A biography for Martin Yanhasn’t been written yet.
“Well, you know, if you get into the profession because you think you can make a lot of money, you can never become successful.”
“You can do almost anything with soup stock, it's like a strong foundation. When you have the right foundation, everything tastes good.”
“As long as the food is well prepared and not overdone, I think it tastes good. It doesn't matter if it's Chinese, Japanese, anything.”
“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 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.”
“At thirteen, when I arrived in Hong Kong after leaving China, I made a living by working in a restaurant.”
“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.”
“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.”
“I don't like to waste anything. Any food left over from the night before is always eaten the next day.”
“I've never considered myself a celebrity or even part of the entertainment business. I'm a cooking teacher.”
“Because normally with Western cuisine, you'll serve vegetables separate from the meat, so kids will eat the meat and never touch the vegetables.”
“Soy sauce is really a multi-purpose seasoning.”
“I am just a normal professional with a great job and a great life.”
“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.”
“I live a very low-key life.”
“I also have a lot of preserved foods, things that will keep for a long time like dried fish, seaweed or lotus seed.”
“In general I love to eat anything. I enjoy anything that is well prepared, a good spaghetti, lasagna, taco, steak, sushi, refried beans.”
“When I retire or pass away, I will be able to look back and say that this has been an exciting life. That's all that matters.”
“I remember when I was in college, I used to watch Julia Child's cooking show during dinner and joke with my roommates about becoming a TV chef.”
“Why is America such a great country. It is because we stand united.”