Pachinko

Kasu urges Solomon to ignore Giancarlo’s racism; Solomon replies that it doesn’t bother him. Kozu tells Solomon to take advantage of every opportunity, adding that the problem with the Japanese is “everyone wants to be like everybody else” (443). Kozu also says that he understands why Solomon’s father is in the pachinko business: “I’m sure he chose pachinko because there wasn’t much else. He’s probably an excellent business man. […] It’s crazy what the Japanese have done to the Koreans and the Chinese who were born here” (444).

At work, Kazu and Solomon work for an important banking client who wants to purchase land for a golf course. There is one obstacle remaining: an old woman who refuses to sell her land to the client. Kazu takes Solomon to the woman’s property and admits that he has no idea how to get the woman to sell.

Solomon and Phoebe take the train to visit Solomon’s family. Mozasu, Kyunghee, and Sunja welcome them warmly. They talk about food, and Phoebe tells the women that her mother never cooked, which the women find shocking. Phoebe also describes how multicultural her family is: “I have aunts and uncles by marriage who are white, black, Dutch, Jewish, Filipino, Mexican, Chinese, Puerto Rican, and let’s see, there’s one Korean American uncle and three Korean American aunts.