- Daddy, don't forget the popsicles.
- We were supposed to bring popsicles?
You are not my child.
- Before kids, you have a strong sense of identity
based on, you know, your hobbies and interests.
- ASTRID: The bands you like or your job.
- JAMES: But as you focus on raising kids,
it feels like you become more generic.
- ASTRID: People see you as just another mom or dad.
Mrs. Jellinek wrote an entire recipe book?
This is so elaborate.
This kid made enchiladas?
- VIV: That's Gerardo.
He stepped on my shoe but he wants to get married.
- Just tell Gerardo to slow his roll.
You hope some part of your identity
lives on through your kids,
your ethnic and cultural heritage for example,
but even that can get lost.
All these recipes are so traditional.
And we made Rice Krispie Treats.
Viv?
- What?
- Why does it say you're Indigenous,
you're part Indian.
- VIV: We don't use that word anymore.
- We are Indian.
- You're not supposed to say that.
- Hey, Felix, great game.
- Hey, what do you say, Felix?
- Thanks, coach. - Yeah.
You know, I'm really--I'm really surprised we beat Green
because, you know, they're a lot better than Red.
Well, they didn't have Felix. He's our secret weapon.
Yeah. Secret weapons, they run in our family.
I was pretty good. My dad was a homerun king
and Mom, very athletic.
Felix's mom, not my dad's mom.
But she can jump really high.
- Dad. - Yeah.
You know, we have the same batting stance.
He knows it's all in the legs.
It goes like this. - Okay.
See you next game, slugger.
- Yeah, yeah. We'll see you. We'll be there.
Hey, what do you think about Berney bats for us
and just call each other that
like, like Joey Bats, you know. How's that sound?
- FELIX: Dad? - JAMES: Uh-hmm?
When is baseball over?
What? What do you mean when's baseball over?
- Season just started, pal. - My tummy hurt the whole game.
- You get two homeruns on a bad tummy,
that's like the Jordan flu game.
Hey.
You know, I had a bad tummy too before games sometimes,
you know what really helped? - Not playing?
- Something more delicious.
- Ice cream! - Yeah! Small scoop though.
Sensitive gut also runs in the family.
Let's go, buddy!
- All right. What are we reading tonight, huh?
Something with a real story,
something that's not about a licensed toy?
- Read my cookbook! - Ah, your cookbook. Yes.
I've been meaning to talk to you about your cookbook.
- I'm in a real book, like Barbie.
- Or like a scientist.
Okay.
So I'm part Indian, which again, is different than Indigenous.
And because I'm part Indian,
that means that you're part Indian too.
People from India are Indian.
- Dad is Indian? - ASTRID: No, not Daddy,
but Felix and, and Dawn auntie and Corey.
- Uncle Bo's a citizen of the world.
- Yeah. Uncle Bo's also from Winnipeg.
- And I'm from India. - ASTRID: Well, you're not
from India exactly.
Nanima was born in England,
but her parents were born in India.
And you and me are part Indian.
- I thought we were Canadian.
- ASTRID: Yeah, we are.
It also is important where your family lived.
So if Charlotte from Karate lived in India,
she would be Indian too?
- Charlotte from Karate lived in India for like 10 years,
and then did a lot of paperwork.
She could technically become a citizen, I guess.
But being Indian is...
not skin color.
- If you like spicy food?
- Sure. Yes. Yup. Let's go with that. That one.
So a quick recap,
you are English, Scottish, and East Indian, and Canadian.
- And I'm a cat named Ocean.
- Indian Ocean? - VIV: No.
- So the ethnicity talk went well?
- I confused us both so much. Viv forgot she was even human.
- Uh-hmm.
- ASTRID: What's that for? - Felix.
Our big guy is carrying the whole team on his shoulders
and it's upsetting his tum-tum. - Yeah.
He barely even touched his dinner, poor guy.
- Pre-game jitters runs in the family.
All elite athletes get them.
- Do all elite athletes also get knee pain from driving?
- We are both sensitive stomached athletes.
It happens all the time.
Cowboy Cerrone, he puked before every big fight.
Glenn Hall, notorious pre-game vomiter,
and Bill Russell the goat, he hurled before every big game.
- But those people are paid to puke.
Felix is supposed to be doing this for fun.
- And throwing up makes room for all the fun.
- Don't say that to our kids.
- MS. JELLINEK: Out you go, Viv. Sorry you had to wait.
Took her a while to find her coat.
- Yeah, that's not her coat, or her shoes.
- Oh no.
Viv, go find your things.
She does that sometimes. - It's cool.
Some of the stuff she brings home is pretty nice.
- She also pretends to feed sandwiches
to her shoes sometimes.
As long as no one's eating glue, I feel pretty good.
- Yeah, totally. She's, she's also really cool
and smart, and strong, right?
- She's great.
- Love the class recipe book, by the way.
I just had one small issue.
- Sometimes an eggplant emoji just means eggplant, you know?
- No.
I think--I think Viv told you that she was Indigenous.
She's not.
I just--I would hate for anyone to be offended.
So if you wouldn't mind, reprinting Viv's page--
- Can I be real with you? I paid for the printing myself.
Crazy, I know, but we are severely underfunded.
Did you get my email about donating pencils
and spare Kleenex? - It's just one page.
- Exactly. Parents are only gonna read
their own kid's page, right?
You probably can't even name another recipe from the book.
- Well, the pasta puttanesca really stood out.
That's Italian for pasta of the prostitutes.
- Yeah. - Look, maybe we just remove
Viv's page from the book.
- What? - ASTRID: Hey,
nice coat. It's a keeper.
- I wanna be in the book.
- All right. New plan.
If I pay for the printing,
can you make sure that gets to all the other parents? Please?
- Can you sweeten the deal with, say, some Kleenex?
- Yes. We failed you as a society.
- Hmm.
- ASTRID: Is it gonna be much longer, Dawn?
- DAWN: Not much,
but it's important to prepare sushi properly.
I heard about a man who developed an infection
from eating tainted sushi and had his arm amputated.
- I'm gonna eat my own arm.
- COREY: Knowing the history
feeds the stomach and the mind.
- Speaking of super authentic meals,
I was actually thinking that I should teach the kids
one of our traditional family recipes.
- Rice Krispie Treats?
They were your favorite. The secret's the Rice Krispies.
- No. I was thinking chana bhaturas.
- NISHA: And smell up the house with frying?
Just order from Little India.
Hey, Viv, dining room.
- Okay. - BO: Yo. I help Corey
with his cooking videos.
I can teach you to make a mean aloo gobi.
- Nope. - Big no.
How are we supposed to pass on traditions
if we don't know what they are?
- Oh, please. Soon, everybody will intermarry
and everyone will be the same shade of tan
and everyone will eat nutrition pills.
- That sounds terrible.
Except for the pills part,
I would literally eat anything right now.
- I mean it.
Look at us.
Hey, that's a family tradition.
White husbands.
- Am I a fetish?
- Don't you feel like we're dropping the ball
on our heritage? - Your name is Astrid
from Scandinavia.
I'm named after Tony Orlando's backup singers.
We're not the ones who dropped the ball.
- Well, you know what? I--I'm picking the ball back up.
I'm going to teach Viv how to make chana bhaturas
and other important things.
- Hey, Felix.
When is your baseball game tomorrow?
- Baseball's boring.
- No. Wait, wait. What do you mean?
We're, we're having such a great time together,
and you're so good at it. He's amazing.
- Fine. Let's go to stupid baseball.
- It's tomorrow, pal.
Stupid baseball is tomorrow.
and because you're legally obligated.
But there's no law that makes kids
eat the food that you serve, so a lot of it gets wasted.
- JAMES: There's so much science about which foods
have what nutrients, but you can make a whole food pyramid
of the stuff, they won't eat. - ASTRID: Oh, God.
Food that touched on the plae
and uneaten snacks from school lunches.
Stuff that was too hot, or too green, or too mushy.
- JAMES: Stuff they didn't eat, but we saved them
to eat later but then forgot about and it went bad,
and that one's our fault. - ASTRID: Yeah.
You make chicken tenders and fries
three nights a week because they love it.
JAMES: Nope. Viv hates that.
- NISHA: You're missing Corey's talent show.
- I know. Uh
Mom, I was serious about making the chanas.
Can I have the recipe? - There's no recipe.
I can tell you the ingredients and how to cook it.
- That's literally what a recipe is.
- Yeah. But no, no, it won't be right.
I don't know measurements, you taste as you go.
Why don't you come over with the kids?
We'll spend the day together cooking and,
and Corey can turn it into one of his videos.
- No, God. No, no, no.
I didn't want it to be this big thing.
I just want it to be this very special intimate,
passing down family wisdom moment
that Viv can look back on years from now and think,
"God, she was a good mom. What a good mom."
- Do you have any of those
what a great mom memories with me?
- Uh-hmm.
Recipe, please.
- Bitoo , Indian-cooking is all about instinct.
- I'm Indian. I have instincts.
Overshot the wasabi.
Oh, my brain!
- Yeah.
- Look at that aim.
Heads up.
- Do I have to play baseball?
- No, you don't have to play baseball.
I just thought maybe you wanna play catch,
but only if you want.
- Okay.
- Okay. Actually, I don't know if I can play baseball
because I have a little crink in my back and it's bothering me.
Wait.
What? What's that? Heads up.
So Felix Berney.
Fans wanna know. Baseball.
Do you hate it, and is it your dad's fault?
- I don't hate baseball. - Yes, it's fun, right?
- I guess. It's just...
Sometimes I wanna do other things.
- Right. Like how Dennis Rodman
would wrestle for the WWE just for a change of pace.
- Who did what?
- Sands of Time,
buried a lot of unique treasures.
My point is, I don't wanna force you
to do something you don't wanna do,
but also I don't want you to give up something
that might give you years of pleasure
just because you're like a little bored of it.
Oh, my God.
Did you see that? That curve.
- Curve dance. - JAMES: Yeah. There we go.
Now we're having fun.
Okay, high heater coming in.
Felix?
- Do they sell freezies?
What's all this weird stuff?
- It's not weird, sweetie, it's Indian.
Excuse me. Can you help me?
I'm looking for ground cilantro.
Oh, wait, that's not the right word.
It's not coriander.
Tip of my tongue.
Dhaniya.
Ground dhaniya, where can I find that?
I don't know. I don't work here.
- I'm sorry. I just thought--
I know what you thought.
- I wasn't being racist. I was just being stupid.
Like wearing a red vest at a store you don't work at.
Oh, what you get there, my little bitoo?
Something for Nana G?
- Can I buy these big chips?
Meow. Meow.
- Excuse me. Where's the international aisle?
Next one over?
- You work here, right?
- Yeah.
- ASTRID: Yeah. Some people are just vest people.
So do they have ground dhaniya, cori--cilantro?
Damn it. Is it all over there?
All spices are in the international aisle,
except for these.
- ASTRID: Salt, pepper, and everything
bagel seasoning. Yup. That tracks.
All right, Kitty. Let's travel abroad.
- Hey. - Hi.
- I thought you were going to an Indian grocery store?
- Yeah, I did. - Well,
but this is from Gero's. - Doy, James?
I got this stuff from Gero's because we're a Gero's family.
- Hey. I thought we talked about this.
The doys are for others.
Where's Viv? - She's using the litter box.
- You know, I am respecting her commitment.
- I know. - Well, well, how do we--
what can--how can I help? Where--what--how I--
I don't know.
- I think what I'll do is just access
the deep well of information from my ancestors
from around the world.
- Google. I see. - Google.
- You know what? I hear is an excellent resource.
Delicious Corey's kitchen.
- Let's do that. Yeah - Uh-huh.
- Today, me and daddy
are gonna make authentic Indian aloo gobi.
- Namaste, Corey. - Namaste, Daddy.
- I hate it. No. - Sorry. So sorry. My bad.
- I think I'm just gonna wing it.
- Yeah. - Me, Viv,
our Indian instincts making chana bhaturas.
- And I'm gonna follow my instincts
by having the phone tell me the directions to Felix's game.
I believe in you. - Nah you.
- NISHA: Hello? - Hi, Mom.
- Okay. Let's do this!
Time to go, pal. What's happening?
You in the zone?
Am I distracting you? - My toes are itchy.
- Okay. I think that's a solvable problem.
Let's get out there and scratch them toes.
You sure that's all that's bothering you, buddy?
- I just don't feel like playing, Dad.
- Okay. Okay. I understand that. I do.
But perseverance is also important
and we've never beaten Blue before,
and they're very smug.
So I just wanna make sure that you're sure.
- Are you mad?
- No, no. Son, no.
I just want you to find something that you love,
doesn't have to be baseball.
Could be dancing.
- I wanna drive a tank.
- Okay. I'll see if there are lessons for that.
Let's just go home. - Okay.
- Okay. I gotta just quickly tell your coach
that we're not coming. - Hey, guys.
We're gonna beat Blue today. I can feel it.
My guy.
- You know, let's just go straight home.
- Okay. The base of all good Indian cooking is the masala.
- Great. What is in that?
- Tomatoes, onion, jeera.
- As far as quantity is concerned,
I know we're using our instincts and my instinct
is telling me a quarter teaspoon of ground jeera.
Half a teaspoon. One spoon. Give me a clue, woman.
- I'm half-Indian.
- You don't say.
Okay then, half.
- That's very cute. She's actually a quarter.
So is it actually a quarter?
- Dawn, I need you to chop more ginger.
- DAWN: On it.
So exciting.
Do I smell a crossover with Delicious Corey's Kitchen.
Looking good, bitoo. - ASTRID: Mom, Mom.
You gotta wait for me. - Chulas wait for no one.
Okay, Viv, what's next? - Let's see.
These.
- What is that? - Chilies, and garam masala.
- DAWN: Bo makes some spicy mango cocktail
with garam masala. - Oh, that sounds horrible.
- It's not great. - ASTRID: But hold on,
can we just--because I--Mom, I need to know the amounts
and you're going too fast.
- Can I put these in?
- NISHA: Yup. Go ahead, bitoo. - ASTRID: You don't--Mom,
this whole thing would be a lot easier
if you bothered to teach us when we were kids.
- Wow. I'm glad I'm the one holding the knife.
- VIV: I want to put Rice Krispies in.
- Viv, we gotta follow the recipe,
whatever the hell that is. - But to be fair,
she did try to teach us. - No, she didn't.
- Yes, I did, but you girls never wanted to learn.
Every time I said we were having Indian food,
there'd be such moans and groans.
You said you wanted hotdogs and macaroni and cheese
like your friends. - Not all of the time.
- When are we making Krispie Treats?
- Wait. Viv, not now. - No, no, no.
We would have Indian food once a week,
but you were embarrassed of the smells
and the yellow fingernails,
and said you wanted to eat normal food.
So, one day I just stopped.
- Viv, Viv, Viv. No. Don't, Viv...
- NISHA: Leave it. We can start over.
- ASTRID: Let's just forget it.
It's not like Viv is gonna eat the chanas anyway.
Why would she?
Most Indian thing we have is chai.
It's from Starbucks. - It's not a big deal.
- Maybe not for you, Mom.
You go out in the world and people know who you are.
Those people at the Indian store
did not even know that I was Indian.
And they did think that I was racist.
- Calling them those people doesn't help.
- I get called exotic.
Which means pretty but not quite why.
- Well, that describes me to a T.
- You think I don't have to prove myself,
a brown woman in the Western world?
Beta, who cares about everybody else?
I know exactly who you are, my daughter,
strong, independent,
unable to cook in two cultures.
- Well, I burnt pad thai, so, make that three.
Excuse me. I gotta go apologize to a cat.
Hey, Viv.
Meow. Meow, meow.
Well, I guess Viv left.
Oh, well, at least I get to keep all her toys.
- No, you can't. I'm right here.
- There you are. - I'm sorry I messed up.
- Hey, you didn't.
I'm the one who made a mess of things.
Rice Krispie Treat?
- I know these aren't Indian but I really like them.
- You know, my dad used to make these
for me when I was little.
- Was he Indian? Can dads be Indian?
- My dad wasn't Indian, but some dads are,
like, half a billion of them.
- They're my favorite.
- Mine too.
When I used to make them with my dad,
he would let me mix in all the marshmallows
and sometimes we'd throw in some special treats
like chocolate chips or licorice all sorts,
which are disgusting.
But the rainbow sprinkles, woo!
- Can we put cookies in?
- We can throw whole chocolate bars in.
- Yes.
- You know how I told you that you were English,
and Scottish, and Indian? - Uh-hmm.
- Well, you are all those things.
But I forgot to tell you that you are something
that's totally different than me,
or Daddy, or Nanima.
You're you.
And there's nobody on planet Earth who is like you.
Becoming a parent is a massive shift in identity.
You can't escape the tickle monster!
Your name changes to mom or dad like almost overnight.
Viv, I blamed your dad for eating these.
- JAMES: Your life turns into talking about your kids,
following them around, collecting pictures of them.
- ASTRID: It's like being obsessed with a K-pop group.
- JAMES: Yeah, it sucks to lose some of your identity.
- ASTRID: But it's amazing to watch
your kids develop theirs.
- What are you doing? - Well, I'm busting a move.
What does it look like I'm doing?
- Stop, Daddy. - What? I can't--I can't stop.
What--what's happening? - You have to pop your hip.
- I have to the pop my hip? How do I do that, like that?
- You're doing great. - Thanks, buddy.
- Now, shimmy.
- ASTRID: Why are you limping? - I shimmied too hard.
- So are we ordering pizza or what?
- DAWN: No need. Voila!
- I added a little of this, a little of that.
It's not what we were going for but it's pretty good.
- And it smells delicious.
- The secrets the Rice Krispies.
- I want one.
- What is--this is amazing. What do you call it?
- I call them hot sloppy Nishas
All right, jaldee, let's eat before it gets cold.
Today, I'm gonna show you how to make pumpkin gnocchi
with whipped ricotta and burnt butter cashews,
alongside with my sous-chef, Mom.
- That's right, Delicious Corey.
There ain't nothing hokey about this gnocchi.
I couldn't find any ethically sourced cashews,
so I had to substitute walnuts.
- I'm gonna need a minute.
It's okay. I'm just gonna inhale, exhale...
- We'll be right back.
Bo. Bo, come quick.
Corey is freaking out.