Eddie Huang

“There is a lot of food culture that goes on in the home and in the community in non-traditional ways. Food is a lot more than restaurants.”

“New York felt to me like what America should be - a representation of the world in this small pocket.”

“I choose to be American, I choose to live in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, I choose to have Puerto Rican/Jewish neighbors, and I choose to maintain my Chinese identity.”

“I don't think people understand the model-minority stereotype is negative. You are boxed in. You have to untangle that to find your own path.”

“I'll always be American in my world view and allegiance. American in the naive way I go to other countries and tell them how they should treat their poor or clean their water.”

“I don't like labels. I don't understand the need for them. When you define yourself a certain way, people have expectations.”

“I'll always be Chinese first. It probably isn't politically correct to say or something that the majority understands; I can change my shoes, I can swap my passport, but, I'll always have this face.”

“I have more to say as a writer than from behind a wok.”

“I like a walking culture; I need to be in a city where you can walk everywhere.”

“I blog because I have something to say.”

“I've never said I was a chef - I think I make great food. I will never open a restaurant to do, like, tasting courses.”

“I want everybody to run at the same speed as me. But some people are more conscientious, they think more and they plan more. And they're more careful.”

“I had no desire to be a chef, but I had a desire to be someone who was heard.”