People who don't travel cannot have a global view, all they see is what's in front of them. Those people cannot accept new things because all they know is where they live.
So when I do Chinese cooking, I mix everything together, then the kids have to eat their vegetables. They won't have the patience to pick them out.
Happiness is within. It has nothing to do with how much applause you get or how many people praise you. Happiness comes when you believe that you have done something truly meaningful.
If I could only have one type of food with me, I would bring soy sauce. The reason being that if I have soy sauce, I can flavor a lot of things.
You can do almost anything with soup stock, it's like a strong foundation. When you have the right foundation, everything tastes good.
Some people never contribute anything positive to society, they may even drain our resources, but most of us try to do something better, to give back.
Soy sauce is really a multi-purpose seasoning.
When you enjoy what you do, work becomes play.
Just like if you were brought up on a farm, you would most likely carry on your father's business as a farmer; I was brought up in the kitchen and ended up becoming a chef.
Chinese culture has a lot of virtues that are tremendously valuable to not only us as Asian-Americans, but also the world in general.
I think a lot of times it's not money that's the primary motivation factor; it's the passion for your job and the professional and personal satisfaction that you get out of doing what you do that motivates you.
I can represent my culture while helping not only the Chinese-American community, but also the community at large.
The only thing that counts is if you know how to prepare your ingredients. Even if with the best and freshest ingredients in the world, if your dish is tasteless or burnt, it's ruined.
I have a lot of cooking tools. In fact I have a whole drawer full of knives. Cooking tools, especially cutlery, are my toys.
I don't like to waste anything. Any food left over from the night before is always eaten the next day.
In general I love to eat anything. I enjoy anything that is well prepared, a good spaghetti, lasagna, taco, steak, sushi, refried beans.
As long as the food is well prepared and not overdone, I think it tastes good. It doesn't matter if it's Chinese, Japanese, anything.
I normally don't eat junk food.
The hoopla, the applause, the praises have never excited me.
Anyone that has come to America past the age of eighteen will be able to understand when I say that you can never shake your accent.
You don't have to show people how successful you are.
I enjoy the quiet life.
I live a very low-key life.
Well, you know, if you get into the profession because you think you can make a lot of money, you can never become successful.
At thirteen, when I arrived in Hong Kong after leaving China, I made a living by working in a restaurant.
