Chanel Iman: A Classy Customer

The gorgeous Chanel Iman is still one of my top 3 favorite regulars. We got to the point where she’d come into Miss Lily’s, look at me, and I’d point to a table in my section. A wordless exchange.

I’m so good I made overnight weekday shifts lucrative af. No weekends necessary. I didn’t expect to make a dime at Gammeeok due to the hours, they told me so during the interview too. The tip money would be hit or miss, not with me on the job. What can I say, my service is stellar. P.s: I’m officially suing them. They still don’t know the law, pretending to settle then essentially saying fuck you. Thinking they beat the statute of limitations. WRONG. After endless compassion, I’ll show no mercy. Asking for a cook who isn’t going to get so inebriated he can’t make food and sexually harasses others, myself included, isn’t a big to-do. I’ve never seen such unprofessionalism. Wait til I post some of the text messages I sent to the manager. Smh. It costs to be the boss, don’t mistreat your employees. Via: Daily Front Row

Alvin Bragg Fails At AAPI Month

When you get called out for committing a hate crime against the Asian community and try to do damage control. Body language speaks volumes. Alvin Bragg couldn’t be more uncomfortable in this photo. While the Asian people are embracing him, he’s closed off and almost squeamish to be touched by them, keeping his hands to himself. Weird and offensive af. This isn’t his first time pretending, he roped one of my favorite authors, Min Jin Lee, into it (read PSA Regarding Min Jin Lee).

Bragg believes Asians are other, or he wouldn’t have concocted that Rat Soup story about Gammeeok, my former place of employment. An authentic Korean restaurant, that’s been a K-Town staple for decades (a rarity- barbecue reigns). Destroying their reputation to further abuse and financially enslave an innocent black woman, me (read Gammeeok Is On Their Own). In cahoots with Rupert Murdoch, lifelong friend Lachlan Murdoch, Eric Adams, Kathy Hochul and Mick Jagger (read Lachlan Murdoch And Alvin Bragg BFF’S).

Initially the Murdoch’s were out to get me, because they loss that election fraud lawsuit (read Rupert Murdoch Owns The World’s News). If Rupert doesn’t take his turkey neck having ass on, who the fuck told you to involve yourself? Focus on how belittled you make your Asian daughters feel, excluding them from having a say in your company. His only non-white & American children. An entire neo-Nazi. Remorseless, this isn’t the last time they attack an Asian business…Via: ManhattanDA Instagram (circa 2024)

Updated:4/9/2025 7:17am

I Was Gammeeok’s Security Guard

Working at Gammeeok proved I’m out of my fucking mind. A 24/7 restaurant located in Manhattan’s Koreatown, I became the security guard from 11pm-7am. Mind you this is when I was the only girl on the shift. The hotel across the street turned into a shelter, escalating everything and we’d get crazy people coming in, locking themselves in the restroom to do G-D knows what. Not on my watch. The way I would regulate is stuff of legend. The thieves and the loonies memorized my schedule, only coming in on weekends when I wasn’t there. Anybody can go to jail. Try me.

K-Town is an insular world, there was definitely a racial divide and mass confusion when I got hired.
Growing up multi-cultural, I thought nothing of being surrounded by Asian people. Ignorants asking what a black woman was doing there, how that came to be, some people treated me like an intruder. Except this is my city and natives like me are providing a safe space for you. There’s no K-Town in Wisconsin, this is New York, not Korea. By that same logic this neighborhood wouldn’t exist, you’re welcome.

When I first started the Africans put fear in the Asian customers. Use to dominating due to racism, they almost forgot I’m black, I’m not scared of you and I’m from here (they were not). My guests should be able to eat in comfort without being harassed, or getting their shit stolen. This is non-negotiable. People believed they could loiter and menace, nope not happening.
“Get the fuck out,” became my catch phrase. Along with “I’m calling the cops,” something my cohorts were too scared to do. Not I, “You don’t live here, you don’t work here, get out.” I’m not finna keep talking to you either.

One Chinese addict was always getting on my nerves. He thought bringing his black friend would put fear in me, I kicked them both out. They were playing with action figures, ordering nothing, both thieves. The cops had to yoke the Chinese one up once, I banned him and Mochin an inexperienced dolt, allowed him back in. Reiterating what I said, “This is a place of business not a public space. She represents the business, what she says goes. Do it again and we’ll arrest you.” Right. He’d put us through wayyyyyyyyy too much for redemption, I can’t. One time I blacked out on him. He said “I need to use the bathroom bitch, get outta my way and suck my d*ck.”
Enough! I conjured the strength to physically push him outside and threw toothpicks at him, whilst hurling insults. He came back again. Upon seeing the Chinese gangster I was with, he exited quicker than when I called the cops. His fear was warranted. Chris isn’t someone to play with, informing him next time he’ll be in the hospital. He apologized and I never saw him again.

For the repeat offenders, including his black friend and that junkie with braids, I’d literally chase after them on the street. Throwing anything I got my hands on. Unhinged. All men too, except for that one woman my regular Ronnie had to stop me from fighting. After she refused to leave the bathroom for the busboy to do his closing work. She then tried to fight Ronnie, thinking a man wouldn’t hit her. Finally exchanging words with me after I said her Louis Vuitton was fake. This set her off. Let me not delve into that right now.

As you can see from the above photo there was constant nonsense going on. I’ve never called 9/11 more in my life! The disembodied arm belongs to former co-worker Tony (a nutcase), who called me for help. Try as he might, they only listened when I spoke, true. That restaurant had SO MUCH DRAMA, the rat soup scandal went right over my head initially (read Gammeeok Is On Their Own). I’m talking second to none. The cops live in K-Town, throughout the week too.

Thanks to my stellar work ethic they started hiring more black people in K-Town. I’m that good. I’m an era in people’s memories. The entire thing was and continues to be a rollercoaster. Never forget the playlist was epic, I’m iconic and the insanity was top tier. The guests always said Koreans love drama and to party, they ain’t never lie. Only in New York. Via: Saint_Twenty

Your Sense Of Self Changes

“How your sense of self could change depending on your location. In Koreatown, no one ever thought Sam was Korean. In Manhattan, no one had ever thought he was white. In Los Angeles, he was the ‘white cousin.’ In New York, he was that ‘little Chinese kid.’ And yet, in K-town, he felt more Korean than he ever had before. Or to put a finer point on it, he felt more aware of the fact that he was a Korean and that was not necessarily negative or even a neutral fact about him. The awareness gave him pause: perhaps a funny-looking mixed race kid could exist at the center of the world, not just its periphery.”

-Tomorrow, Tomorrow, And Tomorrow

Via: Vulture