Contemporary ramen is totally different than what most Americans think ramen should be. Ramen is not one thing; there are many, many different types.
— David Chang
As a child, I didn't see my dad that much because he was always working at the restaurant. He became pretty jaded after working at the restaurant for so long.
There's the common misconception that restaurants make a lot of money. It's not true. If you look at maybe the top chef in the world, or at least monetarily, it's like Wolfgang Puck, but he makes as much money as an average crappy investment banker.
One of the benefits to ordering food in New York is that you can get food 24/7.
I constantly think I'm a fraud - that this success is not warranted or justified.
Any processed chicken from any place - I'll order it in a heartbeat. I'm very picky about my pork, though.
I was terrible at desk jobs.
I work so hard that I forget to take care of myself.
If you ask what people say what American cuisine is, they cannot really do it. I don't know what it is.
I was quite cocky, but having been hailed as this great young golfer, I couldn't even make the high school golf team once I got there. I had a big dose of humble pie then, and ever since, I've always known that there is always someone out there better than you, more talented. Always.
I love chicken. I love chicken products: fried chicken, roasted chicken, chicken nuggets - whatever. And going to Japan, I would see that these chicken were smoked and then grilled and then have this amazing crispy skin.
I think the basic thing that home cooks can learn how to do is just season properly... If the home cook realized how little salt they use compared to what's needed, it would make their food taste better.
Fine dining teaches you how to cook many different things, and it gives you the basic fundamentals, but these specialty restaurants, they're not teaching you the broad foundation you need to become a well-rounded cook.
People are trying to figure out what American food is; it's certainly an amalgamation.
I don't like eating in restaurants.
I learned so much more prepping vegetables than I ever did in cooking school.
I really don't care for the proper chef coat.
I think the best restaurants in America should be in California.
People are getting famous now for serving food out of a truck, or for, well, pork buns. I don't know if I'm really pleased to be a part of that. I'm somewhat terrified of what the future holds, especially in America.
Before I had my own restaurant, I was never top dog in the kitchen. I've always had a low opinion of myself as a cook.
I love to eat sushi, and, you know, those flavors and wasabi and really eating spoonfuls of it... I would just mix it and put it on everything, literally.
I think that the Japanese - and I do love Japanese cuisine and adore Japanese food culture - I think that they're going to plow through the entire world's fishing. They're going to eat everything anyways.
I think being Shaquille O'Neal would be the most amazing thing. There's nothing I would have done differently in his life. Everything he's done I think is pretty spot on, even, like, the bad rap videos, the shoes, the movies, everything.
If people ask me, 'What do you think could improve in Toronto dining,' I'd say there's nothing to improve on.
I'm always criticizing and only see the mistakes.
Growing up, my dad owned a restaurant in Washington, DC, and food was something I was passionate about. But when I finally got into it, I felt like it was so late in the game; that's why I worked seven days a week at Craft and Mercer Kitchen. I wanted to see how far I could take it.
There are many things to admire about Japan but this is the one thing I love the most and probably the only time I eat breakfast. Fish, eggs, soup, salad, veggies; all in the tiniest bites. It's a full meal, but it's so refreshing.
Everyone tries to compare cooks to rock stars. I see more comparisons to the fashion world.
I doubt I'd ever do television to the extent that, say, Gordon Ramsay has.
