IAmA Eddie Huang (cook, author, host of Fresh Off the Boat) AMA

Yo Eddie, thanks for helping to smash stereotypes.

RESPECT

Got your JD, passed the bar, why did you quit?

btw, loved your train of thought regarding the Taiwan x China situation. Really gave me a different perspective. Let me know when you come back to SF @androo630

thank u fam... i just didn't like the culture of law firms and felt i could do more for the causes i believed in as an advocate using "art" or other creative pursuits

Yo Eddie, you're a huge inspiration to young asian americans trying to find their identity and not fit the mold of the book smart kid who everyone pushes around.

Could you share a story from when you were selling weed?

What do/did your parents think of you weed habit?

this is in the book!

Big fan. Why isn't there any hot sauce at Baohaus? Am I a hooligan if I want some hot sauce on my bao?

haha, so, i really think the baos aren't meant to be eaten with hot sauce. it ruins the flavor. BUT, if you gotta put hot sauce on something, i'd put it on the birdhaus bao. we're gonna make chili oil cause if you HAVE to do it that's the best

Eddie, your dope as shit! Thanks for doing the AMA! I have seen all your vice vids with FOB and munchies.

Question 1. What's your favorite restaurant in ny? 2. Who's your favorite rapper/song? 3. How much go you actually blaze ? 4. Does vice pay for all your trips on FOB?

Thanks!

not counting baohaus... nanxian xiao long bao

KILLA CAM KILLA CAM KILLA CAM, i'm #1 Killa Cam fan NO SHAME. favorite song is tied: "killa cam" off purple haze and "can't tell me nothing" kanye. that shit get me amped thinking bout getting my money right

What are your thoughts on what David Chang and what he's doing?

i wrote about it in the book.

What's the tastiest and cheapest thing you can make and how do you make it?

pussy, i like to eat it laying down

That "little Persia" bit you did on Vice in L.A was kinda lame because it was just one street corner. How about doing a segment on Brighton Beach? Any ideas on what you are going to experience next?

i love brighton beach. yes, persian la was lame. we were kinda told that there was gonna be things to see but it was doo doo bombs. i hope u appreciate though that we kept it real instead of trying to sensationalize and tell you to go somewhere that sucked

If there's one Asian beer to drink, what would it be? And what food would it go down good with?

Also tell me the story of your parents coming to America.

i love taiwan beer. its great. interesting can too. slightly smaller than most

What are you're thoughts on veganism? Especially after hunting on that episode of Fresh Off the Boat.

i eat a lot of vegan food during the day. i still love to eat meat, but i do my best to not waste anything, not over indulge, and am trying to convert as much of my diet to vegetarian/vegan as possible.

Showed that link to my environmental ethics professor, he showed the entire episode in front of my class. That episode changed minds.

DOPE! tell ur professor to hit me. would love to rap with him

AITE THAT"S IT THANKS BASED FOBS!!! IT WAS FUN

M-F-K the cast of Girls?

marry fuck kill

marry - the crazy chick that got married. she look like she can fuck

fuck - marnie. she fly, but u can tell she can't fuck

kill - hannah, the character... not lena, she ill

Why isn't there a Din Tai Fung in NYC??

GOOD QUESTION... sometimes they come to flushing and do demos

Say you're on death row, and you got your last meal coming up...what would you request?

shouts to Oh WOW gallery. a-ron downtown don actually put out a book with photos of last meals.

man, soup dumplings, peking duck, taiwanese beef noodle soup, orangina, black forest gummy bears, fried chicken, lion's head meatballs, portugese egg tarts, hot soy milk, I WANT ALL THAT MY DUDE

Hey Eddie, My name’s Sam, and I replied with an email as fast as I could to your tweet asking for interns. I’m looking to work my ass off, and don’t care if the internship isn’t paid (although I’d accept Birdhaus Baos as payment)

I guess since this is an AMA, my question is: A resume only does so much, how else can I show you how much ass I’d kick as your intern?

(I was going to make a BaoHaus rap with a Phife flow but everybody’s been and done that.)

yo hit hiring@baohausnyc.com

u right. send the resume but it don't mean shit. i just like people who are trying to get it. show me your work. what have you "made"? what u wanna do with your life? also, interns... best advice i can give. I aint here to teach you like you paid me to teach u naw mean? some interns come, they entitled, they move appointments/schedules and make it more work to have them on the team than they take off. those are the worst. dont be that dude

What's good, Eddie!? I am a big fan and you are a huge inspiration to me.

In FOB's Bay Area episode, you touch upon Filipino food not being prevalent in the ethnic cuisines in America despite the fact that Filipinos has been here for generations. I agree with you on the fact that a lot of it has to do with packaging it to the broader audience. In your opinion, how do you think we can package our food to the American public in such a way that it can be more accepted without losing it authenticity like other more "popular" ethnic foods?

Bonus question: Whats your favorite Filipino Food?

favorite filipino food is the braised oxtail served with fermented shrimp paste on the side. kare kare.

i think flavors in filipino food could be sharper, the technique sometimes while traditional could be tightened? I think you can extract the same flavors from the spices if you strain the stocks/broths before cooking with them. there's a bunch of things but I think a lot of the dishes could use further distilling of the technique.

Last Friday, I was out boozing with some friends from work. One thing leads to another and we end up at Bao House around 2:30AM. We ended up crushing Birdhouse Baos, Taro Fries, and hip hop until 4. It already is one of my more memorable nights in the city.

Thank you.

RESPEKT! much love

Have you ever given a girl a pregnancy scare? If so, how does it change the way you evaluate your success and fun lifestyle?

lol... yea. it don't affect me. uncle luke yelled at me for not using condoms in the miami episode haha

i mean, i lie. it affects me, but i really am not out there like that... i like having a shawty and i stay with it. no shame in my game

Huge fan of the Vice series and can't wait to read Fresh Off The Boat. Favorite Wu-Tang Member?

RZA - THE ABBOTT is my favorite

but as lyricist it gotta be ghost

style, aliases, lingo - raekwon

Hey Eddie, I only have a few things I have ever wanted to ask you.

1) Have you gotten into the rug game yet? 2) Do you ever want to expand your Baohaus eatery? 3) Get the fuck over to Amsterdam so we can blaze and eat delicious things.

1) i do not have a rug, but once i get my money right i will

2) yes

3) WORD

i don't have any questions, but my husband and i love your work. and many of my homegirls would let you smash.

HANH! send photos to hiring@baohausnyc.com my girl will review and then kill me lol

Better food: LA or NYC?

to quote CNN "LA LA big city of dreams but every thing in LA aint always what it seems..."

How do you know Alexis ohanian?

WHAT?!? the mayor of the internet? THATS MY NINJA. Redskins fans for life

alexis ohanian aka RGIII of the interwebs

Can you explain a little about the process of developing the concepts for your restaurants and then what it took to go from Business Plan to Grand Opening?

Any advice for a fellow gourmand interested in developing some high end ethnic street food?

What do you think about the Chicago food scene?

WHAT UP GRANT ACHATZ! he cool. dude ordered family meal from us to send to other restaurants. nice guy.

from business plan to grand opening most important thing is to not over complicate and don't feel like you NEED anyone else. use common sense. business is not something you need a degree for. use the internet, look up permits, shop around for leases, sit at the counters of restaurants and watch how they set up the line, what brand of POS they use, write down phone numbers, that's what i did

Yung Jedi! Love you on Vice man. Fresh off the boat is so fresh... Now, where can I get some bomb ass soup dumplings in NYC that aren't Paula Abdul arreola nipples??? Thanks G!

SUP MY NINJA

nanxian xiao long bao on prince st in flushing best in the city

shanghai 456 used to be good but ehhhhh

Can I get my book signed even if I'm from Cleveland? What the next place on your FOB list.

YES, we gonna have signed books for sale through baohaus and our e-commerce. my brother evan is on it

Fuxing with the human panda, found out about you and your endeavors through the cooking channel pilot.

How many times do you get a question related to Marcus Samuelsson?

Unrelated: I've saved your Big Omaha talk and will show it to my sons when they start bitching about entitlements due to them.

haha, writers like asking about marcus but my article was pretty comprehensive. i just like telling jokes about it now

Yo Eddie - You've quickly become one of my role models after viewing your FOB series on YouTube, I don't think I've identified with an Asian-American in the media as much as I have with you!

• What advice to you have for Asian-American 20-somethings who plan on travelling to Asia for the first time?
  
• How did you break the news that you were going to stop practicing law to your family?
• What qualities make for the ideal female pornstar?

Thank you based FOB

LOL, important question first. porn stars: need ass with the dimples on the side, and a big dip in the back. got to pop out and leak on the sides.

next, traveling to east asia? hong kong, taiwan, beijing, macau do it

my parents were pissed. they didn't know i quit until they visited my apartment in brooklyn for a couple days. i tried to hide it but i was sellin weed through the crib and after a few people came to the crib to cop they figured it out

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yessir... baos for green happens all the time. this dude left an 1/8 in the tip cup once

Yo Eddie, big fan ever since i read your piece when Linsanity broke. You're becoming a big voice in the asian-american community with an emphasis on the fact that we need to stop defining ourselves as 'asian' and find our voices as individuals.

What do you think the the community needs to do in order for asians to become commercially viable and showing up in mainstream media? Is there anything we can do or is it just a case of waiting for the world to change?

Thanks and big ups on FOB and the book, looking forward to reading it!

GREAT question. we gotta force our way in, support asian business, and people need to speak out. don't support brands that don't rep us or have concern for our issues

My boyfriend is a line cook and he's basically in love with you. Whatever, I'm fine with it. My question is, how much of your success can be attributed to things other than hard work/talent? And how do you make it a point to go out and schmooze?

its not about schmoozing. you know when you meet people in NY that will hold you down. i keep a tight circle and we all support each other. its really about hard work, talent, and a healthy disrespect for authority. if you take instructions from people and follow them you'll ALWAYS be under their thumb. i tell my cooks all the time, think big and do things for yourself. learn what you can from people and do your own thing. the important thing is NOT TO JACK someone who did you a solid and schooled you. no love for shark biters.

if yall leave questions ill come back and answer them later

Hey Eddie. Big fan of your work, especially your show on Vice. I have no real desire to go to New York except to go to your baohaus. I fucking love baos. Do you think since Anthony Bourdain retired from doing travel shows you will pick up the slack and take his place for the younger generation?

hey, i don't think I could ever replace Tony and we are different people. Tony paved the way for me in a lot of ways and I'm eternally grateful but it's disrespectful to the god for me to compare myself to him. i also, no disrespect, have different goals for myself but flattering. thanks fam

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LOL no, she a good girl

I heard one time you've never eaten Indian food that you enjoy. Why?

i never had the real...

yo when are you gonna sell my fav "chinese sausage wrapped in sticky rice" @ baohaus!?!? i cant find it anywhere in nyc! I'm craving for it badly after traveling to Taichung last summer. They made the best da chang bao xiao chang there.

I LOVE THAT SHIT, but i haven't mastered it yet. won't sell it till i master it. like major league 2 "if you hit it, you can name it." ... "i'll call it the masturbator"

Will we see you in more Vice videos? The 3 part stint in LA was awesome

yup, miami dropping soon then we're working on season 2

The Human Panda! So glad too se that you're doing an AMA. I have been following your shit for a while now. You taught me how to not eat a soup dumpling like a fucking goon and I'm forever in your debt for that. If, hypothetically of course, you blew trees on the daily, what would your favorite baked-off-your-ass-and-hungry-as-fuck snack be?

gummy bears... i also live across from a shop with hot bagels so smoked white fish on sesame bagels is my shit

what would you say is the biggest misconception being an asian american in media?

I HAVE A HUGE DICK lol

I went with 3 of my best friends to live in Taiwan, your part one of the FOB Taiwan was basically our life there summed up in one 10 minuite clip. Binlan showjeis, night market shenanigans, and drunk shrimping. Do you think that anyplace in north America has a chance at the, what it seems 24hour lifestyle that Taiwan offers?

naw... every country is eccentric and idiosyncratic. that's what i love about traveling. i hope in the digital age that regional culture survives... that's the good shit. difficult to get at like meat on blue crabs, but it's worth it and the struggle is the best part

How can we produce more based fobs like you? #tybg

THEY DONT MAKE FOBS LIKE THEY USED TO

You recently dropped a sound bite discussing Mission St Chinese food. The quotations seemed a little cryptic. You were proud of him but didn't necessarily approve of the food as authentic. Do you think that it is a bad thing that it is not authentic? Do you consider your food to be more authentic? Also, open up a new restaurant. I like them buns son, but i need more.

its not about authentic. i talk to danny about his food a lot. he's challenged the definitions of "chinese food". he knows its not for me but as a human being and chef and artist i have the utmost respect for him. my relationship with danny is special cause we have mutual respect and we talk about it. he's the man. its not just about food at the end of the day. he has one of the most fun restaurants in NYC to go to. im also not about "authenticity" people have misframed that conversation. i just don't like appropriation under the guise of "art" or "fusion". these new american chefs are just shark biters

Aside from your family, who are/were your biggest role models in business?

cam'ron, charles barkley, obama, tuff gong

After watching all of your recent FOBs, I've realized a lot of my life and goals parallel yours. I love culture but coming from an immigrant family that demands professional success, I find it hard to balance the dichotomy between doing what I want to do and pleasing my family. Should I go to law school or should I instead choose to study culture?

Also, I too lived in Orlando, but was born up north. What high school did you attend?

yo, you gotta do what makes YOU happy not your parents. i was broke for a MINUTE. at a certain point you have to divorce your parents. i really don't recommend law school for people unless your goal is to work at a large firm and get paid that way. some people like working for the man and im not hatin. but if your thing is social justice, there are a lot better ways to affect change. we need lawyers, but we got plenty. what we need are people who MOVE THE MONEY. we got obama out there screaming to tax the 1% heavier but it's not happening. we have to come up with business just like the crooks have

alright, that's it thanks for the questions yall!

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thanks homie

Favorite dish?

soup dumplings at din tai fung, peking duck at da dong in beijing, steak for 2 at luger's, meatballs at rao's, super heeb at russ & daughter's, reuben sandwich at zingerman's, carbonara at John's on 12th st, chairman bao at baohaus

eddie, nycer here. what's your favorite street meat in the city?

LOL PAUSE

halal guys are alright but then im running to the nearest gym to drop a bomb. the xinjiang cart in flushing is good

You do good work Eddie, though sometimes I wonder if we're seeing an iteration of the badassery that Bourdain established. How do you plan on remaining authentic in a field crowded with "That's batshit crazy and so am I"?

yo, i really am not an iteration of bourdain. he cut the grass that i play ball on now naw mean? he did a lot of things to make it possible for a based fob like me to come up and speak my mind and USE food to talk about culture, politics, and the human spirit so props to the god but im in no way an iteration of Tone. Tone is tone is tone. He the best right now. He's teletubbies (remember those pills?), but i'm molly. GOT THESE MOUTH BREATHERS SWEATIN lol

Eddie, I love the vice show. I am a fan of exploring culture through cooking, do you have one recipe that you would recommend trying at home that encapsulates Taiwan or anywhere else you have traveled?

taiwanese beef noodle soup

Did your mom like the Alex Wang bag ya gave her?

LOL, yes, she loves it and rocks the price tag

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start fucking going somewhere tomorrow! haha. for real, make a list of the 5 things you HAVE to do before you die, go do them and see where it takes you.

hey pimp, just wanted to see what your angle was when u met the dudes from Chthonic. When you were asking them about what effect taiwanese independence would really have on their lives, were those loaded questions on your part? and what was going through your mind when they couldn't answer any of your questions?... i lol'd

yea, i saw they were doing videos about independence so i wanted to get away from the "politics" and ask them off the street type questions. they really didn't know the subject well and I thought it was kind of bullshit that they were trying to represent that movement without being able to communicate their feelings. i'm down the middle on that issue. i can see both sides. i definitely think aboriginals in taiwan need protection and i strongly oppose china's threat of military force. i just wonder how taiwan survives because whether they're sucking on america's tit or china's, they're still sucking... its a sad world when an island can't just be left alone to do their thing... it's a strategic territory, the powers that be will never let it go

What's your favorite strain to smoke?

headband

also, im a sour d fan. not big on haze

How long do you put 2 minute noodles in the microwave?

120 seconds

Is David Chang as cool as he seems?

he seems cool?

Those fried ice cream baos looked delicious! Any chance they'll make the main menu one day?

What's your favorite cantonese food?

man, my brother evan been PREVENTING me from selling ice cream baos. i want to

Sup man, look I'm really excited about the AMA. I just wanted to ask you a few questions. Ever met David from thumbs up America? What makes a great restaurant? Where can I get an autographed book? What food you craving for?

never met choe but he seem really cool

its up to you what makes a great restaurant. for me it's the "quan" the entire experience. is there a family vibe? does it capture the spirit of the neighborhood or where the cuisine comes from? is it "honest"? does it inspire me? did i have fun?

all good questions to ask

we will sell signed books at baohaus and on our website www.baohausnyc.com on release date

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youtube pays for the show

ha, there are always "famous" people in ny... they're just like u

will keep the recipe book in mind

Going to be in Orlando next week.. Where should I eat?

black bean deli, my dad own cattleman's steakhouse so holla at him. tortilleria, vinh's for vietnamese

there's also saigon garden i think... every one like it more than vinh's but i just go to vinh's out of habit

You have a friend visiting NYC that has never been before. Where do you take them to eat and drink?

all my friends come to baohaus first, we byob then decibel

Any plans on collaborating with Toki Underground in DC again? It would be epic since I missed it last time around.

those dudes are great. we want to do a baohaus in dc. #HTTR

Yo! Eddie! I started watching your show FOTB and I was wondering, are you bi-lingual or do you speak enough Mandarin to survive? (at least I thought it was Mandarin.

Bonus question Is that your family on the boat in the intro or am I just being racist?

haha, that's my fam

i speak basically 5th grade mandarin. i survive

You represent Taiwan well. Much respects from a Taiwanese Canadian.

thank u fam!

@mreddiehuang Ever try any drugs?

lots

Hey Eddie! Mad respect man, love FOB. You are always dropping knowledge on the food game and even getting into some political issues, you got wicked flow too. Question though g, where can I find the Miami episode, heard you were getting down with some hoochies Keep it real!

yo! miami is out in 3 weeks!

Yo Eddie im a big fan!

Couple questions

Whats the intro song to FOB?

Howd you get hooked up with Vice? Did they contact you with an idea or..?

tidus is the artist, delancey is teh song

How was the experience riding with BangBros?

MECCA

Would you rather fight 1 horse sized duck or 100 duck sized horses?

shit i fight 1 horse sized duck. 100 duck sized horses could fuck your shins up

Any chance you will be opening a restaurant in Vegas?

i fux wit vegas heavy. ready when someone pay me

Are you and 'The Kid Mero' real life friends or just twitter friends?

REAL LIFE REALITY

Yo Eddie, love the FOBs - awesome stuff.

I wanna get into the food biz, got my recipes lined up and everything. How can I get started? Any tips for a young gun?

yea, start cooking for friends. i used to cook friendsgiving, chinese new year, weekends, etc. see what people think. then if you really believe in urself open up shop. some people take it slow do flea markets and shit. that's a good idea too.

@mreddiehuang this actually made me create an account, dude! I've been watching your show (again) today while studying civil law, and I love the fact that you've chosen to chase your dreams rather than to kiss *ss and get coffee at some big law firm. I can see that happening to myself... Do you feel like your law degree benefited you at all, since your dreams lay elsewere (and I presume they did for a while) ? Also, have you been to Amsterdam? Thoughts on Dutch quisine?

exactly. i understand paying dues, but law firms dehumanize you. it's hierarchical, slightly merit based, and very political. fuck it. as a grown ass man, i wasn't gonna let someone tell me I "wasn't ready". I saw the problems I saw in the world and I got out there and spoke about it wherever people would listen. i started on trains, then park benches, then stand up comedy clubs, then a 400 sq foot pork bun restaurant, then a blog, now a show and a book. i'm not special, i just refused to be silenced.

Thoughts on Anthony Bourdain?

that's the big homie

Growing up, were your parents mad set into you getting a practical ass job as a lawyer or doctor? and what made you leave law school to pursue your interests in cooking?

I'm Chinese and I'm having an identity crisis with my own people. It seems to have gotten out of hand as I pretty much hate them. Have you had similar experiences and what did you do, bruh?

READ THE BOOK. for real, its all in there. that's what the book is about.

Eddie! You're awesome even though I'm a JAP! When are you going to star in bang bus? Serious question Fresh off the boat going to Japan?

hahaha yo SOSA LOVE JAPS ... im in the bangbus episode if you have a membership, but our FOB episode of bang bus drops in 2 weeks. would love to go to japan season 3. season 2 is already getting lined up.

@mreddiehuang Can I get a free copy of your book?

come on man, im STILL broke. support my BI

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u lie