Afar, a Retrospective: Comedian Negin Farsad Makes Kansas City Laugh—And A Little Uncomfortable

Unpacked by AFAR

This podcast episode is part of Afar, A Retrospective. As part of Afar’s 15-year anniversary celebration, this episode from our sister podcast, Travel Tales by Afar, was selected as one of our favorites. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do—and stay tuned for more archival Travel Tales episodes from September - December 2024. Explore more of our favorite stories over the years at afar.com/fifteen.

We sent Fake the Nation host and comedian, Negin Farsad, on a last-minute trip to America’s Heartland, aka Kansas City, Missouri. The author of How To Make White People Laugh, is six months pregnant and doing stand up in a comedy club that hasn’t had a woman on stage in five weeks.

From waddling on the “wrong side of town” to sharing her experiences as an Iranian-American Muslim in an interracial relationship—she moves past the pleasantries of ribs and fountains and glimpses the heart of Kansas City.

They Stared At Me While I Waddled.

In this episode, discover:

• How a New Yorker walks her way through Kansas City sights.
• A comedy set that parallels a tourist’s experience of the city.
• The ways race and segregation in Kansas mirror the rest of the country .

“Dirty, Hungry Comedy Eyes.”

Don’t miss these transformative travel moments:

[3:45] A traveler’s comedy set: Six months’ pregnant and sightseeing.

[8:00] The “wrong side of town” and leaning into the uncomfortable.

[11:22] Kansas City, united by “sincere booty shaking.”

Resources

• Read Negin's original story.

• Read this Afar story by Negin about a magic mushroom retreat

• Explore Negin's other work.

• Follow Negin on X.

Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Unpacked, which unpacks a tricky topic in travel each week.