 I caught myself an interception to Taylor for a tub for a tub. Yeah, because to be honest a lot of people have the stereotype that football players Right, that's the stereotype. Yeah, right You know quite a lot What's going on everybody? Welcome to a very very very special NFL episode of Fung Bros food today We are in San Gabriel, California We are at Chang'an restaurant and we are joined by NFL safety Taylor Rapp. What up, brother? How you doing? Thanks for having me. All right So this episode is really really special because we're gonna be eating a diverse spread of Chinese food and you for those who don't know You're half Chinese. Yes, sir There's so many things to talk about about you being raised half Chinese and and your Chinese side is really traditional But you're a rookie in the NFL now. So that's crazy I had to open up with the Shanghainese section because that is the part of China that your heritage is from. Yeah My mom was born Shanghai Born raised there my dad was actually born in Oklahoma, but he was actually raised in Toronto Okay, so he's he's Canadian as well My mom was actually my dad's translator when my dad was over there working. That's actually how they met Just any of this food look familiar to you right now. Yeah Pork belly look bomb. I'm ready to taste that home shall row. What's the word on nutrition? Are they are you like Lebron where you're like just steamed chicken fish or is there a little bit more leeway? It's kind of all up to the players obviously try to eat as clean as possible personally me like I kind of on that Lebron Eatin clean eating like a lot of Whole Foods chicken fish and a lot of veggies. All right, but we got to break the diet Pork belly some people know this me and Andrew are from Seattle and you we actually went to the same college Yeah, you're from essentially Washington. Yeah, right, right, right? You're from Bellingham, which is up there Yeah, right next to Vancouver, right? Obviously we used to cross Bellingham when we would go to Vancouver Yeah, growing up because we're from Kent how traditional was your upbringing growing up? I mean, I think it was it was kind of mixed mix of both my mom She's definitely more American eyes, but my grandparents they're the ones that obviously always traditionally You're going in man. Just eat just eat out of the cup All right guys next dish that is called high-tow you high-tow you oh Know that that is Shanghai needs seaweed fish. Yeah, see we fried it It's kind of like a light seaweed batter, and it's a fried fish fillet pretty cool. And then you dip it in the white pepper Chinese fancy fish sticks you dip it in this uh, there's a sauce Let's get into this By every every Chinese New Year's or like your birthday my grandma always cook up a million different dishes Is it your birthday that you have to eat the long noodle? It's birthday, right? Yeah, you know what's wild is that like you're half Chinese But in a way since you grew up with your grandparents you grew up with even some of those traditions that like we didn't do in our family Oh, really? No, we did it. My parents didn't do it. Yeah every birthday my my grandmother cook up these long noodles Grandparents they like grandparents. They're the best. I like the light seaweed flavor that it's got to it You know you don't really taste them in dishes like this. So did you go to Shanghai? I was what when I was like six or seven years old, so I mean it must be completely the change Now I think you went back ma'am couldn't even recognize it. Yeah, it would be crazy long jing shall we're you use chopsticks correct? I know I use it unconventionally. You see the form Okay, mine is just kind of yeah Not cross sticks like some people they'd be doing this yeah, but I think yours actually looks right But it's just a little off my mom and my grandma's always they try to teach me like I just always as a little kid I picked up chopsticks like this. I always use it. Whatever works. Whatever works also you only half Chinese So you don't gotta write that Did you feel pressure to be Chinese growing up? I was almost ashamed of like my heritage and like who I was I look different kids like would make fun of me like Like they made my jokes. Yeah Throwing up I was like more ashamed or embarrassed And that's I think that's one of the reasons why like I'm really trying to take on that role now and try to Embrace it it's weird like I would be home be all the traditional Chinese stuff And then like I'd go out in the real world I'm almost like put on this mask and like try to get away from it. I think that's like I use that That's fuel like fuel to fire like I use that to push myself in in sports really I think that's that's what really drove me. Well, it's funny because at Bellingham You're probably one of the more Asian kids, but if you grew up in like Seattle, you would be like the hopper kid You're like a half kid That's that's my dish right there All right, I got the cow young pie cow young pie that breaks down a grilled lamb Steak, this is the shall cow section shall cow basically is like Chinese barbecue. This is our Texas barbecue These chouar that's called chouar. Okay, the young people eat it in Shanghai But I would like your grandparents for sure probably didn't this be so I would say obviously lamb chops is in itself Is not only Chinese but definitely the seasoning these seasonings actually come from like Western China Really good. It's different very fragrant got like that kind of seed flavor These seasonings actually come from like Western China spices tastes more Middle Eastern. What do you call your grandparents? Wagon wapa. I think that's shanghainese. Wagon wapa. There's I could tell there's a shanghainese Yeah, I heard people compare shanghainese to like French. Yeah, cuz it's like And shanghainese like you know that phrase knee chelama. It'll be like known to be a lot. Oh You're not digging on the shellfish too much, but what about strange cuts of beef of course man Okay, wait, I'll tell you this you don't become the safety for the Rams Eating shellfish did your dad play football in high school. Yeah, did he push you into it? Or was it literally like it just happened. It's kind of my my brother and I streams. They spent countless Money baseball tournaments traveling all that stuff football all that gear and stuff But they're just really supporting us. So what did your Traditional Chinese mom say when you wanted to play football? I mean, I don't think she knew what football was When she watches games, but she didn't stop she didn't stop it. No, okay. Well shout out shout out to Well, she's still like make sure you get good grades though cuz you did We had to get a's or like we weren't playing football you have a older brother, right? Yeah, how was his journey with being Asian as well because you know you said he ended sort of like I guess like an Asian profession I never really had that conversation with him But like throughout high school or like growing up. I think he had a similar Experience like it would be interesting like ask him and talk to him about like how he is like in his engineering world and stuff like that Yeah, yeah, shout out Austin man. Yeah, what up? I always said though that sometimes for Asian parents man best you can ask for is them to not stop you from doing it As long as they don't stop you and they still love you, right? That's all you can ask for it not stopping you is love. It was big for me to have my Grandparents come to a lot of home games, too. Do they understand what's going on? Oh, yeah, no, I do They will knew we have the wagon right here man But what point did you feel comfortable repping Chinese culture more when I ended up going to UW? I think it brought in my horizon. Obviously it comes as you mature obviously You start to you know think about you know where you come from and as I as soon as I got to UW I started to embrace my heritage and culture a lot more Did you ever think it was weird like I guess what do you think about like the racial issues because like obviously you got Kind of jokes or anywhere from light hearted jokes to maybe real discrimination when you were playing football, right? I think a big stereotype for Asians is that like we're soft and it can't be aggressive So I mean it's pretty cool for me, you know playing football and being how aggressive and tough that the sport is me being Asian So it's it's pretty cool. It's I think it just came with you know me loving the game and me Understanding that you have to play the game with that mindset and that mentality and I I don't like to get hit I don't I don't like to To feel that jolt right now, but I mean it's just something that comes with the game Something that you have to do prior to that doing this video. I was like researching on Reddit Why don't aren't there Asians in the NFL or playing football even anecdotally? I guess like in a high school level there's barely any Asian right one was like Yeah, because like the parents just want to protect the brain You have to hit the brain, but the brain is the money-maker I would go to college camps and stuff like that and Just because I didn't look like a typical football player What what is out in like the real world right now in the NFL like what looks like a typical football player? I think I was you know Just not giving the chances or like as many looks right college coaches, right? Which I don't really blame the college coaches because like they never seen it, right? Yeah, they're just so new They're just like I don't know you know I kind of relate to that when I was a freshman in high school And they would just like never throw it to me But in practice I could do it, but then there was just some sense of like all he's gonna Do it in the game. Yeah, what positions do you think Asians typically would be best at you have young Ho Choo Oh, you said quarterback quarterback. You don't got to get hit. You got to be really smart You got to be able to analyze definitely be like a skill position Okay, I don't think it would be like Ed Wong Which I think he's like a definitely outlier because he played off as mine, right? Yeah, he was a linebacker. Yeah, he was a linebacker, Pro Bowler, Vina means on the cowboy shot to him I did play a Cornerback though for a year. Oh, yeah, I caught myself an interception to Taylor. I accept I ran mine for 80 yards Oh, really? Yeah for a tub for a tub. Yeah, no, this is real authentic. You eat it like this It's okay. Yeah It's like the spices for the lamb. Yeah Have you found a pretty big Asian fan base that's supporting you? Yeah for sure I mean I get messages all the time from you know kids Who are Asian playing sports and saying like oh, how they look up to me How my inspiration stuff like that when you were breaking these barriers in people's minds Did you feel that way or was it once you got there and arrived you more were able to look back at it? So I was really like doing something that people almost thought they they couldn't see or wouldn't yeah I mean I would say it's more the latter like as soon as I got to the NFL You know, I would like look back on it was like realize You know how big it is and maybe it shouldn't be this way because maybe we should just relate to everybody's story Even if they don't look like us, but it just there is something innately about human nature where until you see somebody who looks Like you or has a story like you know family background. It's like kind of relatable to your own You're like, I don't know if I could do it. Yeah, exactly. I didn't have And that's why I kind of took on this role of trying to be this like role model or like figure Kids who are like in my position When they were when they're growing up like who I didn't have growing up to look up to someone like you said If you had to point to an athlete that was the biggest inspiration for your identity thing I would say Jeremy Lane, right because you know, obviously during that Lynn Sanity era Right those couple months like he was he's probably the biggest biggest deal in pro basketball in all sports Yeah, and you were probably in high school at that time. Yeah, and that's when I really was like trying to go on in the next level Right. Do you think that actually help push you? I think so for sure. I kind of use that You don't have anyone to look up to you like when you're thinking about the future and you're like Oh, can I like really make this happen like huh? There's no one out there But like for me to be able to see Jeremy do that on like a not national stage obviously in pro sports and stuff like that You know that kind of gave me a little a little a little hope that little hope try to go after and attack it All right, so what do you think of this man? We got a gigantic short rib sitting on a bed of lettuce This is not have you seen Chinese food look like this? No, I'm just gonna dive right in I think that's the same braise as like Similar is it more the self-limiting belief of what Asians can do or is it there are systems that just doubt us and once you get a Few bad breaks you just get a give up it goes back to like what we're talking about how like, you know a lot of Asians play the odds and not do the easy route, but like do the statistical route where it's like, you know, if I if I put my heart into Sports and then like I don't make it like what do I have to fall back on? So as I think a lot of them play the odds go into something that is like a sure thing like Engineering or like go to medical school or if you have to give some advice like I mean at some point Do you think that there's a time that a player just got to hang it up and be like, you know what? Listen, I'm not made for the next level. Yeah, I heard that you were the top athlete at your school or on your entire football team Right. Yeah, so that's a good chance But how do you know like that you had a really good shot and that was gonna be worth it? Even education to us don't know that I mean, that's the hard part. We're talking about that's the answer I just don't want to hear because I know I didn't think when I was in high school I didn't think I was gonna play at the next level in college and then even when I was in college I didn't think I was gonna make it to the NFL the one advice that I would give is like You have a dream and you really want it Like you've got to put everything all your effort all your dedication into it and go after it in college, you know Just doing the right thing and always hanging around the right people I did everything in my control to put myself in the best position to make it to the next level So that was like maybe everybody's going out on Thursday or whatever and it's you being like either what I'm cool I'm just rest. Yeah look over rest. I'll watch some extra film and stuff like that like my college coach She called like the slight edge like you always try to get a slight edge on your pony This is my poor little shop. You actually understand a lot of Mandarin. Yeah. Yeah, you like you understand it pretty well Chonggong Salad Chonggong salad. Have you ever had the Santhemum leaves? No, man. Go for it man You got it. You got to try this. I in my personal opinion. I take this over kale I take it over arugula. So it's it's like almost like a tea leaf salad My poor spicy I don't know people don't understand how many set plays there are and how much practice You know what I don't think fans just watching football like they have no idea of what's going on behind the scenes Because to be honest a lot of people have the stereotype that football players are dumb, right? That's the stereotype. Yeah, right No, there's so much more going on behind the scenes But also there's like memorization of plays and coverages and calls Especially defense you have to be able to adjust on your calls based on what the offense is doing Yeah, you think defensive players are they traditionally they don't get their shine on as much because most people only know quarterback Running back wide receiver. Yeah, and then maybe linebacker. You know, what's our lack there? Yeah, we'll score touchdown Yeah, defense players. I don't think it's much spotlight. They don't get any love. They do all the dirty work All right, we got to get it these desserts. Are you familiar with this? No, I'm not. What is this? This is called a tongue you had growing up this little snack called hall flakes the little round red things That come in like the paper Cylinder that you would eat their sweet Yeah, those are called Hall Flakes that is the fruit that makes the little flakes really oh really press this into those Mike from money on the outside or what is it? Yeah, it's a molasses. It's candy Oh, so he'll dip it and then let it cool Tom Hulu From us to you wait man, they're gonna have you do a new year's commercial. I don't know if they had you do it Yeah, oh wow Yeah, this is a good one. It's like jam. Yeah. Yeah, I'm right. What is the Hawthorne Berry? It brings back memories like yeah What are some other plans you have like representing the culture? I mean, I know that you have your hat No, yeah, I didn't you have your hat and your logo. Yeah, that's a mixture between your Chinese name Yeah, my full Chinese name to your gym Yo is is the name that my grandparents gave me but they really just gave it to me because it's it looks like my Initial TR. Okay, grandparents always used to call me Jinjin, which is like handsome horse. Oh, okay I don't know why they called me that but they called me Jinjin growing up. So yeah, we put together that The logo with the with the yo so what you got the merch going on right now Yeah, is that that's just the hats or the shirts or what is it? Yeah, so we just have the hats I did this deal with a new era and we've got to design my own rams design hats And then we also have my own custom just brand. Oh, you're going to China Yeah, what are you guys expecting on that trip and where you guys going in China first heading to Beijing? And then we're gonna take a train the bullet train up to Shanghai We're gonna host a couple of play-60 and football camps in each city You know go there with my family my mom show me around so it should be a good time Chinese is gonna get better out there. Oh, yeah Right ask you to say some stuff. No, I know it needs to We just figured out how to say it Meishu to choose big American style football. Nihao. What's the Taylor app to your Jen? What's it? May sir due to grand very grandma used to make this all the time, bro You got goji berries. I think you have some egg white in here. You got quite some black sesame inside the suicide Oh, it's got a little wine in there Tongrae how to We just did a Chinese commercial brother come chop that up send that to Shanghai We got to go through real quick potential sponsors Chinese sponsors. They do this with Jeremy Lynn Hey, you guys got to help me out, you know because your sport is so athletic based Definitely, we got to look at vitamin brands and energy drinks like yeah, all right What about yes clothing clothing lines the big ones you have our like except that's what Jeremy's with now You have leaning you have peak you have Anta Anta leaning is the biggest one actually, okay you got leaning that would be dope. Yeah, would you endorse? One piece of workout equipment because one thing about China is they don't really like holistic gyms. They have this like Rubber like pole right with two balls on the end and they just shake the pole up and down You know the resistance training. I know like a shake weight except with Yeah But yeah, thanks for doing this video man, I'm super excited for your future. You're my favorite I guess what do you want to say? I mean to all the kids watching this probably is their first exposure to you Yeah, five one thing to say if you have a dream of playing Professional sports whether it be football or stuff like that doesn't even have to be sports You know you want to be a doctor you want to be president if you really want to do it You know you go after it and you put everything into it You put your full dedication you put your whole everything into it You know you put yourself in the best position to get there you have a dream go after it my college coach I would say make sure your house is in order making sure like all this stuff off the field like like your relationship All your family like that that stuff is in good. You'll be good shape. Yo, what was your favorite thing last thing? I'd say the pork belly and the wagyu my top actually low-key the shrimp early in the first round Yeah, I need shrimp and I actually really am into this salad low key I was eating this and we never really got to it. Oh really eggplant shrimp dishes The reason why we wanted to bring you to Chang'an is because it was just like authentic modern Chinese food, right? All right, you guys to end off the video I guess it's just fitting to wish you guys a very happy Chinese Lunar New Year All right guys, thank you so much for watching that video big shout out to Taylor rap here You guys follow it him and his story down below man Wrapping up your rookie. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I'm sure it's been a crazy ride And man, we just wishing you the best for the future man. Appreciate it. Appreciate you guys for having me All right, oh, he's gonna be going to China soon. So definitely yeah my social media there T-Rap zero seven on Instagram All right, you guys thank you so much for watching that video in the comments section below I need you to do three things number one Let me know what is one life goal that you have that seems Improbable or unlikely to other people number two make sure you let us know what is your plan to achieve that goal and number three Make sure you leave your Instagram tag We will be giving the best answer a twenty five dollar Amazon gift card. Huge shout out to you, bro Yeah, thanks for having me guys. Make sure you give this video a big thumbs up subscribe to our channel All right, everybody. Thank you so much for watching the video and until next time we out You know, we're wearing helmet and we got all our pads on so it's like it's not like basketball Like you can see their face you can relate to them football's part of a fans to relate to just because they're You're wearing a helmet. You can't really see the face Other than like quarterbacks exactly you all offensive stars