Why The Food In ‘The Brothers Sun’ Is So Important

There are the more obvious things like Alexis (Highdee Kuan), Charles’ childhood friend-turned-ambitious LA prosecutor who’s hoping to break a career-making case, and her addiction to uncooked Buldak spicy ramen. But there are also the subtle touches that Asian Americans will recognize and appreciate. When a disoriented Charles is hiding out at Alexis’ home after barely escaping an ambush at a Korean spa, she hands over a bag of everyone’s childhood fave Shrimp chips — you know, the one you could literally eat in one sitting. You catch a quick glimpse of a half-empty, purple-labeled bottle of hoisin sauce in the Sun family’s fridge before Bruce decides to heat up a bao. The best place to buy groceries, specifically produce, is 99 Ranch, as vouched by the Asian chain’s shopping bags on every kitchen counter. Jim’s Bakery in Monterey Park gets a shoutout for having the best egg tarts in Southern California and being “conveniently located next to an LA Fitness.” Even the decades-long debate over the wrongly villainized MSG gets a quick nod — “The MSG doesn’t give him headaches?” “That is not a real thing!” — vindication for the food component that is so core (and delicious!) to Asian cuisine.