Eddie Huang
Huang was born in 1982 in Washington, D.C. to immigrant parents from Taiwan. He was raised in Orlando, Florida, where his father managed a successful group of steak and seafood restaurants. Huang identified with African-American culture, especially hip-hop, at a young age. He attended The University of Pittsburgh, Rollins College and graduated with a B.A. He earned a J.D. from Cardozo School of Law.
Not long after graduating from law school, Huang decided for a career change. After being laid off from a New York law firm, Huang worked as a stand-up comic and as a marijuana dealer.
In December 2009, he opened BaoHaus, a Taiwanese bun shop, on the Lower East Side of New York. His straightforward menu consists of pillowy steamed buns filled with a flavorful protein of choice, cilantro, crushed peanuts and Taiwanese red sugar, and sweet bao fries.
He hosted Cheap Bites on the Cooking Channel the end of 2011 and also appeared on several episodes of Unique Eats before leaving the Cooking Channel for Vice where he hosts a recurring segment, also called "Fresh Off the Boat". Also in 2012, Huang was named a 2013 TED Fellow. In 2011 he made the Chow 13 and was voted one of the 101 People You Must Meet in 2011 by Town and County Magazine.
“Xiang wei is the character a good dish has when it’s robust, flavorful, and balanced but still maintains a certain light quality. That flavor comes, lingers on your tongue, stays long enough to make you crave it, but just when you think you have it figured out, it’s gone. Timing is everything. Soup dumplings, sitcoms, one-night stands—good ones leave you wanting more.”
“Whether it's food or women, the ones on front street are supermodels. Big hair, big tits, big trouble, but the one you come home to is probably something like cavatelli and red sauce. She's not screaming for attention because she knows she's good enough even if your dumb ass hasn't figured it out yet.”
“I think my mom is manic, but Chinese people don't believe in psychologists. We just drink more tea when things go bad. Sometimes I agree; I think we're all over diagnosed.”
“The easiest way for Americans to make sense of Chinese history is to compare everything to Jewish history. There's an analogue for everything. Torah: Analects. Curly sideburns: long ponytails. Mantou: bagels.”
“Good food makes me want to hit a punching bag like, Dat's right motherfucker. You done did it there.”