Change is always good. You can't keep tradition all the time. Yes, Grandma cooked on a wood stove but she would have used electricity if she could.
The stock from a pigeon is unique. It's much better than quail or duck.
I used to love eating rice and noodles, and that was all carbs, so I had to cut that out. I started eating mostly salads.
My approach goes way beyond simply ingredients and techniques. Every dish has to have a story.
A dish should have flavor, texture, appearance and smell, but I'm doing it differently. We take Chinese food, play with your sentiments, memories of it, and then take you to the border; you won't fall over the edge, but you get excitement.
A symbol in Chinese Buddhism is the lotus plant, which regenerates every year, symbolizing life, renewal, and the Buddha himself. Actually it is used in many Asian religions including Hinduism. Few people think of it as food even though it is used as an ingredient all the time.
We Chinese use a lot of ginger and green onions to flavor dishes but not to overpower them. Westerners have this misconception that we eat the ginger and green onion, but we leave those on the plate.
I grew up in a family that was aware of the consequences of diabetes.
One good thing about being brought up with Chinese food from another country means that you're not a purist and you will accept deviation.
I honestly feel the term 'molecular gastronomy' is mostly misunderstood. It is not a style of cooking. Rather, it is a philosophy which encourages chefs to be more creative.
I especially like to make my own ginkgo soup, bean curd sheet soup, and red bean soup. This way, I can control the sugar portions.
Diabetes is not curable. It's sustainable.
While you can have the cult of the celebrity chef, the food still must taste good.
My success rate is about 80 percent. Two of ten dishes won't work.
I like using iconic things. What fine dining restaurant can get you to eat a breakfast sandwich that's like baby food?
I went from two stars to one star to two stars to three. In the history of the 'Michelin Guide,' I don't think there has been any chef to go up and down - and then up again.
I said I want to get outside the box, but what can I change? I don't want my cookies to reek of ammonia, so we used baking soda instead of lye. We added ground almonds, which is expensive. We used butter, which is expensive. And we didn't want any food coloring.
Chinese cuisine has so much diversity, the area it covers is so great and so is the taste.
I just love maple syrup!
When I'm in the moment, I'm in the moment.
