So We Meet Again Quotes

“I wouldn't want this to turn into a generic Asian hodgepodge, for example. Or a brand where the Korean part is no longer core to the business. Or the branding is offensive. Remember when Abercrombie and Fitch had all those offensive Asian T-shirts a few years back? I wouldn't want that to happen."
Wyatt slurped his straw. "Jessie, sometimes you really overthink it all. For a company your size, the offer is more than fair. You'll have so much money, you can go invest it somewhere and retire on a secluded beach. These guys, Rich and Tommy, they have vision! They make magic happen with any business they acquire. Their Persian Eats cookbook based on their Netflix series has held the number one spot on the bestseller list for three months. The author is this fancy Culinary Institute of the Arts instructor. Dudley something; I forget his name, some English dude. Tommy, didn't you tell me he was chomping at the bit to do a splashy Seoul Sistas cookbook?"
My whole body tensed. "We already have one coming out. And did you just say a White dude would be writing a Korean Seoul Sistas cookbook?"
He backtracked in the most Wyatt-like way. "I never said that exactly. And I didn't say he was White."
"With a name like Dudley, he's not exactly a sista."
The silence in the room was palpable. Wyatt asked, "So no deal? Any smart business leader would jump at this opportunity."
My God. Was he serious?
"No deal." I looked at Daniel, pleading for any lifeline he could throw me to get me out of there.
He stood from his chair. "Rich, Tommy, as always, it's been a pleasure working with you these last few weeks, but my contract ends now, at five P.M. And Wyatt, I'm respectfully declining your offer of full-time employment."
Wyatt's mouth formed a perfect O. "But... why?"
"I have a new client to counsel. Jessie Kim. And effective immediately, we'll be declining your offer and evaluating all of our options for selling or retaining her business."
I stood and pushed the chair back with my leg. "Thank you so much for finding time to meet with me, and it was great meeting you, Rich and Tommy." Shooting a death stare at Wyatt, I continued, "As a smart business leader in a new and growing category, it's best for me now to consider my options and explore alternatives.”
― Suzanne Park, So We Meet Again

“You all know one another?"
Wyatt had a better poker face. "Jess and I go way back. I used to be her boss." He winked at me. "I always loved your Halloween style." He pointed to my suit.
I mustered a smile. "I know Wyatt very well. How'd that Beauchamp deal turn out?"
I knew Hamilton Cooper had lost that opportunity after I left; it was all over the trade news. Rumor had it that Wyatt was the sole reason HC lost that deal.
Wyatt coughed into his coffee. "Damn, Jess. That was an NHL-level body check. You go in the penalty box."
I smirked. A triumphant verbal takedown.”
― Suzanne Park, So We Meet Again

“As expected, her chicken was crispy and flavorful. The skin yielded to expose the juicy chicken meat underneath. The sweet and spicy sauce tickled and tingled my tongue with a small amount of heat. I smiled at the camera and said, "Umma, this is amazing."
My hot chicken wasn't as crunchy as Mom's, but the pieces still maintained crispiness despite being moistened by the marinade. Hot, tangy, and less sticky, my breasts and wings were tasty and had a kick to them thanks to the cayenne pepper. "Oh wow. This is super tasty too! This spicy coating doesn't work as a dipping sauce though, so you're stuck with the heat level.”
― Suzanne Park, So We Meet Again

“King's Hot Chicken Shack didn't exactly scream "romantic," not that I was looking for that. Clearly Daniel wasn't. The shack conveyed something entirely different, with its HOT! HOT! HOT! neon sign and posters of cartoony squawking chickens taped to the window.
Nearly all of the items offered on the menu were similar to other hot chicken places I loved, like Prince's and Hattie B's, and most were foods you picked up with your hands, a second clue that Daniel was definitely not inclined to romantic thoughts. Hot chicken nuggets, tenders, wings, quarters, and halves. Waffle fries. Curly fries. Buttered corn on the cob. All of it sounded delicious... and very platonic.
Like Flora's coffee shop, this place had an extensive menu, plus way too many heat levels for the average fried chicken consumer: plain, mild, medium, hot, hot, X hot, XX hot, XXX hot, and the ultimate heat: "hot like motherclucking hell!”
― Suzanne Park, So We Meet Again

“As I turned around to head back to the outdoor patio, my elbow poked the guy next to me. Unlike Daniel, this guy had a higher squish-to-muscle ratio.
"I'm sorry," I squeaked as I maneuvered around him.
"Watch where you're going," he grumbled while looking me up and down. As I walked away, he muttered, "Stuck-up bitch."
My mouth fell open, searching for words. The alcohol clouded my brain, making it hard to know how to respond.
"The only stuck-up bitch here is you," Daniel said and walked closer to the aggressor. "She said she was sorry. I believe you owe her an apology."
"I don't owe her shit. You and your girlfriend can get the fuck outta my face." He turned to his entourage and made a face that made them laugh.
Why that seemed like the best time to jump into the conversation, I don't know, but it did. "Look, you walking Dockers pants model, I said I was sorry. And you're a fucking asshole to talk to someone that way----ANY human that way---in the holiest, Dolly-est place on earth, well, second to Dollywood." I wagged my index finger in his face. "I have another apology for you. I'm sorry you took an innocent bump of an elbow into your beer pooch and tried to turn it into a personal attack. And I'm sorry to your friends for having a loser who drags down their social circle.”
― Suzanne Park, So We Meet Again

“Jess, didn't we agree to take the town by storm? How can you do that in that orange shorts jumpsuit? You look like you escaped from a prison ward and kept the outfit." She smirked and took a spontaneous photo of Charlie and me.
I teased back, "It's an on-trend romper, and I prefer it to your black-on-black grim reaper leisurewear, thank you very much.”
― Suzanne Park, So We Meet Again

“He genuinely liked the noodles and mandu we'd brought. "Do you have any secret ingredients or something? How is this so good? And your mandu sauce---those were so good that there isn't any left!"
This has got me thinking. If the church congregation and Daniel liked them, maybe other people would like my sauces too. Aside from staples you could find in any grocery store, such as soy sauce, ginger, sugar, and garlic, most Korean dishes had a base of the same key ingredients, like sesame oil and chili paste. Red chili flakes, rice vinegar, fish sauce, and toasted sesame seeds were also nice-to-haves.”
― Suzanne Park, So We Meet Again

“Alice talked shit about people at work all the time, but she also seemed to thrive in the Hamilton Cooper male-dominated, bro-y workplace. She talked about dudes like they were himbos, which was hilarious to me. A lot of these guys hit on her when she first arrived, calling her "sexy girl" and "hot", not realizing she was Alice Lin, ballbuster and mankiller. With every jerk that winked, made kissy noises, or commented on how nice she looked, she launched into a tirade about women's rights, Asian American discrimination, and the company's harassment policies, making them shrivel up and slink away.”
― Suzanne Park, So We Meet Again

“Jessica Kim was one of them. A damn shame, she was one of those Asian worker-bee types. Always here past midnight. I heard she worked on Christmas. A real numbers whiz."
"True, but she wasn't the best fit for client services. At her level, she needed to be a thinker, not a doer. I know this sounds crass, but her clothes never fit. They were a little too baggy for may taste."
"Maybe you should have paid her more so she could hire a tailor."
Laughter.
"Wasn't she already being overpaid anyway, especially for a female associate?"
My stomach lurched. I'd heard enough. My sadness vortexed into pure rage as I stomped over to them.
"I gave blood, sweat, and tears for this company." I growled and pointed at Robert, my former group director. "You begged me to cover for you if your wife called when you were wining and dining that female client last year."
Robert's face reddened. "But you didn't. I'm going through a divorce now."
I went down the line to the next asshole. "Shaun, you tried to expense your escapade at a strip club by saying it was my birthday dinner and HR thought I was in on the scam. And Dan, you transposed all those numbers on the deal sheet and I caught them just before they were sent out, remember? You could have been fired for that, especially for showing up to work high. I went above and beyond for you. I saved your ass."
Their jaws dropped. No, they weren't going to schmooze their way out of this one.
"I know what you're thinking. How dare she say these things to us? She's just bitter because she was let go. Well, it's partly true. I'm bitter because I've wasted seven years of my life at this company that turned around and stabbed me in the back. If I wasn't leadership material, why didn't a female mentor coach me? Oh right, because there aren't any female execs here. But thank you, sincerely, for the wake-up-call. Now I can take my bonuses and severance and do something better with my time rather than covering for you and making you all richer.”
― Suzanne Park, So We Meet Again

“Because love wasn’t shown only with the acts of cooking and feeding. Love was also about not giving up on the other person.”
― Suzanne Park, So We Meet Again