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.
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.
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.
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.
You can do almost anything with soup stock, it’s like a strong foundation. When you have the right foundation, everything tastes good.
I normally don’t eat junk food.
You don’t have to show people how successful you are.
The hoopla, the applause, the praises have never excited me.
I think being famous is more of a hindrance, a constraint, than just letting yourself be free.
A lot of people don’t enjoy their job, they may even hate it, but I am lucky enough to be able to make a living through my passion.
The problem with a lot of Chinese is that they put up divisions between Taiwanese, Hong Kong natives, mainlanders. We are never united. I really hope that the Chinese can be more united.
I’ve never considered myself a celebrity or even part of the entertainment business. I’m a cooking teacher.
I also have a lot of preserved foods, things that will keep for a long time like dried fish, seaweed or lotus seed.
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.