According to my mother, there pretty much wasn't anything I wouldn't eat as a child. Not just try, but eat. I was even inclined to dig into stuff about which she expressed open disgust - lobster and other shellfish, and cheap Chinese food with pepper so hot it made your gums feel like a medieval dentist had been at them.
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.
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.
People keep saying I'm westernizing Chinese food. No I'm not. McDonald's, KFC, Starbucks, have done it big time, way before me.
My first pay cheque was when I was a security guard in a Benetton showroom, which was Rs 900. I took all my security guard friends for a treat to eat Chinese food and ended up spending my entire salary in just three days, leaving me with no choice but to rely on my friends for food for the entire month.
Panda - We're not really selling Chinese food, you know. Our real purpose is about developing people.
It is an honor to open in New York City and to have the opportunity to serve and share our family's version of American Chinese food and hospitality. New York City deeply influenced my passion for food and service, and it feels good to be back.
I'm obsessed with Chinese food and culture. It's food that I adore above all others.
I love pizza, I love Chinese food, Caribbean food, I love Italian.
It was tough times in Ohio when we lived there. My dad was between unemployed and just selling random knickknacks at a flea market. My mom was a cashier at a Chinese food restaurant. They both had awesome careers back in Taiwan, and they came here for my sister and I.
