anthony: okay, which ones are you? are you the eldest? david: i m the middle. i m the suicidal pirate. anthony: oh, already signs of trouble appear. david: my older brother is the hip-hop santa, and my he was the oldest. anthony: right. david: he d beat me up. i d beat him up. and then he would just cry. i ll show you my dad s painting. hey, dad? jim: yeah? david: hey, come over here for a second. when did you paint this, dad? 30 years ago? jim: uh, 73. 1973. david: every christmas, he unrolls it, um, and just, like, scotch tapes it to the wall. [ chuckles ] david: and my mom s the artist in the family, now. anthony: so, this is a family of artists. [ chuckles ] anthony: the chos are devout christians, which is not unusual in the korean community. but they are unusual in that they re both artists of a sort. jane treats the house like an ongoing art project, drawing sunglasses on family pictures, stapling angels to dave s paintings that have hung in the whit
but, in the end, we re you know, from great disasters come great things, right? i mean, koreatown burned down. but it s like we own l.a. now. it s, like, half of l.a. jim: now it s korean culture. k-pop and psy all over the world influence, you know? anthony: the filmmakers. all the, all the top, uh, korean filmmakers are in hollywood. jim: oh, yeah. korean, uh, culture david: [ clears throat ] what about me? jim: yeah, you. anthony: artists, right. yeah, right. jim: except you. jane: sorry. sorry, david. it s incredible. [ laughter ] david: today, i went into all the ways different ways you guys used to beat us when we were kids. the stress positions, like, you know. anthony: yeah, but what david: all the korean punishments. anthony: what s remarkable to me is that every kid david: right. anthony: i mean, all korean kids. david: yeah, all korean kids. anthony: the same position. holding you either hold a book jane: oh, yeah. that s the w
jane: oh, that s david s favorite. anthony: chung po mook seaweed and jellied mung bean. japchae vermicelli noodles with shiitake mushrooms and vegetables. avocado egg rolls, fried squid, and shrimps. potato pancake. often at the cho house there s a few mexican dishes sprinkled in as well. it is always a great meal, i can tell you that. david: thanks, mom. this is delicious. jane: this is awesome. [ laughter ] anthony: it, it is indeed. thank you. jane: i love it. anthony: during the riots of 92, jim and jane cho worked as real estate agents and property managers. so the destruction in koreatown had a direct impact on their lives. the chos watched from home as the chaos unfolded on tv. after the riots, jim wrote a letter to the editor that was published in the l.a. times . jim: i am extremely angry with the lapd for their outrageous action. while the cops let looters run
with happy meal toys, sticker- bombing the kitchen with birds, cows, spaceships piloted by her three boys. she is relentlessly, energetically, and inarguably creative. david: she brainwashed me. from the time we were kids, she d, she was like, you re the best artist in the world. you re the best artist in the world. jane: you are. david: oh, thanks. [ laughter ] but now she s telling me she s going to be the best artist in the world. so, she s very competitive. she said she s going to destroy me. jane: awesome. [ laughter ] anthony: food is ready. david: so, do you want to explain what everything is, mom? jane: the food i prepared tonight is a very common korean food. which is a beef ribs, uh, stew. david: the kimchi s looking fresh. jane: yeah, the kimchi s fresh. jim: today is, uh, chestnut rice. jane: no one has this kind of rice. david: it s a special rice. jane: special rice for anthony, you know. david: and then stuffed peppers.
david: it s true, dad. we all look the same. [ laughter ] jane: i love it. anthony: he may be a korean gone bad, but dave cho still tries, best he can, to be a good son. he bought them this house in los feliz and visits for family meals, often. in fact, when we first met, sensing it had been a long time without a true home-cooked meal, he invited me to dinner with them. so, guests are not unusual. jane cho is an amazing cook. jane: it s going to be very delicious. david: mom? dad? [ speaking korean ] david: look who s here. jim: hello. david: mom, anthony s here. jane: can you smell something? anthony: oh, yeah. jane: yeah. anthony: good stuff. jane: yeah, all the good stuff s coming. maybe somebody going to hire me later. [ laughter ] anthony: okay, which ones are you? are you the eldest? david: i m the middle. i m the suicidal pirate.