We got real personal in this episode by inviting Mary Kekatos, our best friend from journalism school (and ever since), to talk about how our unlikely friendship was made during a year of intense journalism training, competition, and camaraderie. From semi-misunderstood first impressions to the joy of first getting to know each other, to lining up to get countless food cart lunches together, to cheering and lifting each other up during moments of difficulties and hardship, we reminisced about those salad days with laughter and tears. A testament to the bond we built in J-school, the three of us kept in touch when we lived on three different continents right after graduation, and four years later, we still have each other for the ups and downs in life. We capped the episode off with a "secret recipe" for how we keep each other close during all these years and a vision for our friendship in the decades to come. Please join us on this journey, take a listen and share with us your friendship stories! If you like this episode, please subscribe to the Loud Slurp podcast on Apple Podcasts and rate us. We are also on IG (@loud.slurp) if you'd like to get our latest podcast updates and behind-the-scenes tidbits.  Please also follow our guest Mary on Twitter @MaryKekatos and DM us what other topics about Asian culture and cuisine you'd like to hear about on the Loud Slurp podcast!