wanted to film tropeano, which is like a fish stew. Didn't have any of the ingredients. It's kind of like a laborious dish. And so I was like, you know what? I'm just going to fill my lunch today. Let's see what I have. And it was a chicken bacon avocado sandwich with Chipotle aioli, and that was my first video to really go viral. I think it broke a million views overnight. And so after that I was like, okay, that was cool. Let me just try another sandwich. And that was a steak sandwich, and that broke 10 million views. Oh my gosh. I was like, wow, people really like sandwiches. This is cool. And so from there I did a breakfast bagel and it was that third sandwich that also broke million. And I was like, you know what? This is going to be my thing. I'm just going to go full force with this. Let's see how it goes. And really, I just took that first video, that first sandwich video as a blueprint for all my following videos. To me, the three seconds of the video are so important in drawing in the audience, because with TikTok, it's so easy to just constantly scroll. So it's like you cut the sandwich, show the sexy cross section, and there you have the audience captured and they want to keep watching your stuff. So that's kind of how I got into whole ASMR and sandwiches.
Jaymee Sire:
What is that moment the first time that you have a video go viral the way it did? I mean, what's kind of going through your head in those moments?
Owen Han:
Honestly, I remember it very vividly. I was at the gym working out and my phone was just blowing up, and I just couldn't focus on anything. I was like, this is the coolest that what's going on? This is wild. And I was just texting all my friends, and I remember my screen time was just for that week was ridiculous because I would just kept refreshing checking. I wanted to respond to every single comment. It was just honestly surreal. I was like, what is going on?
Jaymee Sire:
How addictive, I guess is that feeling?
Owen Han:
Very, and especially when it first started, it's so new to you, but now of course I don't really draw.
Jaymee Sire:
You’re like, oh, big deal million.
Owen Han:
No, it's not even that. I try to not be on my phone twenty four seven because it's so easy, but in the early stages, it's just wild.
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah. What do you think it is about ASMR and specifically your videos that people find so comforting? I guess?
Owen Han:
I think it's just the audio itself. I don't know, it's just the sounds of that to me, when I edit videos, I think of a certain flow, almost like a beat. So I mentioned those first three seconds early on in the video. If you nail that, people will listen to certain patterns and you want to rewatch it. That's just kind of how I saw it when I first started seeing even ASMR of people just restocking. I think that was the first ASMR video I saw. I was like, whoa, this is really cool. I don't even care about the restocking. But literally it was just the sounds that it was making. So I dunno something about that. And I'm sure a brain person could figure that out.
Jaymee Sire:
Break that down. Yeah. Is there a sound that you stay away from when you're doing these videos?
Owen Han:
Not stay away from, it's more, I realize this the more I did videos. There's certain things that don't create enough sound. A lot of times I don't show seasonings or salt. It's very hard to just make a ch ch ch.
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah, it's subtle.
Owen Han:
You know what I mean? Exactly. Or sprinkle salt. So little stuff like that I try to stray away from. And other sounds that are much more emphasized, like cutting, chopping, squeezing, crunchy sounds. That's what I really try to hone in on.
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah, no, I mean, clearly people are eating it up, so to speak. What career path would you have taken had you not started creating videos?
Owen Han:
So I was actually working at a hospital before I started TikTok. So I graduated at USC with a degree in econ economics and a minor in nutrition. And I really loved the nutrition classes I was taking, but I picked up that minor during my junior year, so it was a little too late to make that full switch. So I graduate. It was also during the pandemic, so I graduated in 2020. And so I got a job at a hospital, and my plan was to get some experience in the nutrition department. Really, I was just delivering food to patients and taking their orders, but just kind of wanted to see the hospital setting dynamic and with the goal of going back to school to get my master's in dietetics. And then from there, see whether I wanted to work at a hospital or even maybe a sports dietician. That was the plan originally.
Jaymee Sire:
So you were interested in the food path, just not the one you're currently on?
Owen Han:
Correct. Growing up, I've always known I've wanted to work with food. So whether to me I just found like, oh, nutrition is a cool way to tie that together. And I'm like a healthy guy. I like sports. I feel like I could find a path with that.
Jaymee Sire:
Have you ever struggled with, I guess, the imposter syndrome, especially somebody that's not formally trained, obviously as we know now, there are so many people on TikTok and social media finding success without being formally trained, and there's plenty of chefs out there that are as well, but do you struggle with that at all?
Owen Han:
Not necessarily. Because to me, when people ask me what I do and I tell 'em, I explain what I do. I don't even consider myself a chef. I make cooking videos for the internet, and it really is a labor of love. I absolutely love what I do, and I'm just recreating family recipes, get to share what I grew up eating, what I love. And so I'm not pretending to be some classically trained chef. I dunno. I'm just being myself.
Jaymee Sire:
And you’re making sandwiches. Everybody makes sandwiches, right?
Owen Han:
A hundred percent.
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah. We've had some of your fellow creator friends on the pod in the past. How have you been able to find community within social media, which can be a lonely place? At times?
Owen Han:
Community, as in amongst other creators or what I've noticed is the food community. We all want to help each other out and work together. It's a very creative, collaborative space. So I think once you reach out and talk to people and work with one person, then word of mouth and you see other working together. And so it's been supernatural, just a very collaborative, everyone wants to work with each other. And I'm based in la so there's a lot of us out here, so that also makes it really easy.
Jaymee Sire:
Who were some of the first creators that you remember seeing their videos that kind of inspired you on this path?
Owen Han:
Two that come to mind? Well, one of the biggest ones is Hwoo Lee. I was living with him.
Jaymee Sire:
Oh, really?
Owen Han:
So he was my roommate. Yes. Yeah, I was living with him. This is the one that showed me that TikTok has food. And so he also knew I liked to cook and kind of pushed me into starting this. So he definitely has been one of the biggest inspirations and one of the first people that I've noticed on the app and even collaborated with. And then the other one is Sam’s Eats. So he's based in the uk, but he also hones in on ASMR. Yeah. His videos are on another level.
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah. Another level from yours or, well,
Owen Han:
It's just like it's different. He makes everything from scratch, shows every single step. What's super cool about the app is everyone, even though we all do ASMR and cooking, we all have our very own unique styles. Not even just food, but just the way we edit, the way we try to focus in on sounds. It's crazy. If I watched his video or even one of Hwoo’s videos with just the audio, I could easily tell whose it is, really just how they do it. Yeah.
Jaymee Sire:
I mean, how did you kind of perfect your own style, your own niche, your own mood and way that you kind of put everything together?
Owen Han:
It kind of just happened. The more you do it, the more videos you make, it just kind of shapes into itself. So the first video I did, I remember it. I cut into it, showed the cross section, took a big bite, which I still do now. And then I would always start with the bread and then just get into the cooking. But when I first started, I was showing every single step. All these cuts were coming from left, right, all over the place. It was super chaotic almost. And I showed it to my brother, and he's a super critical guy. And so it blew up. I was like, look at this. He was like, dude, yeah, this is cool and all, but you're also making me dizzy. My eyes are looking left, and then they're going right. And so you need to really figure that out. And so the more I made videos, I noticed what he was talking about. And so that's when I looked for the rhythm and flow that I talked about. And instead of just figuring out what I'm going to make and go into filming it I now, pre-planned my videos and the certain shots I want, if I'm going to swipe from the left in the next scene where I am throwing it into the pot, I want it going from left to right. So it's just a very natural type of style. I've even noticed it in the length of the video. So at first it was like a minute to 45 seconds, and now that I've really honed in on how I make my videos, they're like 30 seconds and they take half the time to edit and film.
Jaymee Sire:
No, I'm sure.
Owen Han:
That's it. Shapes in its own.
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah. It's much more efficient that way too, if you don't have as much video to sift through and that kind of thing. Are you still shooting and editing all of your own stuff, or have you branched out?
Owen Han:
I still am. The big change I've made is I used to film with an iPhone and now I use a full camera production. Yeah.
Jaymee Sire:
Do you think that it'll always be that way? Just you know exactly what you want and it's faster for you to do it on your own?
Owen Han:
It's tough because when I'm filming, I know everything that's going on in my head. A certain sound isn't right, but I know where I want to draw that sound from or something I need to recreate or the pattern I want it. So for now, yes. But I know eventually I want to be able to hire an editor just to be more efficient, so I can just crank out way more videos Now, it's just I film and then I have to take a break from filming because I have to sit down and edit it and edit.
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah. No, it's a process for sure. Stick around because Owen tells us the formula for a perfect sandwich. Up next, I want to talk more about the actual sandwiches. I mean, do you think that there's a formula to a perfect sandwich?
Owen Han:
I wouldn't say formula, but there's key things I look for in, I guess a perfect sandwich. One is obviously grape bread that just visually too, I think draws people into my videos. When I first started out, I remember the top comment I would keep getting was, that is the best looking bread I've seen. Where do you get your bread? Tell us please. And then the second one being, this guy just destroyed the roof of his mouth. So that's my second point is I look for texture. I love just crunchiness. So those are two big ones. I usually just go to local bakeries to get it fresh baked. I think it makes such a big difference. And then Anita, a sauce, definitely need a sauce component. And it's just, to me, it's all about balance. So if I have a fatty meat, I want acidity in there, and you also have to know how to assemble it properly. And you don't want lettuce at the bottom getting soggy depending on the type of sandwich. So the layers of course matter. And then of course, the cross section, that's just the money maker right there.
Jaymee Sire:
That's the money shot, for sure. What is your favorite sandwich creation to date? The actual sandwich, not necessarily the video. And then I'll ask you about the video afterwards.
Owen Han:
In terms of the video or just personally to eat?
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah, just personally to eat. Which sandwich? Is there one that comes to mind that you're like, I think about this sandwich all the time.
Owen Han:
It is constantly changing. But the most recent one, I made one, and I was just shocked at how good it was. And I remember eating it being like, this is easily my top three. So I made homemade roast beef, and then a blue cheese mayo chives were sheer, so that's the sauce component. And then this is where the texture and layers come in. I did three types of onions. So I have pickled onions for the acidity, crispy onions for the crunchiness, and then caramelized onions as well, just to add another layer. And then I just did some arugula and olive oil and vinegar to balance it out on a fresh choat loaf. And that cross section was insane. It was like one of the coolest looking sandwiches. So I just had everything I wanted in a really good sandwich.
Jaymee Sire:
I mean, that sounds delicious. I need to have a sandwich after we get off the interview, but what about, okay, so on the flip side, is it the same in terms of your favorite sandwich video you've ever created? Or is it different?
Owen Han:
It's different. I feel like that was easily one of my favorite sandwiches. It was also still a great video, but I dunno, I guess I haven't really thought of what my favorite video in itself is. I really love a lot of the collabs I do, just because I feel like I throw in elements of humor and I just get to work with other people, and it's just different from what I do. Yeah.
Jaymee Sire:
What's been your favorite collaboration so far?
Owen Han:
Probably working with Adam Richmond.
Jaymee Sire:
I love Adam.
Owen Han:
I grew up watching Man versus Food and just to meet him in person. He's also just the funniest, coolest guy. He has stories for days, he does. And we actually made a burrito and guacamole breakfast burrito. Wow. And it was delicious too. So all that. Yeah. That was fun.
Jaymee Sire:
If somebody wants to up their sandwich game from a typical white bread, pb and J. What's the number one thing that you need to do?
Owen Han:
Honestly, I think just starting off with the bread, the, that's your foundation. Go to a local bakery, see what they have. Even a pb and j. I've done a pb and J for a video, but I used a beautiful sourdough. I also made the peanut butter and jelly from scratch, of course, but it added a banana glazed and bourbon.
Jaymee Sire:
No big deal.
Owen Han:
There's also nothing wrong, which is playing p and j, of course. But yeah, if you want to up your game, definitely start with the bread.
Jaymee Sire:
With the bread. What's your favorite bread?
Owen Han:
It's this bread called Ficelle. I don't even know if I'm pronouncing it right, but I get it from the Whole Foods in Venice, and they source it from, I believe it's called Rockin Weiler. It's some German bakery, and it's like a mini sourdough baguette, and it's just beautiful. Okay.
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah. Love that. All right. What about Dutch Crunch? Have you ever thought
Owen Han:
So I was actually just in San Francisco.
Jaymee Sire:
Okay. I lived there for five years.
Owen Han:
I was hearing about, and so I went to an Italian deli and I didn't even end up getting Dutch Crunch. They had Rosemary focaccia, and it was just a way better pairing for the sandwich I got. So I've yet to try Dutch Crunch.
Jaymee Sire:
Oh, you haven't tried it yet?
Owen Han:
I have not, no.
Jaymee Sire:
All right. Well, actually, you could head to Ike's place. I have a sandwich there actually.
Owen Han:
Oh, what? Okay.
Jaymee Sire:
On Dutch Crunch. Yeah, the Jaymee Sirewich.
Owen Han:
What else is in it?
Jaymee Sire:
It's very messy. It's a very messy sandwich, but it's like fried chicken and a yellow barbecue sauce, and then some pepper jack cheese and that they have their own dirty sauce that they put on all of their sandwiches, but they're very much known for their Dutch Crunch. But they started in San Francisco, so.
Owen Han:
Epic. Okay. I'll have to check it out.
Jaymee Sire:
Dutch Crunch is, you got to seek it out, for sure. Yeah. Well, you also had a chance to do some videos with Food Network and whipped up some spaghetti Al Pomodoro for us. I want to talk a little bit about your heritage. How do your Italian and Chinese backgrounds influence your approach to flavors and food?
Owen Han:
Yeah, so I mean, my upbringing and my heritage, to me, that just gives me my passion for food growing up. That's all I thought about. I absolutely loved it. I was incredibly chubby because all I did was eat. And that's also what got me into cooking though. So I love to draw inspiration when I can from recipes. I grew up eating, so a lot of the time, even though I'm doing sandwiches, I find ways to incorporate meals. I grew up eating, and I guess Sandwich-fy them. A good example is I grew up eating Al Salt Boca, so my grandma would make this. It's just veal, prosciutto, crispy sage, and a white wine sauce. So I transformed that into a sandwich. So yeah, I'd love to draw inspiration from that, but also it just gave me, I guess, the foundation into cooking and the passion I have for food in general.
Jaymee Sire:
I love that. What other dishes do you remember from growing up and who was most influential in that food journey?
Owen Han:
I mean, it would definitely be my nonna. So every summer I would spend in Tuscany, and they live in a village with 85 people. So there was no wifi either. So I was either outside running around with my brothers or just inside watching her cook for our big family. And then at the same time, my dad was a really great cook who introduced me into Chinese food. And so when I would visit my Chinese grandparents, there was foods I was eating that I had no idea what I was even eating. It was real Chinese food. So one of those dishes would be pork hawk. It's like the knuckle. It has really fatty pieces and lean pieces, but that's some of the dishes. And then of course, dumplings, spring rolls, shrimp toast. So that first video, I grew up eating that as a kid.
Jaymee Sire:
What is the most valuable thing that you've learned from your Nona?
Owen Han:
Most? I mean, it's very cheesy, but cook from the heart. I swear I've never seen her take out a measuring cup. It's just all purely through sight. She just tastes as she goes. So I'm very much just, I mean, granted for my cooking videos, I'm just throwing food. I'm not measuring anything. She never threw food like I do. But the measuring part.
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah, the measuring part for sure. What does she think about all of your fame and your food throwing?
Owen Han:
Oh, she loves it. It's crazy. I remember just recently, I was going through old videos that I've done, and I stumbled upon a video I made in 2017. This was even before TikTok was in my mind, and I was making just a cake. And I had my iPhone. I was with my brother and she was visiting us in Florida. That's where I grew up. And in the background, you can hear her say Owen was made to be, Owen was made to do this kind of stuff in the kitchen. And it was just crazy because now where I am, I'm like, wow. She knew all along and I know she's just super proud.
Jaymee Sire:
Grandma knows best for sure.
Owen Han:
She does. Yes.
Jaymee Sire:
How often do you get to go back to Italy in your hometown of Milan?
Owen Han:
I go to Italy probably at least twice a year. So I was just there visiting 'em. I'm going to go back in December, whatever chance I get, I go there. My grandma's getting a little bit older. So yeah, I mean, I love it there.
Jaymee Sire:
What's your favorite thing about Italy?
Owen Han:
I mean, food is a big one, but, and family, but just culture as a whole. I mean, it's very go with the flow laid back. Just everyone is very friendly. And yeah, I'm eating just the food pretty much. When I go there, all I do is eat, of course. Can't complain.
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah. What kind of traveler are you? Are you plan ahead or you go with the flow?
Owen Han:
Definitely go with the flow, yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'll plan ahead. Certain meals and restaurants, I want to hit that it. Okay. Thursday we're going, I just planned my meals. That's literally the only thing I will plan. And besides that, I'm going with the flow.
Jaymee Sire:
What is one travel experience that you've had that you will never forget?
Owen Han:
The most recent one that comes to mind is I actually did a travel group to Italy with this company called Trova Trip. Oh yeah. I think I went to Italy with 14 other people. And on the itinerary was, we went into this restaurant and we walked downstairs, and it's in literally a cave. We're just surrounded by rock underground. And one of the dishes they brought out was just this super simple handmade pasta with truffle. And I just remember just sitting back and being like, we're eating truffle pasta in a cave. What is going on? So that's definitely a memory I'll remember.
Jaymee Sire:
That sounds pretty incredible. What location is next on the travel bucket list?
Owen Han:
Travel bucket list, or I mean, the next trip?
Jaymee Sire:
Get, let's do both. What's your next trip?
Owen Han:
I would love to go to Portugal and Spain, experience that food culture at the tapas, and then next on the list, I mean, Italy in December. I mean a few trips, New York and stuff like that in the States. But the big one, back to Italy for Christmas.
Jaymee Sire:
Sounds like a great way to spend the holiday, for sure.
Owen Han:
Definitely.
Jaymee Sire:
When you kind of think back on the last couple of years, what has been the most unexpected part of this career path?
Owen Han:
Most unexpected, I guess it's been working and meeting people. I grew up admiring and watching on tv, so still when I see these people meet that I have a very starstruck moment working with Adam Richmond. I remember when my manager reached out and was like, would you like to work with him? I was like, is this a joke? What? And just, yeah. I grew up literally obsessed with these shows, so it's just crazy just to meet them in person. That's been wild. Never thought that would happen.
Jaymee Sire:
What's been the most rewarding?
Owen Han:
Most rewarding? I think it's when I get the messages of people saying, Hey, either recreating food and they love it, or just even inspiring them to get in the kitchen because of my videos are so fast, and I try to make it relatively simple that they watch my video and they're like, Hey, you just got me into the kitchen and I want to cook now because of you. So to me, that has definitely been the most rewarding.
Jaymee Sire:
That's awesome. What's next for you?
Owen Han:
What's next? I'm trying to get into YouTube.
Jaymee Sire:
Okay.
Owen Han:
Long form.
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah. Okay.
Owen Han:
I think that'd be sweet.
Jaymee Sire:
I'm sure that's quite the departure from what you've built your career on.
Owen Han:
Yeah, absolutely. It's a whole different beast.
Jaymee Sire:
And do you take the same approach in terms of the AS MR or?
Owen Han:
I'm still working trying to figure that out, but I think what's cool with that is since it's so new and a totally different platform, I can kind of approach it however I want and just have it shaped into whatever I really want it to be. So I definitely want to incorporate ASMR into it just because I love that. Yeah. So we'll see.
Jaymee Sire:
Alright, well we'll check back in after you've been working on a little bit longer, but it's been a blast just seeing your star rising and so much fun chatting with you as well. We're going to finish things off with a little rapid fire round, and then we have one final question that we ask everybody on the podcast. So we're actually doing a special edition of the rapid fire round because we want to know what sandwich you would make for the following scenarios. So I'm going to give you some scenarios and you tell me what sandwich you would make. Ready?
Owen Han:
Yes.
Jaymee Sire:
Alright. Birthday.
Owen Han:
Birthday. Okay. When you say sandwich though, sorry, I know this is supposed to be rapid fire, but I got a question for you.
Jaymee Sire:
They're honestly never rapid fire, so, okay.
Owen Han:
Do burritos count? Yeah,
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah let's do, okay, perfect.
Owen Han:
Of course. Yeah. Birthday. Chicken Tikka Masala salad, breakfast burrito from 23rd Street Cafe.
Jaymee Sire:
Okay. Hangover.
Owen Han:
Hangover. A Philly cheese steak.
Jaymee Sire:
Okay. Impressing a date.
Owen Han:
Probably a surf and turf sandwich with a beautiful Benet sauce or hollandaise.
Jaymee Sire:
All right. I like that. If you're missing home.
Owen Han:
If I'm missing home, I know what dish I would make. Not sandwich.
Jaymee Sire:
Can you sandwich-fy this dish?
Owen Han:
Mean, it's just a classic spaghetti. Polomo, do sauce, spaghetti tacos.
Jaymee Sire:
Just some noodles on some bread, whatever.
Owen Han:
There you go.
Jaymee Sire:
Rainy day.
Owen Han:
Rainy day braised. Short rib sandwich. Ooh.
Jaymee Sire:
Okay. I like that one. All right, final one. Michelin star worthy sandwich.
Owen Han:
Truffles. Caviar, Wagyu. I actually did make a crazy sandwich with Shoku. They're a private dinner out here, so we used super fancy. It was classic a five. It was panco fried milk bread. Really nice. Caramelized onions with French Normandy butter, and then truffle. Some truffle sauce.
Jaymee Sire:
Some truffle sauce. All right. Yeah. Alright, last question is not rapid fire. You can take as long as you want on this. It does not have to include sandwiches if you don't want to. The question is just what would be on the menu for your perfect food day? So we want to hear breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert. There's no rules. You can travel time, travel in between meals, whatever you need to do to make this day happen. We just want to hear your ideal meal for each of those.
Owen Han:
Okay. Wow. I've never really thought of that.
Jaymee Sire:
It's a lot.
Owen Han:
Breakfast. I guess I would do somewhere tropical. I would love to just wake up and I go to the beach. Let's just say, I don't know. I'm in Costa Rica and there's just an epic buffet laid out on the beach right by the pool. There's fresh fruit, of course, it has to be eggs, probably do an omelet station. Bacon, fresh smoothies. I'm not really a dessert guy, so I don't want fresh pastries and whatever. Maybe for my friends that are there,
Jaymee Sire:
Because obviously all your friends are going to be there too.
Owen Han:
Yeah. Yeah. I mean that's a must. Yeah, I'm pretty simple with breakfast. I don't go overboard with that. I think the tropical setting would be a great morning, great way to start the day. And then lunch would love to do a barbecue, really good burgers like chicken on the grill. For some reason, I'm still drawn. I just love the smell of a good beach barbecue. And that's all my friends are with me. Everyone's invited. It's just a big party. Okay. And dinner. We're going to Italy. Would love to be all my family. This would be a little more intimate. We're in Rome. We're at Trattoria al Moro, which is right by the Trevi fountain. The whole restaurant's just closed out to us.
Jaymee Sire:
Just for you guys.
Owen Han:
They're just bringing everything like fresh mozzarella. They do really good artichokes there. Fried zucchini blossoms. They're known for their carbonara, which is my favorite pasta. They bring that out as well. And then a nice plate of osso buco and saffron risotto, and then to close it off. So I'm not a sweet guy, but if there's tiramisu, that's a must and that's there as well. And it's just all my family, 20 of us giant round table, and we're just feasting.
Jaymee Sire:
Oh, wow. That sounds absolutely dreamy. And I feel like I need to book a trip to Italy immediately. It's been too long. I do actually have one final question. I know I said that was the last question, but I just thought of it and I feel like you might be the person to answer it. Is a hot dog a sandwich?
Owen Han:
People love asking me that question.
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah, I'm sure I'm not original at all.
Owen Han:
I think the way I see it falls under the sandwich category for sure. You're eating that thing with your hands. It's in between buns, but it's in its own.
Jaymee Sire:
Category.
Owen Han:
I forget category. Yes. So it's in the sandwich family, but it's in its own world. Same with burgers, obviously that's a sandwich, but it's a burger.
Jaymee Sire:
It's a burger, yeah.
Owen Han:
But I'm also not one of those people that just.
Jaymee Sire:
Gets mad about it.
Owen Han:
Yeah. You know what I mean? Okay.
Jaymee Sire:
All right. Well, thank you for settling that once and for all, and thank you so much for your time and sharing your story. It's been a lot of fun to watch and we can't wait to see what's next.
Owen Han:
Of course. Thanks for having me.
Jaymee Sire:
You can catch Owen's episode of Dig In With on foodnetwork.com. Make sure to follow us wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss a thing. And if you enjoyed today's episode, please rate and review. We love it when you do that. That's all for now. We'll catch you foodies next Friday.