I wasn't that great a chef, and I don't think I'm that great a writer.

Going to Southeast Asia for the first time and tasting that spectrum of flavors - that certainly changed my whole palate, the kind of foods I crave. A lot of the dishes I used to love became boring to me.

I urge you to travel - as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to.

I'm away 250 days a year. It's a tough situation.

I didn't want food that looked unapproachable or ridiculously beautiful.

My daughter takes pride in showing up with stuff that other kids envy or are freaked out by, so I send her to school with grilled octopus.

Big stuff and little: learning how to order breakfast in a country where I don't speak the language and haven't been before - that's really satisfying to me. I like that.