MediaWatch: Mar10 Day, Deli Boys, and The White Lotus: Bangkok make it a huge week for the culture
By Romen Basu Borsellino | 14 Mar, 2025

And Kim Kardashian spills the chai on her trip to India…which she appears to have confused with Saudi Arabia

Kim Kardashian is spilling the chai on her recent trip to South Asia. Her big take away? That India was surprisingly nothing like the movie Aladdin…which was, of course, set in Arabia. Kardashian has a long history with the Aladdin franchise. She dressed as Princess Jasmine for Halloween in 2016 and again in a 2021 SNL skit during which she shared her first kiss with ex-boyfriend Pete Davidson, who was playing Aladdin himself. No word yet on whether she was also surprised to learn how little the Indians she encountered on her trip looked like Davidson.

This past Monday, March 10th was “Mario Day,” a celebration of Nintendo's famous video game plumber (who is Italian for some reason). The company chose March 10th because MAR 10 = MAR10 = MARIO. The Holiday was likely formed following the realization that we as a society had collectively given Star Wars fans too much power by granting them their own day (May the 4th).

In other Japanese-video-game news, Niantic, the company that owns Pokemon Go, has sold its video game division to Scopely for 3.5 billion dollars. Scopely’s parent company is based in Saudi Arabia, or as it’s known to Kim Kardashian, India.

Speaking of India, South Asian gangster comedy Deli Boys premiered on Hulu last week to rave reviews. The groundbreaking show was created by South Asian Abdullah Saeed, stars South Asians Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh, and Poorna Jagganathan, was written and directed mostly by South and East Asians, and was scored by music producer Wendy Wang. A huge win for the culture.

And, finally, HBO’s latest season of White Lotus, set in Bangkok, remains one of the most watched shows in the world.

[SPOILER ALERT: Episode 4 details ahead]

In an ensemble composed of one idiot after another, Thai security guard Gaitok, played by London-born actor Tayme Thapthimthong somehow manages to stand out as the most inept character. Many Asian-American viewers are finding the show’s decision to give that distinction to one of their only non-white characters to be…actually pretty refreshing! 

How often do we get the luxury of eschewing the model minority stereotypes and just acting like morons? It’s giving Jason Mendoza in the Good Place, who walked so that Gaitok could run.  So make like Gaitok and shoot your shot with that woman who is clearly of your league. Leave a loaded gun unattended. And after screwing up royally at work, show up the next day and ask for a raise. Now THAT’S the Asian work ethic.