Yes, Netflix’s new crime dramedy “The Brothers Sun,” starring Michelle Yeoh, Sam Song Li and Justin Chien, is seeped with Asian American culture. However, as a San Gabriel Valley (SGV) native who spent their childhood between Atlantic Boulevard and Grand Avenue, it’s easy to see that the cultural representation seen in the series is distinctly rooted in the 626. An integral part of Los Angeles’ diversity and one of the largest concentrations of Asian Americans in the country, it’s about time that the ethnoburb gets the recognition it deserves on the world stage.
Here are some of the little SGV easter eggs we caught in season one of “The Brothers Sun.”
1. Bruce drinking Visoy soy milk with his fan tuan for breakfast.
The camera pan over the soy milk carton while Bruce spends his breakfast studying is less of a product placement and more of a wink to SoCal audiences who can immediately recognize the logo from their local Asian grocery store’s tofu section.
2. The individually wrapped moist towelette from Newport Seafood in the sauce drawer
Not only are the free moist towelettes from Chinese banquet restaurants convenient for wiping down your fingers in between the steamed shrimp and garlic crab courses so you don’t have to run to the restroom to wash your hands, they’re also convenient to keep in your car, in your bag, in your junk drawer or any other instance where it supplements your existing stockpile of “stolen” Chipotle napkins.
3. Newport Seafood Restaurant with the secret mahjong den in the back
Speaking of, how could we not also shout out the legendary Newport Seafood Restaurant that, in the show, serves as a front to the underground mahjong den that Eileen frequents for information? Though seen briefly, the Michelin Guide-approved eatery’s remodeled interiors are recognizable to any SGV native who has had their famous house special lobster.
4. Charles going to Kee Wah Bakery for…
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