What do you think?
Rate this book
The Real Thing #5
Single Asiatic Male Seeks Ride or Die Chick
What does it mean to say “I love you” in the digital age? Fresh Off the Boat author and host of VICELAND’s Huang’s World Eddie Huang swipes right and meets his perfect match in this short tale of “shooting your shot.”
Julie, 28, Chicago. All Eddie had were her photos—her green eyes and her wayward posture. Who made the first move doesn’t matter…or does it? Off jump, he could tell she was bad news and a great catch. But how to bring it to the real world? That’s what a whirlwind vacation in St. Barth’s is for. Follow along as one man tries to turn his supreme confidence and complete vulnerability into three little words.
Single Asiatic Male Seeks Ride or Die Chick is part of The Real Thing, a collection of moving, hilarious, and big-hearted essays on the modern realities of friendship, romance, commitment, and love, with art by Geoff McFetridge. Each story can be read—or listened to—in a single sitting.
29 pages, Audible Audio
First published May 28, 2018
214 people are currently reading
270 people want to read
About the author
Eddie Huang
15 books324 followersHuang was born in 1982 in Washington, D.C. to immigrant parents from Taiwan. He was raised in Orlando, Florida, where his father managed a successful group of steak and seafood restaurants. Huang identified with African-American culture, especially hip-hop, at a young age. He attended The University of Pittsburgh, Rollins College and graduated with a B.A. He earned a J.D. from Cardozo School of Law.
Not long after graduating from law school, Huang decided for a career change. After being laid off from a New York law firm, Huang worked as a stand-up comic and as a marijuana dealer.
In December 2009, he opened BaoHaus, a Taiwanese bun shop, on the Lower East Side of New York. His straightforward menu consists of pillowy steamed buns filled with a flavorful protein of choice, cilantro, crushed peanuts and Taiwanese red sugar, and sweet bao fries.
He hosted Cheap Bites on the Cooking Channel the end of 2011 and also appeared on several episodes of Unique Eats before leaving the Cooking Channel for Vice where he hosts a recurring segment, also called "Fresh Off the Boat". Also in 2012, Huang was named a 2013 TED Fellow. In 2011 he made the Chow 13 and was voted one of the 101 People You Must Meet in 2011 by Town and County Magazine.
Not long after graduating from law school, Huang decided for a career change. After being laid off from a New York law firm, Huang worked as a stand-up comic and as a marijuana dealer.
In December 2009, he opened BaoHaus, a Taiwanese bun shop, on the Lower East Side of New York. His straightforward menu consists of pillowy steamed buns filled with a flavorful protein of choice, cilantro, crushed peanuts and Taiwanese red sugar, and sweet bao fries.
He hosted Cheap Bites on the Cooking Channel the end of 2011 and also appeared on several episodes of Unique Eats before leaving the Cooking Channel for Vice where he hosts a recurring segment, also called "Fresh Off the Boat". Also in 2012, Huang was named a 2013 TED Fellow. In 2011 he made the Chow 13 and was voted one of the 101 People You Must Meet in 2011 by Town and County Magazine.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
June 24, 2018
I'm really not sure what I just read because apparently I'm really old and don't understand slang at all?
June 22, 2018
I just finished listening to this book. I’m not that much older than him, but I don’t know what just happened. I am not hood, but I have listened to my fair share of rap, including 90s gangster rap, and I have no idea half of what the author/narrator just said. This one was a head scratcher.
August 8, 2018
I have never come across a rich Asian man who tried so hard to sound like a poor Black man until I read this short story. It can only be described as stupid at its best and grossly offensive at its worst. It was under 50 pages but even that was too long. I wish I were able to rate this with a negative number of stars but one will have to suffice.
August 23, 2018
This is more like half-a-star. Eddie Huang is an insufferable douche who thinks he's a hard-living gangster. If I ever met an adult who spoke in all slang like he does, I'd probably bitch-slap them in the back of their head. You're a grown man....act and speak like one.
January 3, 2026
Not sure how I feel about this book. Some parts were funny and relatable, but I get the sense that Eddie Huang is someone you might be better off not meeting in real life—he gives off a weird energy. Sorry.
September 14, 2019
This was a waste of my time. I understand nothing about this person & his life, even after listening to him explain a chunk of it.
May 1, 2024
Single Asiatic Male Seeks Ride or Die Chick
I Picked Up This Book Because: I was eager to read something from this author.
Media Type: eBook/Audiobook
Source: Amazon Prime Reading
Dates Read: 4/27/24 - 4/29/24
Rating: 3 Stars
Narrator(s): Eddie Huang
The Story:
Much more enjoyable by audio than sight. There is a lot of slang/swag that doesn’t translate to the page for me. I liked the narration and animation when using the kindle app.
I Picked Up This Book Because: I was eager to read something from this author.
Media Type: eBook/Audiobook
Source: Amazon Prime Reading
Dates Read: 4/27/24 - 4/29/24
Rating: 3 Stars
Narrator(s): Eddie Huang
The Story:
Much more enjoyable by audio than sight. There is a lot of slang/swag that doesn’t translate to the page for me. I liked the narration and animation when using the kindle app.
April 6, 2019
This was a very difficult read and one that didn't sit very well. It is a memoir, yet it felt like fiction - untrue fiction. It is told almost completely in black slang, which was unexpected since the author is Asian. There is so much slang, it is hard to make sense of what is going on. I missed a lot of what Huang was trying to say. I appreciated reading such a diverse read, but I cannot recommend it since it is essentially incomprehensible.
Read on April 5th, 2019. Not included in 2019 reading challenge total.
Read on April 5th, 2019. Not included in 2019 reading challenge total.
June 29, 2019
Overall funny and lovable. This is so relatable in so many levels, the metaphors the language is so funny at times but real and raw, taps into the emotion of the character, and the motivation the situation, and the idea of life love and words that go far betond meaning.
July 8, 2018
I'm the same age as this author, but he's speaking a totally different language than the one I speak. I need a translator.
August 31, 2019
WHAT DID I JUST READ?!
December 7, 2024
Culturally Specific
I had a really hard time finishing this, I’m not a prude, but the language was awful, and I didn’t understand some of the cultural references.
If you want to read about a romance between people who speak funky English and have had pasts that they are unhappy with, this is for you.
Don’t write this off because I didn’t like it, I am a half a step from elderly. This had some good philosophical thoughts, but it wasn’t for me. Two stars for creativity.
I had a really hard time finishing this, I’m not a prude, but the language was awful, and I didn’t understand some of the cultural references.
If you want to read about a romance between people who speak funky English and have had pasts that they are unhappy with, this is for you.
Don’t write this off because I didn’t like it, I am a half a step from elderly. This had some good philosophical thoughts, but it wasn’t for me. Two stars for creativity.
February 19, 2019
Its a short story, but mehh. I was not impressed with it. I did appreciate the guys perspective on E.D., which to most mens standards, is not a thing. Bold move and one I respect the hell out of.
January 9, 2022
Okay, Eddie. So not quite love at first swipe, but you knew pretty early. Cool. I hope you are both happy.
I found some of the previous reviews of this story to be - unsettling. There's a hangup about Eddie's skin color (or lack thereof). It sounds like a couple of concerned citizens need to check their microaggressive racism at the door.
I've watched a season or three of Fresh Off the Boat, so Eddie's vernacular doesn't surprise me at all. But it wouldn't have, even if I had no idea who he was. He speaks how he speaks.
Side Notes:
a) Not all of us dark people speak that way. I won't lie - as a West Indian, my parents would probably disown me... but I digress.
b) Some non-dark people DO speak that way. It is what it is.
Making assumptions about the why has more to do with the person assuming; we all know what they say about those who assume.
I found some of the previous reviews of this story to be - unsettling. There's a hangup about Eddie's skin color (or lack thereof). It sounds like a couple of concerned citizens need to check their microaggressive racism at the door.
I've watched a season or three of Fresh Off the Boat, so Eddie's vernacular doesn't surprise me at all. But it wouldn't have, even if I had no idea who he was. He speaks how he speaks.
Side Notes:
a) Not all of us dark people speak that way. I won't lie - as a West Indian, my parents would probably disown me... but I digress.
b) Some non-dark people DO speak that way. It is what it is.
Making assumptions about the why has more to do with the person assuming; we all know what they say about those who assume.
August 16, 2024
If I die right now, I want to know I did the right thing, I made my ancestors proud, and I experienced love. Real love in its most powerful freebased form. It doesn’t have to be forever ’cause I’m not greedy. You could shoot me in the face as soon as I’ve felt it, but I want to know it.
Honestly, I don't have much to say about this. It was funny because she kept throwing him so many twists and turns that somehow made him love her more. My entire problem is that not been from the area, I couldn't understand half the things he was talking about... too much slang that I don't know 😅.
Honestly, I don't have much to say about this. It was funny because she kept throwing him so many twists and turns that somehow made him love her more. My entire problem is that not been from the area, I couldn't understand half the things he was talking about... too much slang that I don't know 😅.
November 17, 2024
CRINGE
I never heard of this author. I chose his book because I liked the title. Before I started reading it, I saw a few reviews that complained about his excessive use of slang. As soon as I noticed that he kept using the word “jawn”, I Googled him to see if he’s from Philly. He’s not. 🙄 According to Wikipedia, he has “drawn criticism for his appropriation of African-American culture”. I can see why. His whole persona in this book screams culture vulture. Yuck! Beyond that, I couldn’t see the point of this book. It’s just him rambling about him falling for an influencer. This book left me wanting to tell him to STFU.
I never heard of this author. I chose his book because I liked the title. Before I started reading it, I saw a few reviews that complained about his excessive use of slang. As soon as I noticed that he kept using the word “jawn”, I Googled him to see if he’s from Philly. He’s not. 🙄 According to Wikipedia, he has “drawn criticism for his appropriation of African-American culture”. I can see why. His whole persona in this book screams culture vulture. Yuck! Beyond that, I couldn’t see the point of this book. It’s just him rambling about him falling for an influencer. This book left me wanting to tell him to STFU.
May 17, 2021
Swipe left on this story.
Not my favorite work by Eddie Huang... His slang was enjoyable (though odd) but the story was thin.
I think I'd like this story better if he wrote more on the topics he shines: descriptive imagery of food and cultural differences. (And not sure why he was so into this chick, she didn't sound that interesting. Maybe describe her better too?)
Not my favorite work by Eddie Huang... His slang was enjoyable (though odd) but the story was thin.
I think I'd like this story better if he wrote more on the topics he shines: descriptive imagery of food and cultural differences. (And not sure why he was so into this chick, she didn't sound that interesting. Maybe describe her better too?)
July 28, 2018
(This book is written in Huang's personal, prosaic style and I've written this review in that vein. If this review is hard to read, his book will be, too.)
Eddie Huang is the most real, earnest capital-P Personality there is. He exemplifies modern culture yet has the perspective of a real human being in touch with the streets and the Tao of life. This short story touches briefly on myriad topics and is eloquently, yet with a bent towards culture and slang millennials will find familiarity with, described using his own prosaic style. For that reason it might not feel as accessible to those who aren't in the know, but if you're reading a biographical short story on commitment, are you reading it because you want to learn about him, or yourself? Probably a bit of both. But you should also understand that a man is limited by his ability to express his own perspective.
And although this is a story about "love" and has its hard-hitting moments, it's also comedy in the truest sense. It's a snapshot of the way that modern young people find that committed relationship. Well, young people with "stacks," that is. But that is an increasingly prevalent demographic and so this story becomes a important foray into the perspectives and struggles of those who want to "shoot their shot" but feel constrained by social norms. And no that's not a sexual innuendo.
Eddie Huang is the most real, earnest capital-P Personality there is. He exemplifies modern culture yet has the perspective of a real human being in touch with the streets and the Tao of life. This short story touches briefly on myriad topics and is eloquently, yet with a bent towards culture and slang millennials will find familiarity with, described using his own prosaic style. For that reason it might not feel as accessible to those who aren't in the know, but if you're reading a biographical short story on commitment, are you reading it because you want to learn about him, or yourself? Probably a bit of both. But you should also understand that a man is limited by his ability to express his own perspective.
And although this is a story about "love" and has its hard-hitting moments, it's also comedy in the truest sense. It's a snapshot of the way that modern young people find that committed relationship. Well, young people with "stacks," that is. But that is an increasingly prevalent demographic and so this story becomes a important foray into the perspectives and struggles of those who want to "shoot their shot" but feel constrained by social norms. And no that's not a sexual innuendo.
July 18, 2018
Quick Read, Very Average
I decided to read this because I love the TV adaptation of Fresh Off The Boat and need to finish something quick before I got in a slump. It was an extremely quick read and a kind of cute love story, but the language is weird. This story is definitely written as Eddie Huang speaks, but I really don't like reading only slang as dialogue and that is what made up a solid portion of this story.
I decided to read this because I love the TV adaptation of Fresh Off The Boat and need to finish something quick before I got in a slump. It was an extremely quick read and a kind of cute love story, but the language is weird. This story is definitely written as Eddie Huang speaks, but I really don't like reading only slang as dialogue and that is what made up a solid portion of this story.
September 18, 2020
I’m not a huge fan of Eddie Huang but I have enjoyed this series of different authors’ shorts so I thought I’d peek into his.
Short stories are difficult to write. You can tell the care that went into these sentences. I was surprised by how lyrical parts were, mostly written in colloquialisms with integrations of his normal slang, there are seamless transitions into nuggets of insight on emotional vulnerability. He captures what it is to fall for someone, the fear of expressing that love (What if you aren’t seeing the whole picture? What if you getting played? What if it’s not real?), and the risk that pays off.
————
“I’m an emotional thot trapping people with false closeness. It’s easy to talk about embarrassing moments if they don’t matter to you. It’s comfortable to bring up old failures if you’ve conquered them. It is nearly impossible to be confident and vulnerable when it pertains to the existential meaning of your life. Especially when you don’t know what it looks like.”
“I’d heard of dudes saying “I love you” on first dates, but they were secondhand stories told by shawties that were put off by dudes jumpin’ out the window with the “I love you.” It’s important not to be rejected but equally important to know it’s real. There’s nothing more negligent than a false representation of love.”
Short stories are difficult to write. You can tell the care that went into these sentences. I was surprised by how lyrical parts were, mostly written in colloquialisms with integrations of his normal slang, there are seamless transitions into nuggets of insight on emotional vulnerability. He captures what it is to fall for someone, the fear of expressing that love (What if you aren’t seeing the whole picture? What if you getting played? What if it’s not real?), and the risk that pays off.
————
“I’m an emotional thot trapping people with false closeness. It’s easy to talk about embarrassing moments if they don’t matter to you. It’s comfortable to bring up old failures if you’ve conquered them. It is nearly impossible to be confident and vulnerable when it pertains to the existential meaning of your life. Especially when you don’t know what it looks like.”
“I’d heard of dudes saying “I love you” on first dates, but they were secondhand stories told by shawties that were put off by dudes jumpin’ out the window with the “I love you.” It’s important not to be rejected but equally important to know it’s real. There’s nothing more negligent than a false representation of love.”
May 21, 2022
Here’s what this book is about:”What does it mean to say “I love you” in the digital age? Fresh Off the Boat author and host of VICELAND’s Huang’s World Eddie Huang swipes right and meets his perfect match in this short tale of “shooting your shot.” Julie, 28, Chicago. All Eddie had were her photos—her green eyes and her wayward posture. Who made the first move doesn’t matter—or does it? Off jump, he could tell she was bad news and a great catch. But how to bring it to the real world? That’s what a whirlwind vacation in St. Barth’s is for. Follow along as one man tries to turn his supreme confidence and complete vulnerability into three little words.”
I borrowed this book from Prime Reading. This is the 5th book in a short story collection. I listened to this book on audio. I wanted to read this book because I thought the title of the book was clever and I’ve heard of the ABC show Fresh Off The Boat but I never watched it when it was on. I like listening to hip hop and rap music but I didn’t like that this book was written in hip hop slang. It was hard for me to understand what he was talking about and I don’t feel like I learned anything from listening to this.
I borrowed this book from Prime Reading. This is the 5th book in a short story collection. I listened to this book on audio. I wanted to read this book because I thought the title of the book was clever and I’ve heard of the ABC show Fresh Off The Boat but I never watched it when it was on. I like listening to hip hop and rap music but I didn’t like that this book was written in hip hop slang. It was hard for me to understand what he was talking about and I don’t feel like I learned anything from listening to this.
June 18, 2018
The writing is better than what I can recall of Fresh Off the Boat, but that could be because this is significantly shorter and less ambitious. As was the case with that first book, the hip-hop slang can be cringey at times. If you have Amazon Prime, you can listen to the audio version for free. I didn't bother, and I'm thinking that may have been for the best. Aside from that, there was hardly anything other than a few illustrations that wouldn't work on an e-ink Kindle (I read it in the Kindle app on my phone) that made this any different from a regular Kindle Single. Am I missing something here?
June 30, 2018
Slang city
Okay, I know I'm old, but I read a lot of YA and new adult books that I really like. This wasn't one of them.
The author tried too hard to use all the most current hiphop slang, which ended up interfering with a good plot about a pair of young vulnerable adults becoming a couple.
The illustrations and animation were clever, but if a book is really good, the author puts the picture in the reader's mind without having to rely on illustrations. Despite all that, I liked the characters and plot. I found the language distracting. As I said, I'm old. Younger readers may love this.
Okay, I know I'm old, but I read a lot of YA and new adult books that I really like. This wasn't one of them.
The author tried too hard to use all the most current hiphop slang, which ended up interfering with a good plot about a pair of young vulnerable adults becoming a couple.
The illustrations and animation were clever, but if a book is really good, the author puts the picture in the reader's mind without having to rely on illustrations. Despite all that, I liked the characters and plot. I found the language distracting. As I said, I'm old. Younger readers may love this.
September 1, 2019
Ok, I wasn’t a huge fan of Double Cup Love (which was mostly a better edited, more cohesive story of his dating life), and this was more of the same. The theme of this short seemed to be “JUST SAY WHAT YOU MEAN,” so it was ironic that Huang couldn’t do the same in writing (or maybe his writing showed the same issues he tended to have in relationships). It was all rap lyrics and empty basketball metaphors, which was fun in Fresh Off The Boat, but is disappointing here, especially since this was a story about falling in love at first sight (a relationship made very public on Instagram). This ain’t it, chief.
May 30, 2018
This is how millennials fall in love, another great story from Eddie.
Heartfelt story of modern love. Eddie's casual writing style makes his stories so easy to relate to. If you like Eddie from Fresh of the Boat or Huang's World, his personality always exudes in his work. I love the art and animations with this story. I follow Eddie on social media and i remember when he first started posting things with Julie. I was happy because i feel like I was an Eddie in my family and my wife is white with green eyes. So yeah, great read. amwf life, lol.
Heartfelt story of modern love. Eddie's casual writing style makes his stories so easy to relate to. If you like Eddie from Fresh of the Boat or Huang's World, his personality always exudes in his work. I love the art and animations with this story. I follow Eddie on social media and i remember when he first started posting things with Julie. I was happy because i feel like I was an Eddie in my family and my wife is white with green eyes. So yeah, great read. amwf life, lol.
January 5, 2020
Kindle why do I need a headline
Couldn't sleep so I opened one of these short Amazon Originals on my phone. Short, but pithy. My mom wouldn't like it (she stopped reading FOTB because "he keeps using bad words" but in this case I think the slang would be the barrier). Eddie's writing is always so genuinely felt, though it's weird coming to this in the post-Julie era (I do remember seeing her on his insta stories for a while though)
The animated gifs were nice. I did download the audio but haven't listened- might try that tomorrow/later today.
Couldn't sleep so I opened one of these short Amazon Originals on my phone. Short, but pithy. My mom wouldn't like it (she stopped reading FOTB because "he keeps using bad words" but in this case I think the slang would be the barrier). Eddie's writing is always so genuinely felt, though it's weird coming to this in the post-Julie era (I do remember seeing her on his insta stories for a while though)
The animated gifs were nice. I did download the audio but haven't listened- might try that tomorrow/later today.
November 6, 2022
Connecting - Journey to Love
Huang expresses his journey to love and the timing of expressing his emotions and declaration of love. Through each interaction via text, FaceTime or in person, the interactions were meaningful, satisfying and easy. In time he declared his love and was intentional. Julie accepted his love, by simply stating it’s ok. That was enough as she would enjoy the journey but arrive at expressing it later. As a man he was more vulnerable than his love, but it did not change the chance or opportunity to connect…. Love
Huang expresses his journey to love and the timing of expressing his emotions and declaration of love. Through each interaction via text, FaceTime or in person, the interactions were meaningful, satisfying and easy. In time he declared his love and was intentional. Julie accepted his love, by simply stating it’s ok. That was enough as she would enjoy the journey but arrive at expressing it later. As a man he was more vulnerable than his love, but it did not change the chance or opportunity to connect…. Love
June 12, 2023
Eddie Huang relates how he met an interesting lady and went about courting her. The language involved in this narrative is rather oblique. There is a lot of slang but also just obfuscation. Eddie did not want to come off needy and therefore restrained his thoughts not to scare off his romantic interest. By saying I love you first and admitting physical limitations, he felt vulnerable. Perhaps this memoir was meant to convey that same hesitancy but it comes off as a caricature. Beyond that—much like the rest of this Amazon series—I’m not sure what the purpose of the story is.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2024
I'll start by saying that it gave the energy of a hard-living gangster, and I don't mean that in a good way. Maybe I should have known by the title.
The book was dominated by slang that didn't make any sense (maybe I'm getting old?????), and it didn't help that he was saying the n word, because what reason does an Asian man need to say it?
In all honesty, the whole story was a waste of time 😮💨 it may be under 30 pages but even that was too long!
I'm just more shocked that people actually rated this 5 stars? It doesn't even deserve a 1 star review.
The book was dominated by slang that didn't make any sense (maybe I'm getting old?????), and it didn't help that he was saying the n word, because what reason does an Asian man need to say it?
In all honesty, the whole story was a waste of time 😮💨 it may be under 30 pages but even that was too long!
I'm just more shocked that people actually rated this 5 stars? It doesn't even deserve a 1 star review.
December 19, 2024
She was infinitely confident with maximum vulnerability.
Eddie and Julie originally meet online.
Julie has amazing green eyes. Eddie is immediately enamored with her.
The author’s slang and overall verbiage are super funny.
Disarmingly honest.
Their relationship develops, sometimes much more slowly than Eddie would like.
The trip to St. Barth’s that changes it all…
Scared to say the L-word first…
…and a solid ending. 😉 🖤
“Don’t get used to this. I’m only doing St. Barth’s ‘cause we planned this late. Usually wouldn’t ball like this.”
“Ummm, excuse me! Expensive taste is already my lifestyle. I have my own stacks!”
Eddie and Julie originally meet online.
Julie has amazing green eyes. Eddie is immediately enamored with her.
The author’s slang and overall verbiage are super funny.
Disarmingly honest.
Their relationship develops, sometimes much more slowly than Eddie would like.
The trip to St. Barth’s that changes it all…
Scared to say the L-word first…
…and a solid ending. 😉 🖤
“Don’t get used to this. I’m only doing St. Barth’s ‘cause we planned this late. Usually wouldn’t ball like this.”
“Ummm, excuse me! Expensive taste is already my lifestyle. I have my own stacks!”
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews