Usually, when we film an In the Kitchen video, the purpose is to teach viewers to re-create a recipe.
But during our shoot with Eddie Huang, chef at Baohaus in Manhattan, five minutes into making his pork bao he said, “Honestly, people can’t do this. If you want to do that, try Momofuku.”
Which sums up what drew us to Huang in the first place: His memoir, Fresh Off the Boat, out now. Huang, whose parents are Taiwanese, grew up in Orlando, moved to NYC, and became a lawyer, a hustler, a stand-up, and a restaurateur.
The book’s appeal is Huang’s honest, funny description of his experience growing up Asian-American, and finding both solace and strife in his Chinese heritage. We promise it’s like nothing you’ve ever read.
Like his baos, he’s inimitable.
Fresh Off the Boat is available at amazon.com, $14.
