Mixed Plate: Chronicles of an All-American Combo

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Much of Koy’s work is based on interaction with the audience. One year into the pandemic shutting down performances in front of live audiences, Koy says he’s excited to feel the energy of fans’ laughter again. What? Josep, you want to be a clown? Is that what you’re telling me, Josep? Ha? You want to make your living being a clown??” Yeah, Mom. A clown. That’s what I want to be.

Koy and his mom ultimately found a community of Filipino immigrants, but it took a while. And he writes about the jarring childhood experience of living on military bases where he fit in with the other mixed-race children and then moving to a place where he was the only half-Filipino kid in his class at school. He includes deeply personal topics, including sharing stories about his older brother who has violent schizophrenia, as well as “some real dark stuff, the stuff we don’t talk about often enough as immigrants” he writes in the blurb, such as “mental health, poverty, drinking.” I don’t want them to leave my show being like, “Oh man, the depths of your pain and heartache, f***!” I want them to cheer, “Bro, you killed it! I never laughed so hard in my f***ing life!” Jo talks about his start in comedy, of the struggle of working three jobs and doing late night shows causing him to miss his son. He talks about the parent-child relationship, of sibling rivalry and sibling friendship. He talks about being the best dad that he can. And that’s why I’m writing this book. Because after all this time, all my struggle and sacrifice, my mom still doesn’t really understand.

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Entrées of Hawaiian origin include kālua puaʻa (roast pork) and laulau (pork or other meat or fish wrapped in a taro leaf). Some side dishes are lomi-lomi salmon (salmon salad) and haupia (a coconut dessert). My mom literally had to build up the courage to walk up to people and ask them what they were,” he says. “And that's what that joke is. It's like, yeah, it's funny, but just imagine my mom's struggle at that point.” I hint at it in my act. If you’re paying attention, it’s there. And I actually think that that emotional honesty is a big reason why so many people from so many cultures relate to my stories. MIXED PLATE: Chronicles of an All-American Combo by Jo Koy is the comedian’s autobiography and is written and narrated by himself. I knew the minute this came out, I had to listen to it on Audible. I normally prefer to read rather than listen to a book, but Jo Koy is such a fantastic storyteller so I really believe this is the best way to get all the nuances of the autobiography. (And besides, I love hearing him imitate his mother!) In all the ways I’d ever hoped, I’d made it. And yet, even as I walked down the streets of my childhood with a film crew follow- ing along, even as I realized just how much I’d accomplished, deep in my mind I could still hear my mom the very first time I told her I was gonna be a comic.

I liked the writing style ... like his comedy routines, it was funny and sarcastic. I liked him as a person and he sounds like a nice caring fella. But he also speaks from the heart as he talks about his childhood and the struggles and hustles to achieve his dream. As a head's up, there is swearing. His dad urged him to take his shot and it paid off. And Koy has made an effort to bring others along with him. He filmed his most recent Netflix special in Manila and shared the stage to give other comedians a platform. In this book, I get serious about my funny. And I want to make you laugh a little while I do it. I’m like Hawaii’s favorite lunch—the mixed plate. Little bit of this, a little bit of that. My book Mixed Plate is too. All that stuff was indirectly embedded in me, you know, just watching how my mom made things happen and seeing her grind and her hustle,” he says. “So I took that on. And thank God I did, man, because it helped me a lot.” Korean entrées include kalbi and meat jun. Some side dishes are taegu, a dish made of shredded codfish, and kongnamul muchim, a dish made of seasoned soybean sprouts.Kalua Pork is another very common plate lunch entrée. Traditional Kalua big is slow cooked in a pit (an imu) with ti leaves and/or banana leaves. That method is a little intense for a typical weeknight meal at our house so we usually do the “cheater” method. This version is made in the slow cooker and tastes just like authentic shredded Kalua Pig. We love adding cabbage to the mix, which is also very common for this style of lunch. Mixed Plate illuminates the burning drive and unique humor that make Jo Koy one of today’s most successful comedians. Don't get me wrong: I really admire Jo Koy as a person and am glad I know more about his story and perspective of the world. I just think this book could have benefited from several more rounds of editing.