Atsuko Okatsuka Sunday Funday: Chinese food and mall TikToks
In Sunday Funday, L.A. folks give us a play-by-play of their very best Sunday round city. Discover concepts and inspiration on the place to go, what to eat and the right way to get pleasure from life on the weekends.
When comic Atsuko Okatsuka makes bizarre noises along with her mouth, booty slaps bananas in an Asian grocery retailer or invents a TikTok problem that zigzags throughout the globe, she’s expressing her feelings in a manner that feels pure to her.
She’s a bodily performer — whether or not on-line, on an L.A. stage or in her HBO particular from December — one thing she attributes to her immigrant expertise and early publicity to Lucille Ball, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.
“I’m nonetheless not that comfy expressing myself solely in phrases, particularly English phrases,” mentioned Okatsuka, who moved to L.A. from Japan when she was 10. “All these folks had been bodily comedians.” And due to that, their comedy transcended language.
One transfer helped Okatsuka do the identical in an enormous manner in 2022. Ever seen somebody (or a canine) sensually squatting on TikTok as Beyoncé shouts “Gimme Some”? Okatsuka began the “drop problem” whereas in Little Tokyo along with her grandma, Ying-Hsi Li. Beyoncé’s “Partition” was caught in Okatsuka’s head, and she or he thought, “How humorous would it not be if each time the beat dropped, your physique did too?” The “drop problem” hashtag now has greater than 1.4 billion views (and Grandma Li has 17,600 Twitter followers.)
Okatsuka and Li typically spend weekends collectively. On her very best L.A. Sunday, Okatsuka would eat dan dan noodles along with her grandma and husband after which savor their struggle over the verify, earlier than goofing round on the mall and later internet hosting a present. Okatsuka usually performs at Largo on the Coronet, Dynasty Typewriter, the Elysian Theater and Hollywood Improv.
Right here’s a rundown of what else she’d do on her personal Sunday Funday, edited for size and readability.
11 a.m.: Evaluation Saturday-night hijinks in mattress
My husband and I are mendacity in mattress nonetheless, and we’re speaking in regards to the comedy present that occurred final night time, the chums that we acquired to meet up with, the latest jokes by a few of our mates, if a joke of mine labored or not. Ryan [Harper Gray], my husband, is somebody I really like collaborating with as a result of he’s not a comic, however he’s an artist and really witty. And I’m a workaholic. So, clearly, I’m nonetheless attempting to jot down jokes on a Sunday morning proper after waking up.
12 p.m.: Rush to Arcadia to see Grandma
Then we dress frantically as a result of we all the time over-talk and run late. We’re dashing as a result of we have now plans to see Grandma for lunch. She’s hungry. She’s ready. I’m looking for matching socks, however I can’t. I believe vogue is embracing your errors, so I’m sporting mismatched socks. They usually look lovely as a result of one’s pink and one’s blue and my outfit occurs to be yellow, and I believe all of them go nice collectively.
We all the time exit to eat for lunch. That’s a favourite pastime for all of us however particularly my grandma. As a result of that’s how she exhibits love, by ensuring that all of us eat. We’re going to eat our favourite Chinese language meals in Arcadia — they name it the Chinese language Beverly Hills.
We’ll present as much as her place, and she or he’ll have tea and a fruit plate prepared for us. There might be pomegranate, guava, persimmon. And we’ll atone for the newest. The newest is like, the TV isn’t working, your mother broke the distant management. [laughs]
1 p.m.: Get sizzling pots and bicker over who pays
We go to the Santa Anita mall to a pleasant restaurant, Meizhou Dongpo. Individuals normally go for an important day. Possibly somebody turned 80. Possibly it’s a marriage rehearsal dinner. However we go there on only a common Sunday as a result of on daily basis is particular. We order the dan dan noodles. They’ve this sizzling pot with Spam and quail eggs in it that we actually love getting. It’s a shared state of affairs, and we’re performing like we’re at a buffet.
We might be Instagram Tales-ing our lunch. We’re consuming and we’re laughing about being youngsters on our telephones. There’s a little bit of a language barrier between my grandma and my husband. My grandma speaks Mandarin, and Ryan speaks English. Enjoying round with social media is how they convey. He’s placing a brand new filter on her, and she or he’s laughing, “Oh my God. I appear like Kim Kardashian.”
Grandma and my husband all the time struggle for the verify. Grandma will usually rise up and be like, “I have to go use the restroom.” After which she’ll shuffle away and pay for lunch. So when Grandma goes, “I have to go use the restroom.” Ryan goes, “Really I do too.” And he’ll use her outdated age to his benefit. She walks slower, so he will get to the money register first and pays for the meal. He’s beat Grandma to it. Now Grandma is form of fake mad. She’s like, “Oh, how may you? It’s speculated to be on me.” She’s all quote-unquote mad, however she likes being paid for. That’s type of the bodily enjoyable we have now collectively. I really like to look at the drama play out.
3 p.m.: Fake to really feel wealthy and dance on an escalator
We begin window purchasing. The Nordstrom will generally have random occasions. Typically they’re serving Champagne and free snacks. We love all of the costly clothes and being like, “Are you able to consider this? Oh so pricy.” However then I’ll nonetheless attempt it on. My husband and grandma love selecting out garments for me, after which I’ll do a runway for them. My husband will in all probability file it for Instagram Tales with a caption like, “That is us, feeling wealthy for a day.” We love doing that, pretending we’re wealthy.
Then we’ll go verify our factors at Sephora simply to see what free issues I can get. If I’ve 200 factors, I can get a tiny lotion. I’ll purchase a lipstick or blush for Grandma. She doesn’t put on that a lot make-up, however as she will get older, she’s like, “I simply wish to appear like I’m blushing on a regular basis. Like I’m a bit of heat or shy.” We’ll get extra factors due to the brand new pink blush from Uncommon Magnificence, Selena Gomez’s model.
We’ll attempt on a number of the make-up too so we glance glamorous. After which we’re able to make a dance video for all the great folks on the market. We begin location scouting across the mall. Oh, Ryan sees an escalator. Oh, that escalator is lengthy and epic, trying over the meals court docket. I’ll have a music caught in my head, and I’ll choreograph one thing actually quick. And increase, we’re happening that escalator. My husband goes down first in order that he can movie us. I’m dancing. Possibly Grandma’s simply clapping alongside. We glance beautiful.
4:30 p.m.: Dance to Ed Sheeran with mother
We return to Grandma’s home. Ryan will begin taking part in a online game on his cellphone. I wish to edit the dance video stat. Grandma is making tea. I’ll have a fast quiet time to collect my ideas and the power to go upstairs to see Mother. My mother has schizophrenia, she has seizures, she’s afraid to go away the home.
I’ll sit subsequent to her and gently discuss to her about how she’s been doing, attempt to make her snigger. “Hey, I heard you’re getting accused of breaking the distant management.” And she or he’ll snigger. I’ll play music from my cellphone to get her up and dancing with me. She loves this music referred to as “I Don’t Care” by Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber. We play that, and she or he loves it as a result of it’s like an anthem. It’s a manner for us to have enjoyable. I get her exercising, get her blood flowing.
5:30 p.m.: Inform jokes to the timber
We are saying our goodbyes and go house. We ran a summer time camp for Mother and Grandma [with all the activities]. And now I’ve to begin fascinated about jokes for my present on the Largo at 8 p.m. I don’t have a preshow ritual, however I am going over my jokes exterior alone in entrance of the timber whereas I’m at house. The vegetation are trying down at me, and I’m saying issues out loud to them.
8 p.m.: Host a present on the Largo (and snack on spicy tuna)
The present is “Atsuko and Associates.” I’ve curated a lineup of comedians I really like. Throughout the present, my wonderful, supportive husband will run to get us dinner from Kochi, the sushi place. We get the spicy tuna hand rolls. We get the spicy tuna bowl. We’re spicy tuna freaks. I’ll eat it in between introducing the comedians. I do know I’m going to be hungry after the present too, so I’ve him get me mentaiko udon, which is cod roe on this creamy udon combine.
10 p.m.: Dance prefer it’s the final day on Earth
After the present — the viewers liked it, lights out — we’ll go to E.P. & L.P. I drink mezcal on the rocks. My husband will drink a glass of Cabernet. We’ll be dancing with our mates. I don’t know why, however I act like on daily basis is the final day on Earth.
