Martin Yan Quotes

You don’t have to show people how successful you are.

You can do almost anything with soup stock, it’s like a strong foundation. When you have the right foundation, everything tastes good.

Why is America such a great country. It is because we stand united.

When you have a good stock, you can make a good soup.

When you enjoy what you do, work becomes play.

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.

Well, you know, if you get into the profession because you think you can make a lot of money, you can never become successful.

The Cdivisions between Taiwanese, Hong Kong natives, mainlanders. We are never united. I really hope that the Chinese can be more united.

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.

The hoopla, the applause, the praises have never excited me.

Soy sauce is really a multi-purpose seasoning.

Some people never contribute anything positive to society, they may even drain our resources, but most of us try to do something better, to give back.

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.

People who don’t travel cannot have a global view, all they see is what’s in front of them. Those people cannot accept new things because all they know is where they live.

Just like if you were brought up on a farm, you would most likely carry on your father’s business as a farmer; I was brought up in the kitchen and ended up becoming a chef.

In general I love to eat anything. I enjoy anything that is well prepared, a good spaghetti, lasagna, taco, steak, sushi, refried beans.

I’ve never considered myself a celebrity or even part of the entertainment business. I’m a cooking teacher.

I think being famous is more of a hindrance, a constraint, than just letting yourself be free.

I think a lot of times it’s not money that’s the primary motivation factor; it’s the passion for your job and the professional and personal satisfaction that you get out of doing what you do that motivates you.