The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (1996–…): Season 6, Episode 11 - Fifth Anniversary Special - full transcript
ANNOUNCER:
June 11, 2019.
From Comedy Central's World
News Headquarters in New York,
this is The Daily Show
with Trevor Noah.
- ♪
- (cheering and applause)
Welcome to The Daily Show,
everybody!
I'm Trevor Noah!
Thank you so much for tuning in!
Thank you for coming out!
Yeah!
Oh, yeah! Let's do it!
Let's do this!
Our guest tonight is
a fascinating young man.
He's a chef
whose new book is called
Notes from a Young Black Chef.
Kwame Onwuachi is joining us,
everybody!
- (cheering and applause) -Gonna
be a really fun conversation.
Also on tonight's show,
Russia and China
are the new celebrity couple,
Ronny Chieng puts plastic straws
under arrest,
and your Fitbit is trying
to kill you.
So, let's catch up
on today's headlines.
♪
This Saturday
was World Oceans Day.
It's a day when we let the ocean
tsunami any city it likes.
It's also the day when we take
a moment to acknowledge
how much damage we, as humans,
have done to the thing
that covers 75% of our planet.
And, today, Canadian
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
announced a plan
to try and change that.
Some good news
for the environment.
In less than two years,
Canada plans to ban
many single-use plastics.
We're talking about things
like straws, bags, cutlery.
No longer. The Canadian prime
minister making the announcement
from the shores
of a nature reserve in Quebec.
To be honest, as a dad,
it's tough trying
to explain this to my kids.
How do you explain
dead whales washing up
on beaches around the world,
their stomachs jam-packed
with plastic bags?
People around the world are
grappling with this every day.
Man, white people
have to explain
a lot of shit to their kids.
Oh, because this
is not a problem
that any African parent has.
Yeah.
When you're an African kid,
you're like,
"Daddy,
why are the whales dying?"
He'd be like, "Why are
the whales-- Why don't you mind
"your own business, huh?
"Are you a whale? Huh?
"Then what is your problem?
"Maybe that whale was too busy
asking questions, huh?
That's how it ended up
on that beach."
"Daddy, you can say
you just don't know."
"I don-- Are you saying your
father doesn't know something?
"You know what I do know?
How to beat children.
Go fetch my belt.
Go fetch my belt."
But Justin Trudeau
does have a good point.
Single-use plastic is wasteful,
man.
We got to find a way
to stop using it.
And I don't know how exactly.
I also use the stuff.
I mean, I was thinking
maybe we can find a way
to just carry a knife and fork
with us at all times, you know?
Just, like,
hanging off our belts,
like a cell phone used to.
And it won't look weird
if we all do it.
We can do it together, people.
Or, how 'bout this,
we never use
these third fingers, yeah?
Let's just replace them
with utensils. Yeah.
Yeah, like a surgery. Now you
always have them with you, huh?
Moving on, the Catholic Church
is celebrating Pride Month
in the most Catholic Church way
possible.
REPORTER: USA Today says
the Vatican issued
an official document
rejecting transgender identity.
It also called gender change
a trend.
The document, called "Male
and Female, He Created Them,"
is the Catholic Church's first
statement on gender identity.
Pope Francis
has repeatedly argued
that people cannot choose
their genders.
The Vatican also said
that changing norms
in gender identity contributes
to the destabilization
of the family.
Yes, that's right.
The Catholic Church
has released a statement
condemning transgender people,
saying that it's unnatural,
which is disappointing
but it's not surprising.
I mean, we all know
the church thinks
if you're born a girl,
you're a girl forever.
And if you're born a boy,
they're gonna try
and (bleep) you.
And, let's be clear,
let's be clear on this:
gender change is not a trend,
all right?
It's been around
for thousands of years.
But if it was,
why does the church care
about it so much?
How come the church isn't
warning us about other trends?
You never hear the Pope saying,
"It is against God's will
"to wear Supreme.
"There's only one hypebeast,
and his name is Jesus Christ."
Oh, and get this,
guess-- get this.
Part of the Vatican's rationale
is that transgender people
go against its belief
that God made men and women
to reproduce.
Which, first of all, transgender
people can reproduce.
And, secondly, again,
why do you care?
Right? You don't even let
your people reproduce, right?
Nuns aren't allowed to have sex,
right?
Priests can't get little boys
pregnant. Yeah.
Yeah, that's right.
Two pedophilia jokes.
- Yeah. Yeah.
- (laughter, applause)
I got away with it
the first time.
Of course
I was gonna go back for more.
Which is the same thing
the priests said
about touching little boys.
- Oh! Three pedophilia jokes!
- (gasping, laughter)
Oh! Oh, you don't like it?
Well, you should transfer me
to a different parish,
where I'm probably gonna do
the same thing.
- Four! Oh!
- AUDIENCE: Oh!
All right, I'm done.
And, finally, some health news.
If you're wearing a Fitbit
right now,
you might want to get up
and walk 10,000 steps away
from your TV.
New questions about the supposed
health benefits
of those fitness trackers
that millions use.
WOMAN: As more Americans
make health a priority,
many are turning to technology.
The fitness tracker has become
kind of the obsession.
WOMAN: But is that obsession
really good for you?
Some worry measuring fitness,
diet and sleep
could be taking a toll
on our mental health.
Research found
it can make activities
that were once enjoyable
feel almost like a job.
WOMAN 2:
These are really powerful tools
for positive change,
but they can trigger anxiety
or obsessive thoughts,
and sometimes cause us
to go a little bit too far.
That's right. Experts say
that fitness trackers
are making us anxious.
And not just because
we spend every morning
trying to remember where
we put it, which is what I do.
Yeah, I burn 1,000 calories
walking around my apartment
trying to find the damn thing.
Then I put it on, and it's like,
"Okay,
time to get your steps in."
I'm like,
"Bitch, I need a nap now!"
(laughter)
But this study...
this study claims
that these fitness apps
on our phones
can be bad
for our mental health.
But I mean,
if you think about it,
every app is bad
for your mental health, huh?
Tinder is depressing,
Twitter is toxic,
and that phone app is the worst.
You can't delete it.
It just keeps on ringing.
I don't even know what it's for.
Even mental health apps are bad
for your mental health.
I had a meditation app that was
supposed to help me relax,
but all it did
was stress me out.
Ten times a day, it would be
like, "Have you meditated yet?
"Time to meditate.
Hey, Trevor,
don't forget to medicate."
Eventually, I was just like,
"Delete the app!"
Ooh. So much calmer.
All right,
that's it for the headlines.
Let's move on to our main story.
- ♪
- (cheers and applause)
Russia. For decades,
the Soviet superpower has been
America's number one rival.
There was
the Cuban Missile Crisis,
meddling in the 2016 elections,
and on Twitter,
they challenged Tom Cruise
to an MMA fight,
and nobody can figure out why.
And just when we thought
Russia's antics couldn't get
any crazier,
a few days ago, they pulled
this move on the high seas.
We begin this evening
with a dangerously close call
on the high seas
between a Russian destroyer
and a U.S. warship.
Those ships coming
within feet of one another,
forcing the Americans
to take drastic action
to avoid a disastrous collision.
MAN 2: This image capturing
just how close
the ships came
to a catastrophic collision.
As little as 50 feet,
according to the U.S. Navy.
This video from the deck
of the U.S.S. Chancellorsville
showing the Russian destroyer
was so close,
you could see Russian sailors
sunbathing on the deck.
- (laughter)
- Sweet lord.
(laughter)
Russians are hardcore.
You realize these ships are
about to crash into each other.
American soldiers are like,
"Prepare for breach!"
And the Russian soldiers
are like,
"Dmitri, take off your shirt."
(laughter)
"Let's get suntan
before we die, yeah.
Don't want to meet Jesus
as pasty bitch."
(laughter)
But this is pretty crazy, man.
This is pretty crazy.
A Russian warship
basically tried to ram
into an American ship
in the middle of the ocean.
All right,
and let's be honest.
That had to be on purpose.
What other excuse is there?
Do you know
how big the ocean is?
You have to really
go out of your way
to collide with someone.
It's like walking into someone
at Ted Cruz's birthday party.
There's no one else there.
You did you it on purpose.
(laughter)
Now the question is,
the question is,
where would Russia get the balls
to play chicken
against America in the Pacific?
Well, maybe
it's because they've got a new
and powerful BFF.
MAN: Just as President Trump
was meeting
with America's most important
allies in Europe,
two of America's
biggest adversaries
were holding court in Moscow.
It was a split screen
tailor-made
by Russian president
Vladimir Putin.
Putin hosted
Chinese president Xi Jinping.
Xi calling Putin his
"best and bosom friend,"
saying he cherished
their deep friendship.
MAN 2: The two enjoying
a leisurely boat ride
in St. Petersburg yesterday.
That's right. Xi and Putin
have gotten so close,
they're even taking boat rides
together.
And not just a normal boat ride.
Putin even helped Xi recreate
that scene from Titanic.
He was like, "Yeah.
I'm king of the world!
No. really.
China's taking over the world!"
So it's clear, China and Russia
are really hitting it off,
because you only take
a boat ride with someone
if you really, really like them,
or if they're enslaving you.
But this is "liking."
Oh, and if... if you think
Putin giving Xi a boat ride
is impressive,
wait until you see
what Xi gave Putin in return.
The leader's visit also includes
some panda diplomacy.
MAN:
During their summit,
Putin and Xi showed off
their friendship with a visit
to the Moscow Zoo,
where they welcomed
two new Chinese pandas,
a gift from Xi to Russia.
MAN: I mean, China likes you,
one of the signs of that,
- you know...
- WOMAN: Alliance?
MAN: ...good-good alliance
and good feelings is
to present you with a panda.
Russia got two.
That's right.
China gave not one,
but two pandas to Russia.
Which is huge.
Yeah. 'Cause one panda
can't make babies.
Two pandas also can't,
but there's hope.
- (laughter)
- And remember,
China only gives pandas
to countries
when they wish to be
close allies with them, right?
They actually call it
"Panda Diplomacy."
This is a real thing.
Panda Diplomacy.
Not to be confused
with Panda Express Diplomacy,
where I convince them
to let me use the bathroom
even though
I didn't buy anything.
And technically--
this is interesting--
technically, China didn't give
Russia the pandas, right?
The Russians just get to keep
the pandas for a few years.
Yes. Which, by the way, applies
to every panda in the world.
Yeah. China owns
every single panda at the world.
So at some point
they have to go home.
And I guess it's because China
doesn't want the pandas
forgetting their Chinese roots.
Imagine if you let a panda stay
in New Jersey for too long, huh?
Yeah. Then when the panda
gets back to China,
he's like, "'Ey, what the
(bleep) is this bamboo? 'Ey!
"How about some gabagool
or a nice fettuccine?
Marone!"
Anyway, I could talk
about pandas all day,
but the point is, China and
Russia are getting super close,
and the consequences for America
go beyond boat rides
and cute bears.
NEWSMAN: While Russia and China
continue to strengthen
their economic ties,
they're also expanding
their military cooperation.
Chinese troops taking part
in massive drills
with Russian forces last year.
The level of cooperation
between Russia and China
has not been this high
since the mid-1950s.
They are combining forces
against us.
NEWSMAN:
They say Russia and China
can coordinate cyberattacks
and military moves that can
knock U.S. forces off balance.
Oh, man.
China and Russia teaming up
against the United States?
I mean, America could probably
handle China... or Russia,
but not both at the same time.
Like, imagine if in Rocky IV,
Ivan Drago was fighting,
and then Jackie Chan jumped
in the ring to help him.
Huh? That would be
the end of Rocky.
It would be done.
There'd be no Rocky V,
no Rocky Balboa,
no Rocky Goes to Space,
no Rocky
and the Sorcerer's Stone,
and definitely
no 50 Shades of Rocky.
- None of those movies.
- (laughter)
Now, beyond geopolitics,
the personal elements
of this bromance
is probably something
that's gonna bug Donald Trump.
Because, don't forget, he wants
to be a part of this club.
He loves those dudes.
We know how much
he admires Putin.
He talks all the time
about he and Xi Jinping
(like Trump):
are great friends.
So to see his two besties
make plans without him,
that's... that's got to hurt.
Yeah. And I don't think that
he's dealing with his feelings
in the most mature way.
NEWSMAN: U.S. President
Donald Trump is threatening
new tariffs on another
$300 billion in Chinese goods.
This if President Xi Jinping
doesn't meet with him
at the upcoming G20 Summit.
- Wow. Really, Trump?
- (laughter)
He's gonna put tariffs on China
if Xi doesn't
"hang out" with him?
That is so childish.
(like Trump): If you
don't come over to my house
and play video games,
then tariffs.
And I get to be player one
the whole time.
And what is it
with Trump using tariffs
in every legal situation?
Have you guys noticed this?
In every situation,
Trump is using
tariffs now, right?
Illegal immigration.
Tariffs on Mexico.
Xi Jinping won't have
a playdate? Tariffs on China.
Melania won't hold his hand
in public. Tariffs on Slovakia!
(like Melania): But, Donald,
I am from Slovenia.
(like Trump): I don't care!
Pronounce it any way,
- still tariffs.
- (laughter)
So look, it's clear
what's happening here.
President Trump...
you're feeling neglected
by President Xi.
But instead of lashing out,
why don't you work
on your relationship, man?
You know? Forget tariffs.
Maybe talk to Xi.
Tell him how you're feeling.
And if that doesn't work, try
and spice things up, you know?
Yeah. Dress up as something
you know China's really into.
- Yeah.
- (laughter)
Who could resist?
We'll be right back.
(cheering, applause, whistling)
(cheering, applause, whistling)
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
Before the break...
before the break,
we learned that Canada is going
to ban single-use plastics.
And this is a really bold step
and a necessary one.
But is the U.S. capable
of such action?
Well, Ronny Chieng filed
this report
from the front lines
of the plastic wars.
Here in America,
we use straws for everything:
drinking, snorting cocaine...
Okay. Just those two things.
But still, that's not nothing.
Yet recently, local governments
across the nation
have been challenging our
God-given right to bear straws.
Straws represent only .02%
of the nine million tons
of plastic waste
that is estimated.
People would like to keep the
plastic straw, just saying.
CHIENG: Conservative Big Bird
actually has a point here.
So I headed
to Washington, D.C.,
the latest city to ban straws,
to meet Lillian, an
environmental inspector.
Her actual job is to go
into local businesses
and make sure they're not using
plastic straws.
That's right,
she's a straw cop.
So what do you hope
to accomplish
by banning something
that's like,
0.000000000-z-z-z-z-z-01%
of our trash?
You know, that's good question.
Um, it's a perfect symbol
for our-our overuse
and dependence
on single-use plastics,
- and they're fair play.
- So what am I supposed to do?
If I don't use straws what do
you want me to do?
Do you want me to do this?
Yes, absolutely.
That's what I would love.
CHIENG: Lillian explained
that over 40%
of all plastic manufacturing
is single use,
throwaway items that will take
somewhere between
450 years and forever
to disappear.
But still, why are people
suddenly so angry about straws?
Why do you hate straws so much?
What did straws ever do to you?
I think that really started
with the straw video,
the plastic straw getting stuck
up the sea turtle's nose.
It has over 35 million views
on YouTube.
CHIENG: Wait, this is all
because of a dumb viral video?
Look, I've seen a lot of shit
on YouTube.
How bad could this be?
Turns out really (bleep) bad.
(Chieng groaning)
(Chieng groaning)
Okay, okay. I'm done.
No more straws.
But the video did leave me
with one burning question:
If I stick a straw up my nose,
I could get 35 million views
on YouTube?
I can't guarantee that.
You know,
people might not connect
- with seeing a person,
- (grunting)
- a full-grown adult,
- (grunting)
with a straw up their nose
the same way they connect
with a sea turtle.
- (groaning)
- I wouldn't go further.
(grunts) Nope.
Nope, that's stuck.
Nope-- I'm...
Uh...
Okay, so, uh, tell me what you
do on a day-to-day basis.
Turns out that turtle
was not faking it.
We actually go out and do
some random inspections,
- and we talk to business owners
- (coughing)
about the new rules,
- and how to come into compliance
with them. -Whoa.
(panting)
That sounds great.
It was time for me
to hit the streets
and shadow Lillian on
an actual straw raid.
First step, case the joint.
Clear, clear, clear, clear,
clear, clear, clear.
All right, clear.
So once we enter a business,
usually we kind of take
a look around, right.
We want to see
if we can see any straws.
Straw racial profiling, yep.
Yeah, I mean, we're looking
at the straws, you know,
What race is, uh, more likely
to use straws?
definitely not the people.
CHIENG:
Next, look for contraband.
Great. Okay. That's excellent.
- So these are absolutely
in compliance. -Paper straws.
CHIENG:
Turns out, this guy was clean,
at least for today.
But I knew things
were about to get real
when we hit the mother lode--
a coffee shop with enough
plastic nose candy
to take down Nemo's
whole goddamn reef.
- But it looks like these
are plastic, right? -Yeah.
So you are currently out
of compliance.
CHIENG:
That's right. You're busted.
And now the straw cops
are gonna make you pay.
- Right now we haven't switched
yet, -Okay. Mm-hmm.
- but we are in the process
of switching. -Oh, whenever.
Oh, really?
Th-That's convenient.
Just happen to be switching
when we walk in. Okay.
- I'm sorry.
- Um...
- So what I'm gonna do today
- I got it.
is I'm just gonna give you
a warning letter of sorts.
- Okay. -Wait. What do you mean,
"warning letter"?
So Lillian just walks around
warning businesses?
That's it. I'm taking the lead
on this investigation.
Hut!
Straw, straw, straw, straw.
We've got a straw over here.
Are you crazy?
Gonna pull out a straw
- in front of a straw cop?
- Sorry.
- Is this yours, sir?
Who's straw is this? -Mine.
Straw! Straw over here.
Sorry, false alarm.
It's fine. It's paper.
♪
Dispatch, uh, we are entering
premises, over.
See that guy over there
in the black hoodie.
I'm just gonna go ask him
a few questions.
Oh, oh. He's going. He's going.
Go, go, go, go, go.
Straw police!
Straw police!
Drop the (bleep) straw!
Get on the ground,
mother (bleep).
But despite the successful
raid, Lillian wasn't happy.
Yeah, that was
absolutely useless
in getting people
to come into compliance.
Well, let's agree to disagree.
Yeah, it takes a lot of time
and energy,
and those one-on-one
conversations
to really enact real change.
CHIENG:
Okay, change people's minds
through constructive
conversations. I can do that.
Do you know how many (bleep)
turtles are dying in the ocean
'cause they have straws
up their nose?
Why? Because mother (bleep)
can't seem
to drink from cups
without straws.
Just put the cup to your mouth!
Just put the cup to your mouth,
that's it.
You don't need a middleman.
Do you know how much damage this
could do to an dolphin's anus.
An oyster could eat this
and suffocate to death.
It's like you guys
don't even care.
Sir, you need to go
before I call the police.
Yo, you can't call the police,
we are the police.
- Guys! Guys! Guys!
- We are the police.
We are the police.
Show her your badge.
- No, we're not the police.
- Show her your badge.
- Yeah, we're not the police.
- Show her your badge now.
She has a badge.
Show her the badge.
CHIENG: After
a successful conversation,
we voluntarily left
the restaurant.
I come back, I see any
plastic straws in here,
I'm burning this whole
(bleep) place to the ground.
And, hey, if a restaurant
can ban me
just for doing my job,
how hard can it be
to ban straws?
(cheers and applause)
Ronny Chieng, everybody.
We'll be right back.
(cheers and applause)
(cheering, applause, whistling)
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
My guest tonight is
a James Beard Award-winning
executive chef
at Kith and Kin
in Washington, D.C.
His new memoir is called
Notes from a Young Black Chef.
Please welcome Kwame Onwuachi.
- ♪
- (cheering, applause)
Welcome to the show.
It's great to be here.
How are you doing?
Uh, I'm fantastic, man.
But congratulations
- on an amazing book
- Thank you.
and a really,
really fascinating story.
- Thank you.
- I mean, you've done everything.
In your teens,
you were in a gang.
In your 20s, you sold drugs.
Then you graduated from the
Culinary Institute of America.
You competed on Top Chef.
You opened your first
restaurant. It tanked.
So now you run
a successful hotel restaurant...
- Don't give away the whole book.
- I... No, but that's the thing.
It's less about
just what happens
and more about how it happens.
That's what makes your story
so fascinating.
- When you look back at the book,
- Absolutely.
and you look
at the life you've lived,
does it feel real?
'Cause you're only 29.
Uh, it's a journey, you know?
I-I would say, like, every part
of my life has been...
either extremely difficult
or extremely rewarding,
and it's a journey, so, like,
you don't really notice it
- until you put it down on paper,
- Right.
you know, and you read it
through and you see it through.
You sound like you were
quite the terror as a young man,
like, within the family,
you know?
- I was pretty bad.
- You were pretty bad.
- Was pretty bad.
- I mean, you were bad enough
that your-your mom sent you
to Nigeria,
- where your dad's from, right?
- Yeah.
And you thought you were
going there for the summer.
Yeah, she told me I was going
for a couple weeks.
- Uh-huh.
- Um...
I quickly learned
that that was not the truth.
- Um...
- (laughter)
- H-How did you learn that?
- Uh, it was September,
and school starts in September
in New York, and I called her.
We had to go to this
call center, by the way.
We had to drive all the way.
It's a...
In the middle of a village--
it wasn't Lagos.
- Right. -And you drive
three hours to this call center.
Have to wait in line till, you
know, you even get on the phone.
We'd get there, and I'm like,
"So, Ma, like, September?
When am I coming back home?"
and she's like, "You're not.
- (laughter)
- Not until you learn respect."
- Not until you learn respect?
- And then she was like,
"Kwame? Hello? Hello?"
'Cause I just,
I dropped the phone.
I was so... I was so crushed.
- So you hadn't learned respect?
- No, not yet. Not yet.
How long did it take you
to come back to the U.S.?
- Two years. -Wow. That's a
long time to not learn respect.
- Yeah. -No, 'cause if my mom,
like, left me in Nigeria
and was like,
"Till you learn respect,"
I'd immediately be like, "Yes,
ma'am, I have learned respect.
- Can I come home now?"
- (laughter)
But you've always had this
spirit inside of you, where,
like, you've pushed for what you
wanted to do and you did it.
Two years in Nigeria, it's a
completely different world,
- and then you come back
to the U.S., right. -Mm-hmm.
And what was interesting
is how you tell the story
of growing up in a world where,
you know,
you were lucky enough
to go to a private school,
but you lived in a place
- that was basically
hood-adjacent, -Yeah.
and you got caught up
in gang culture.
You got mixed up with
the wrong group of friends.
How did you, like, see your life
when you turned--
when you were in a gang?
Like, was that something you,
like, prepared?
Or was it something that just
happened to you out of nowhere?
It just happened. Um...
You know, I talk about it
in the book--
how I really got into it,
and I got into a fight,
and then after that fight,
I was--
it was pretty much an initiation
into the gang.
Um, and, you know, I don't think
it's something that you plan,
you know?
Sometimes we're a product
of our own environment,
which is unfortunate, but also,
we can get out of
that mentality as well.
You know, and, for me,
it was a moment
that Barack Obama walked
across stage
and he became president
of the United States.
And I didn't think
that I would see
a black president
in my lifetime.
I voted for him and everything,
but, you know,
55 years ago,
we couldn't even eat at
the same restaurants as,
you know, white people
everywhere,
and to see that, it was--
it showed me that I can do
anything I put my mind to.
That's really a beautiful part
of the book,
is where you're telling
the story
about how you're selling drugs.
You're living in this house
where, you know,
people are high,
you're also high,
and then you see Barack Obama
walk out there,
and he's now president
of the United States,
and you're like, "Oh, I got
to get my shit together."
- Yeah.
- That's a powerful moment.
How do you even begin
that journey?
- Like, what, you know, you see
Barack Obama, -It's one...
- yes, but, I mean,
it wasn't easy. -No.
So, for me,
it was removing myself
from that environment
was the first thing.
So I was selling drugs,
I moved to Louisiana.
- My mother moved there after I
graduated high school. -Right.
So I started doing the only
thing I really knew how to do,
which was working with food.
And I just took it
one day at a time.
And I told myself every year
I just wanted to be doing better
than I was doing last year.
And, you know, ten years later,
here I am, sitting across
talking to you.
Yeah, man, you've done an
amazing job... especially...
(cheers and applause)
especially in the cooking space,
because, like, it's not easy
- to-to win an award,
you know, as a chef. -Yeah.
- It's not easy to be the head
chef, you know, -Yeah.
at one of the world's
biggest hotels.
That is something
that you've achieved.
Do you look at your life
as what got you to this point?
Or do you think you got
to this point
- despite the life you lived?
- A little bit of both.
You know, I think, uh,
you-you choose your own path
- most times, you know?
- Mm-hmm.
You-you choose how you're
going to react to a situation.
Um, but it-it's not easy,
and you just have to take it
one day at a time.
You know, when I got the helm
of this huge restaurant,
I'm gonna be quite honest.
- I had no idea what I was doing.
- Right.
No clue.
Um, but it was the same thing.
Okay, we're gonna work
on one thing at a time,
and we're gonna get better
at this one dish at a time.
Um, and every day, we just try
to do a little bit better
than we did the day before.
One of the most fascinating
parts of the book
is when you talk
about raising money
- to achieve your dreams...
- Yeah.
...and how you don't want
to sell drugs anymore,
so you decide to go
and sell candy
- on the New York City subway.
- Yeah.
Right? Which is harder:
selling drugs
- or selling candy on the subway?
- (laughter)
- They... -'Cause no one
pays attention on the train.
They-they have their challenges.
- Both of them have
their challenges. -Yeah.
One is extremely more lucrative
than the other,
um, to be honest with you.
- I don't know which one,
to be honest. -(laughter)
- We're not gonna get into what
was sold. -'Cause you made...
- 'cause you made a lot of money
selling candy. -I did, yeah.
- Absolutely. -You made $20,000
in a few months?
- Mm-hmm. Yeah.
- (audience member whoops)
Yeah. Just from selling candy.
What's funny is-- I haven't
really shared this story--
uh, I did a dinner...
I did pop-ups around the world,
um, and I stopped in Miami.
And one of the guys
that used to sell drugs for me,
he lived in Miami.
So, I was like,
"Hey, I changed my life around.
You got to come to my dinner."
And I-I talk about my story.
So, we're sitting there,
and I get up,
and I'm in front
of the whole dining room.
And I'm like,
"Yeah, you know, I sold candy
in order to save up
for my catering company."
- And he never knew
this part of me. -Right.
He was like,
"Ha! Candy? Yeah, right!"
Like, in the middle
of the dinner.
- (laughter)
- I'm like, "Stop. Stop.
G, stop it."
- Um...
- Well, when you look
at young people now
who may look up to you...
I mean, you know what?
It's-it's no... it's no secret
that there are many youths
out there
who are products
of their environment
who find the allure
of selling drugs
or getting into a gang, um,
really difficult to resist.
And you are living a life now
which is legal,
successful and inspirational.
When young men look at you
or when they read your book,
what would you hope that they
take away from your story?
Um, that anything is possible.
You know, if you really put
your mind to it
and you work
and you put in the hours,
um, and you just outwork
everyone else,
you can be successful
in any field you're in.
- Right. -I don't think this book
is just for young chefs.
I don't think
it's for black chefs.
- I think it's just for anyone,
you know? -Right.
Anyone to really see that
if you really want something,
like, if you really,
really want it,
you can achieve it.
And that's what
I want people to walk away
from reading
Notes from a Young Black Chef.
Well, man,
it's a fascinating book.
I hope everybody reads it.
Great story to tell.
- Thank you so much for being on
the show. -Thank you. Thank you.
Notes from a Young Black Chef
is available now.
Kwame Onwuachi, everybody.
We'll be right back.
(cheering and applause)
(cheering and applause)
Well, that's our show
for tonight.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
Here it is now,
Your Moment of Zen.
♪
(chuckles)
June 11, 2019.
From Comedy Central's World
News Headquarters in New York,
this is The Daily Show
with Trevor Noah.
- ♪
- (cheering and applause)
Welcome to The Daily Show,
everybody!
I'm Trevor Noah!
Thank you so much for tuning in!
Thank you for coming out!
Yeah!
Oh, yeah! Let's do it!
Let's do this!
Our guest tonight is
a fascinating young man.
He's a chef
whose new book is called
Notes from a Young Black Chef.
Kwame Onwuachi is joining us,
everybody!
- (cheering and applause) -Gonna
be a really fun conversation.
Also on tonight's show,
Russia and China
are the new celebrity couple,
Ronny Chieng puts plastic straws
under arrest,
and your Fitbit is trying
to kill you.
So, let's catch up
on today's headlines.
♪
This Saturday
was World Oceans Day.
It's a day when we let the ocean
tsunami any city it likes.
It's also the day when we take
a moment to acknowledge
how much damage we, as humans,
have done to the thing
that covers 75% of our planet.
And, today, Canadian
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
announced a plan
to try and change that.
Some good news
for the environment.
In less than two years,
Canada plans to ban
many single-use plastics.
We're talking about things
like straws, bags, cutlery.
No longer. The Canadian prime
minister making the announcement
from the shores
of a nature reserve in Quebec.
To be honest, as a dad,
it's tough trying
to explain this to my kids.
How do you explain
dead whales washing up
on beaches around the world,
their stomachs jam-packed
with plastic bags?
People around the world are
grappling with this every day.
Man, white people
have to explain
a lot of shit to their kids.
Oh, because this
is not a problem
that any African parent has.
Yeah.
When you're an African kid,
you're like,
"Daddy,
why are the whales dying?"
He'd be like, "Why are
the whales-- Why don't you mind
"your own business, huh?
"Are you a whale? Huh?
"Then what is your problem?
"Maybe that whale was too busy
asking questions, huh?
That's how it ended up
on that beach."
"Daddy, you can say
you just don't know."
"I don-- Are you saying your
father doesn't know something?
"You know what I do know?
How to beat children.
Go fetch my belt.
Go fetch my belt."
But Justin Trudeau
does have a good point.
Single-use plastic is wasteful,
man.
We got to find a way
to stop using it.
And I don't know how exactly.
I also use the stuff.
I mean, I was thinking
maybe we can find a way
to just carry a knife and fork
with us at all times, you know?
Just, like,
hanging off our belts,
like a cell phone used to.
And it won't look weird
if we all do it.
We can do it together, people.
Or, how 'bout this,
we never use
these third fingers, yeah?
Let's just replace them
with utensils. Yeah.
Yeah, like a surgery. Now you
always have them with you, huh?
Moving on, the Catholic Church
is celebrating Pride Month
in the most Catholic Church way
possible.
REPORTER: USA Today says
the Vatican issued
an official document
rejecting transgender identity.
It also called gender change
a trend.
The document, called "Male
and Female, He Created Them,"
is the Catholic Church's first
statement on gender identity.
Pope Francis
has repeatedly argued
that people cannot choose
their genders.
The Vatican also said
that changing norms
in gender identity contributes
to the destabilization
of the family.
Yes, that's right.
The Catholic Church
has released a statement
condemning transgender people,
saying that it's unnatural,
which is disappointing
but it's not surprising.
I mean, we all know
the church thinks
if you're born a girl,
you're a girl forever.
And if you're born a boy,
they're gonna try
and (bleep) you.
And, let's be clear,
let's be clear on this:
gender change is not a trend,
all right?
It's been around
for thousands of years.
But if it was,
why does the church care
about it so much?
How come the church isn't
warning us about other trends?
You never hear the Pope saying,
"It is against God's will
"to wear Supreme.
"There's only one hypebeast,
and his name is Jesus Christ."
Oh, and get this,
guess-- get this.
Part of the Vatican's rationale
is that transgender people
go against its belief
that God made men and women
to reproduce.
Which, first of all, transgender
people can reproduce.
And, secondly, again,
why do you care?
Right? You don't even let
your people reproduce, right?
Nuns aren't allowed to have sex,
right?
Priests can't get little boys
pregnant. Yeah.
Yeah, that's right.
Two pedophilia jokes.
- Yeah. Yeah.
- (laughter, applause)
I got away with it
the first time.
Of course
I was gonna go back for more.
Which is the same thing
the priests said
about touching little boys.
- Oh! Three pedophilia jokes!
- (gasping, laughter)
Oh! Oh, you don't like it?
Well, you should transfer me
to a different parish,
where I'm probably gonna do
the same thing.
- Four! Oh!
- AUDIENCE: Oh!
All right, I'm done.
And, finally, some health news.
If you're wearing a Fitbit
right now,
you might want to get up
and walk 10,000 steps away
from your TV.
New questions about the supposed
health benefits
of those fitness trackers
that millions use.
WOMAN: As more Americans
make health a priority,
many are turning to technology.
The fitness tracker has become
kind of the obsession.
WOMAN: But is that obsession
really good for you?
Some worry measuring fitness,
diet and sleep
could be taking a toll
on our mental health.
Research found
it can make activities
that were once enjoyable
feel almost like a job.
WOMAN 2:
These are really powerful tools
for positive change,
but they can trigger anxiety
or obsessive thoughts,
and sometimes cause us
to go a little bit too far.
That's right. Experts say
that fitness trackers
are making us anxious.
And not just because
we spend every morning
trying to remember where
we put it, which is what I do.
Yeah, I burn 1,000 calories
walking around my apartment
trying to find the damn thing.
Then I put it on, and it's like,
"Okay,
time to get your steps in."
I'm like,
"Bitch, I need a nap now!"
(laughter)
But this study...
this study claims
that these fitness apps
on our phones
can be bad
for our mental health.
But I mean,
if you think about it,
every app is bad
for your mental health, huh?
Tinder is depressing,
Twitter is toxic,
and that phone app is the worst.
You can't delete it.
It just keeps on ringing.
I don't even know what it's for.
Even mental health apps are bad
for your mental health.
I had a meditation app that was
supposed to help me relax,
but all it did
was stress me out.
Ten times a day, it would be
like, "Have you meditated yet?
"Time to meditate.
Hey, Trevor,
don't forget to medicate."
Eventually, I was just like,
"Delete the app!"
Ooh. So much calmer.
All right,
that's it for the headlines.
Let's move on to our main story.
- ♪
- (cheers and applause)
Russia. For decades,
the Soviet superpower has been
America's number one rival.
There was
the Cuban Missile Crisis,
meddling in the 2016 elections,
and on Twitter,
they challenged Tom Cruise
to an MMA fight,
and nobody can figure out why.
And just when we thought
Russia's antics couldn't get
any crazier,
a few days ago, they pulled
this move on the high seas.
We begin this evening
with a dangerously close call
on the high seas
between a Russian destroyer
and a U.S. warship.
Those ships coming
within feet of one another,
forcing the Americans
to take drastic action
to avoid a disastrous collision.
MAN 2: This image capturing
just how close
the ships came
to a catastrophic collision.
As little as 50 feet,
according to the U.S. Navy.
This video from the deck
of the U.S.S. Chancellorsville
showing the Russian destroyer
was so close,
you could see Russian sailors
sunbathing on the deck.
- (laughter)
- Sweet lord.
(laughter)
Russians are hardcore.
You realize these ships are
about to crash into each other.
American soldiers are like,
"Prepare for breach!"
And the Russian soldiers
are like,
"Dmitri, take off your shirt."
(laughter)
"Let's get suntan
before we die, yeah.
Don't want to meet Jesus
as pasty bitch."
(laughter)
But this is pretty crazy, man.
This is pretty crazy.
A Russian warship
basically tried to ram
into an American ship
in the middle of the ocean.
All right,
and let's be honest.
That had to be on purpose.
What other excuse is there?
Do you know
how big the ocean is?
You have to really
go out of your way
to collide with someone.
It's like walking into someone
at Ted Cruz's birthday party.
There's no one else there.
You did you it on purpose.
(laughter)
Now the question is,
the question is,
where would Russia get the balls
to play chicken
against America in the Pacific?
Well, maybe
it's because they've got a new
and powerful BFF.
MAN: Just as President Trump
was meeting
with America's most important
allies in Europe,
two of America's
biggest adversaries
were holding court in Moscow.
It was a split screen
tailor-made
by Russian president
Vladimir Putin.
Putin hosted
Chinese president Xi Jinping.
Xi calling Putin his
"best and bosom friend,"
saying he cherished
their deep friendship.
MAN 2: The two enjoying
a leisurely boat ride
in St. Petersburg yesterday.
That's right. Xi and Putin
have gotten so close,
they're even taking boat rides
together.
And not just a normal boat ride.
Putin even helped Xi recreate
that scene from Titanic.
He was like, "Yeah.
I'm king of the world!
No. really.
China's taking over the world!"
So it's clear, China and Russia
are really hitting it off,
because you only take
a boat ride with someone
if you really, really like them,
or if they're enslaving you.
But this is "liking."
Oh, and if... if you think
Putin giving Xi a boat ride
is impressive,
wait until you see
what Xi gave Putin in return.
The leader's visit also includes
some panda diplomacy.
MAN:
During their summit,
Putin and Xi showed off
their friendship with a visit
to the Moscow Zoo,
where they welcomed
two new Chinese pandas,
a gift from Xi to Russia.
MAN: I mean, China likes you,
one of the signs of that,
- you know...
- WOMAN: Alliance?
MAN: ...good-good alliance
and good feelings is
to present you with a panda.
Russia got two.
That's right.
China gave not one,
but two pandas to Russia.
Which is huge.
Yeah. 'Cause one panda
can't make babies.
Two pandas also can't,
but there's hope.
- (laughter)
- And remember,
China only gives pandas
to countries
when they wish to be
close allies with them, right?
They actually call it
"Panda Diplomacy."
This is a real thing.
Panda Diplomacy.
Not to be confused
with Panda Express Diplomacy,
where I convince them
to let me use the bathroom
even though
I didn't buy anything.
And technically--
this is interesting--
technically, China didn't give
Russia the pandas, right?
The Russians just get to keep
the pandas for a few years.
Yes. Which, by the way, applies
to every panda in the world.
Yeah. China owns
every single panda at the world.
So at some point
they have to go home.
And I guess it's because China
doesn't want the pandas
forgetting their Chinese roots.
Imagine if you let a panda stay
in New Jersey for too long, huh?
Yeah. Then when the panda
gets back to China,
he's like, "'Ey, what the
(bleep) is this bamboo? 'Ey!
"How about some gabagool
or a nice fettuccine?
Marone!"
Anyway, I could talk
about pandas all day,
but the point is, China and
Russia are getting super close,
and the consequences for America
go beyond boat rides
and cute bears.
NEWSMAN: While Russia and China
continue to strengthen
their economic ties,
they're also expanding
their military cooperation.
Chinese troops taking part
in massive drills
with Russian forces last year.
The level of cooperation
between Russia and China
has not been this high
since the mid-1950s.
They are combining forces
against us.
NEWSMAN:
They say Russia and China
can coordinate cyberattacks
and military moves that can
knock U.S. forces off balance.
Oh, man.
China and Russia teaming up
against the United States?
I mean, America could probably
handle China... or Russia,
but not both at the same time.
Like, imagine if in Rocky IV,
Ivan Drago was fighting,
and then Jackie Chan jumped
in the ring to help him.
Huh? That would be
the end of Rocky.
It would be done.
There'd be no Rocky V,
no Rocky Balboa,
no Rocky Goes to Space,
no Rocky
and the Sorcerer's Stone,
and definitely
no 50 Shades of Rocky.
- None of those movies.
- (laughter)
Now, beyond geopolitics,
the personal elements
of this bromance
is probably something
that's gonna bug Donald Trump.
Because, don't forget, he wants
to be a part of this club.
He loves those dudes.
We know how much
he admires Putin.
He talks all the time
about he and Xi Jinping
(like Trump):
are great friends.
So to see his two besties
make plans without him,
that's... that's got to hurt.
Yeah. And I don't think that
he's dealing with his feelings
in the most mature way.
NEWSMAN: U.S. President
Donald Trump is threatening
new tariffs on another
$300 billion in Chinese goods.
This if President Xi Jinping
doesn't meet with him
at the upcoming G20 Summit.
- Wow. Really, Trump?
- (laughter)
He's gonna put tariffs on China
if Xi doesn't
"hang out" with him?
That is so childish.
(like Trump): If you
don't come over to my house
and play video games,
then tariffs.
And I get to be player one
the whole time.
And what is it
with Trump using tariffs
in every legal situation?
Have you guys noticed this?
In every situation,
Trump is using
tariffs now, right?
Illegal immigration.
Tariffs on Mexico.
Xi Jinping won't have
a playdate? Tariffs on China.
Melania won't hold his hand
in public. Tariffs on Slovakia!
(like Melania): But, Donald,
I am from Slovenia.
(like Trump): I don't care!
Pronounce it any way,
- still tariffs.
- (laughter)
So look, it's clear
what's happening here.
President Trump...
you're feeling neglected
by President Xi.
But instead of lashing out,
why don't you work
on your relationship, man?
You know? Forget tariffs.
Maybe talk to Xi.
Tell him how you're feeling.
And if that doesn't work, try
and spice things up, you know?
Yeah. Dress up as something
you know China's really into.
- Yeah.
- (laughter)
Who could resist?
We'll be right back.
(cheering, applause, whistling)
(cheering, applause, whistling)
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
Before the break...
before the break,
we learned that Canada is going
to ban single-use plastics.
And this is a really bold step
and a necessary one.
But is the U.S. capable
of such action?
Well, Ronny Chieng filed
this report
from the front lines
of the plastic wars.
Here in America,
we use straws for everything:
drinking, snorting cocaine...
Okay. Just those two things.
But still, that's not nothing.
Yet recently, local governments
across the nation
have been challenging our
God-given right to bear straws.
Straws represent only .02%
of the nine million tons
of plastic waste
that is estimated.
People would like to keep the
plastic straw, just saying.
CHIENG: Conservative Big Bird
actually has a point here.
So I headed
to Washington, D.C.,
the latest city to ban straws,
to meet Lillian, an
environmental inspector.
Her actual job is to go
into local businesses
and make sure they're not using
plastic straws.
That's right,
she's a straw cop.
So what do you hope
to accomplish
by banning something
that's like,
0.000000000-z-z-z-z-z-01%
of our trash?
You know, that's good question.
Um, it's a perfect symbol
for our-our overuse
and dependence
on single-use plastics,
- and they're fair play.
- So what am I supposed to do?
If I don't use straws what do
you want me to do?
Do you want me to do this?
Yes, absolutely.
That's what I would love.
CHIENG: Lillian explained
that over 40%
of all plastic manufacturing
is single use,
throwaway items that will take
somewhere between
450 years and forever
to disappear.
But still, why are people
suddenly so angry about straws?
Why do you hate straws so much?
What did straws ever do to you?
I think that really started
with the straw video,
the plastic straw getting stuck
up the sea turtle's nose.
It has over 35 million views
on YouTube.
CHIENG: Wait, this is all
because of a dumb viral video?
Look, I've seen a lot of shit
on YouTube.
How bad could this be?
Turns out really (bleep) bad.
(Chieng groaning)
(Chieng groaning)
Okay, okay. I'm done.
No more straws.
But the video did leave me
with one burning question:
If I stick a straw up my nose,
I could get 35 million views
on YouTube?
I can't guarantee that.
You know,
people might not connect
- with seeing a person,
- (grunting)
- a full-grown adult,
- (grunting)
with a straw up their nose
the same way they connect
with a sea turtle.
- (groaning)
- I wouldn't go further.
(grunts) Nope.
Nope, that's stuck.
Nope-- I'm...
Uh...
Okay, so, uh, tell me what you
do on a day-to-day basis.
Turns out that turtle
was not faking it.
We actually go out and do
some random inspections,
- and we talk to business owners
- (coughing)
about the new rules,
- and how to come into compliance
with them. -Whoa.
(panting)
That sounds great.
It was time for me
to hit the streets
and shadow Lillian on
an actual straw raid.
First step, case the joint.
Clear, clear, clear, clear,
clear, clear, clear.
All right, clear.
So once we enter a business,
usually we kind of take
a look around, right.
We want to see
if we can see any straws.
Straw racial profiling, yep.
Yeah, I mean, we're looking
at the straws, you know,
What race is, uh, more likely
to use straws?
definitely not the people.
CHIENG:
Next, look for contraband.
Great. Okay. That's excellent.
- So these are absolutely
in compliance. -Paper straws.
CHIENG:
Turns out, this guy was clean,
at least for today.
But I knew things
were about to get real
when we hit the mother lode--
a coffee shop with enough
plastic nose candy
to take down Nemo's
whole goddamn reef.
- But it looks like these
are plastic, right? -Yeah.
So you are currently out
of compliance.
CHIENG:
That's right. You're busted.
And now the straw cops
are gonna make you pay.
- Right now we haven't switched
yet, -Okay. Mm-hmm.
- but we are in the process
of switching. -Oh, whenever.
Oh, really?
Th-That's convenient.
Just happen to be switching
when we walk in. Okay.
- I'm sorry.
- Um...
- So what I'm gonna do today
- I got it.
is I'm just gonna give you
a warning letter of sorts.
- Okay. -Wait. What do you mean,
"warning letter"?
So Lillian just walks around
warning businesses?
That's it. I'm taking the lead
on this investigation.
Hut!
Straw, straw, straw, straw.
We've got a straw over here.
Are you crazy?
Gonna pull out a straw
- in front of a straw cop?
- Sorry.
- Is this yours, sir?
Who's straw is this? -Mine.
Straw! Straw over here.
Sorry, false alarm.
It's fine. It's paper.
♪
Dispatch, uh, we are entering
premises, over.
See that guy over there
in the black hoodie.
I'm just gonna go ask him
a few questions.
Oh, oh. He's going. He's going.
Go, go, go, go, go.
Straw police!
Straw police!
Drop the (bleep) straw!
Get on the ground,
mother (bleep).
But despite the successful
raid, Lillian wasn't happy.
Yeah, that was
absolutely useless
in getting people
to come into compliance.
Well, let's agree to disagree.
Yeah, it takes a lot of time
and energy,
and those one-on-one
conversations
to really enact real change.
CHIENG:
Okay, change people's minds
through constructive
conversations. I can do that.
Do you know how many (bleep)
turtles are dying in the ocean
'cause they have straws
up their nose?
Why? Because mother (bleep)
can't seem
to drink from cups
without straws.
Just put the cup to your mouth!
Just put the cup to your mouth,
that's it.
You don't need a middleman.
Do you know how much damage this
could do to an dolphin's anus.
An oyster could eat this
and suffocate to death.
It's like you guys
don't even care.
Sir, you need to go
before I call the police.
Yo, you can't call the police,
we are the police.
- Guys! Guys! Guys!
- We are the police.
We are the police.
Show her your badge.
- No, we're not the police.
- Show her your badge.
- Yeah, we're not the police.
- Show her your badge now.
She has a badge.
Show her the badge.
CHIENG: After
a successful conversation,
we voluntarily left
the restaurant.
I come back, I see any
plastic straws in here,
I'm burning this whole
(bleep) place to the ground.
And, hey, if a restaurant
can ban me
just for doing my job,
how hard can it be
to ban straws?
(cheers and applause)
Ronny Chieng, everybody.
We'll be right back.
(cheers and applause)
(cheering, applause, whistling)
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
My guest tonight is
a James Beard Award-winning
executive chef
at Kith and Kin
in Washington, D.C.
His new memoir is called
Notes from a Young Black Chef.
Please welcome Kwame Onwuachi.
- ♪
- (cheering, applause)
Welcome to the show.
It's great to be here.
How are you doing?
Uh, I'm fantastic, man.
But congratulations
- on an amazing book
- Thank you.
and a really,
really fascinating story.
- Thank you.
- I mean, you've done everything.
In your teens,
you were in a gang.
In your 20s, you sold drugs.
Then you graduated from the
Culinary Institute of America.
You competed on Top Chef.
You opened your first
restaurant. It tanked.
So now you run
a successful hotel restaurant...
- Don't give away the whole book.
- I... No, but that's the thing.
It's less about
just what happens
and more about how it happens.
That's what makes your story
so fascinating.
- When you look back at the book,
- Absolutely.
and you look
at the life you've lived,
does it feel real?
'Cause you're only 29.
Uh, it's a journey, you know?
I-I would say, like, every part
of my life has been...
either extremely difficult
or extremely rewarding,
and it's a journey, so, like,
you don't really notice it
- until you put it down on paper,
- Right.
you know, and you read it
through and you see it through.
You sound like you were
quite the terror as a young man,
like, within the family,
you know?
- I was pretty bad.
- You were pretty bad.
- Was pretty bad.
- I mean, you were bad enough
that your-your mom sent you
to Nigeria,
- where your dad's from, right?
- Yeah.
And you thought you were
going there for the summer.
Yeah, she told me I was going
for a couple weeks.
- Uh-huh.
- Um...
I quickly learned
that that was not the truth.
- Um...
- (laughter)
- H-How did you learn that?
- Uh, it was September,
and school starts in September
in New York, and I called her.
We had to go to this
call center, by the way.
We had to drive all the way.
It's a...
In the middle of a village--
it wasn't Lagos.
- Right. -And you drive
three hours to this call center.
Have to wait in line till, you
know, you even get on the phone.
We'd get there, and I'm like,
"So, Ma, like, September?
When am I coming back home?"
and she's like, "You're not.
- (laughter)
- Not until you learn respect."
- Not until you learn respect?
- And then she was like,
"Kwame? Hello? Hello?"
'Cause I just,
I dropped the phone.
I was so... I was so crushed.
- So you hadn't learned respect?
- No, not yet. Not yet.
How long did it take you
to come back to the U.S.?
- Two years. -Wow. That's a
long time to not learn respect.
- Yeah. -No, 'cause if my mom,
like, left me in Nigeria
and was like,
"Till you learn respect,"
I'd immediately be like, "Yes,
ma'am, I have learned respect.
- Can I come home now?"
- (laughter)
But you've always had this
spirit inside of you, where,
like, you've pushed for what you
wanted to do and you did it.
Two years in Nigeria, it's a
completely different world,
- and then you come back
to the U.S., right. -Mm-hmm.
And what was interesting
is how you tell the story
of growing up in a world where,
you know,
you were lucky enough
to go to a private school,
but you lived in a place
- that was basically
hood-adjacent, -Yeah.
and you got caught up
in gang culture.
You got mixed up with
the wrong group of friends.
How did you, like, see your life
when you turned--
when you were in a gang?
Like, was that something you,
like, prepared?
Or was it something that just
happened to you out of nowhere?
It just happened. Um...
You know, I talk about it
in the book--
how I really got into it,
and I got into a fight,
and then after that fight,
I was--
it was pretty much an initiation
into the gang.
Um, and, you know, I don't think
it's something that you plan,
you know?
Sometimes we're a product
of our own environment,
which is unfortunate, but also,
we can get out of
that mentality as well.
You know, and, for me,
it was a moment
that Barack Obama walked
across stage
and he became president
of the United States.
And I didn't think
that I would see
a black president
in my lifetime.
I voted for him and everything,
but, you know,
55 years ago,
we couldn't even eat at
the same restaurants as,
you know, white people
everywhere,
and to see that, it was--
it showed me that I can do
anything I put my mind to.
That's really a beautiful part
of the book,
is where you're telling
the story
about how you're selling drugs.
You're living in this house
where, you know,
people are high,
you're also high,
and then you see Barack Obama
walk out there,
and he's now president
of the United States,
and you're like, "Oh, I got
to get my shit together."
- Yeah.
- That's a powerful moment.
How do you even begin
that journey?
- Like, what, you know, you see
Barack Obama, -It's one...
- yes, but, I mean,
it wasn't easy. -No.
So, for me,
it was removing myself
from that environment
was the first thing.
So I was selling drugs,
I moved to Louisiana.
- My mother moved there after I
graduated high school. -Right.
So I started doing the only
thing I really knew how to do,
which was working with food.
And I just took it
one day at a time.
And I told myself every year
I just wanted to be doing better
than I was doing last year.
And, you know, ten years later,
here I am, sitting across
talking to you.
Yeah, man, you've done an
amazing job... especially...
(cheers and applause)
especially in the cooking space,
because, like, it's not easy
- to-to win an award,
you know, as a chef. -Yeah.
- It's not easy to be the head
chef, you know, -Yeah.
at one of the world's
biggest hotels.
That is something
that you've achieved.
Do you look at your life
as what got you to this point?
Or do you think you got
to this point
- despite the life you lived?
- A little bit of both.
You know, I think, uh,
you-you choose your own path
- most times, you know?
- Mm-hmm.
You-you choose how you're
going to react to a situation.
Um, but it-it's not easy,
and you just have to take it
one day at a time.
You know, when I got the helm
of this huge restaurant,
I'm gonna be quite honest.
- I had no idea what I was doing.
- Right.
No clue.
Um, but it was the same thing.
Okay, we're gonna work
on one thing at a time,
and we're gonna get better
at this one dish at a time.
Um, and every day, we just try
to do a little bit better
than we did the day before.
One of the most fascinating
parts of the book
is when you talk
about raising money
- to achieve your dreams...
- Yeah.
...and how you don't want
to sell drugs anymore,
so you decide to go
and sell candy
- on the New York City subway.
- Yeah.
Right? Which is harder:
selling drugs
- or selling candy on the subway?
- (laughter)
- They... -'Cause no one
pays attention on the train.
They-they have their challenges.
- Both of them have
their challenges. -Yeah.
One is extremely more lucrative
than the other,
um, to be honest with you.
- I don't know which one,
to be honest. -(laughter)
- We're not gonna get into what
was sold. -'Cause you made...
- 'cause you made a lot of money
selling candy. -I did, yeah.
- Absolutely. -You made $20,000
in a few months?
- Mm-hmm. Yeah.
- (audience member whoops)
Yeah. Just from selling candy.
What's funny is-- I haven't
really shared this story--
uh, I did a dinner...
I did pop-ups around the world,
um, and I stopped in Miami.
And one of the guys
that used to sell drugs for me,
he lived in Miami.
So, I was like,
"Hey, I changed my life around.
You got to come to my dinner."
And I-I talk about my story.
So, we're sitting there,
and I get up,
and I'm in front
of the whole dining room.
And I'm like,
"Yeah, you know, I sold candy
in order to save up
for my catering company."
- And he never knew
this part of me. -Right.
He was like,
"Ha! Candy? Yeah, right!"
Like, in the middle
of the dinner.
- (laughter)
- I'm like, "Stop. Stop.
G, stop it."
- Um...
- Well, when you look
at young people now
who may look up to you...
I mean, you know what?
It's-it's no... it's no secret
that there are many youths
out there
who are products
of their environment
who find the allure
of selling drugs
or getting into a gang, um,
really difficult to resist.
And you are living a life now
which is legal,
successful and inspirational.
When young men look at you
or when they read your book,
what would you hope that they
take away from your story?
Um, that anything is possible.
You know, if you really put
your mind to it
and you work
and you put in the hours,
um, and you just outwork
everyone else,
you can be successful
in any field you're in.
- Right. -I don't think this book
is just for young chefs.
I don't think
it's for black chefs.
- I think it's just for anyone,
you know? -Right.
Anyone to really see that
if you really want something,
like, if you really,
really want it,
you can achieve it.
And that's what
I want people to walk away
from reading
Notes from a Young Black Chef.
Well, man,
it's a fascinating book.
I hope everybody reads it.
Great story to tell.
- Thank you so much for being on
the show. -Thank you. Thank you.
Notes from a Young Black Chef
is available now.
Kwame Onwuachi, everybody.
We'll be right back.
(cheering and applause)
(cheering and applause)
Well, that's our show
for tonight.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
Here it is now,
Your Moment of Zen.
♪
(chuckles)