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" When I'm dining out privately, I tend to avoid fine-dining venues; I like things to feel casual. "

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" Of course the Japanese and Peruvian fish are different, but it's the same Pacific Ocean. They are different, but I know fish. "

" I can't imagine Japanese food without dashi, a broth made with kelp and dried bonito flakes. It has the aroma of the sea, tinged with a subtle smokiness, and adds a very important, distinct flavor. "

" I started cooking when I was 18 years old, and now I have restaurants all over the world. "

" You know how kids dream of being soccer players or actors? Well, my dream was to be a sushi chef. "

" It's still my happiest time when I'm eating. "

" I love big shrimp, like Japanese botan shrimp and the meaty ones from Santa Barbara, Calif. In classic Japanese cooking, shrimp like these would be dropped into a broth or boiled as served with sushi. But I think boiling dilutes their great flavor, and they are better when stir-fried. "

" When I'm in L.A., I go to Spago because the chef is a friend of mine. "

" I used to watch my mother cooking when I was a child; she influenced me a lot. "

" People who make mistakes but try their best, other people will support. But people who make mistakes because they're lazy, nobody supports. "

" Peru was the Incas; it has 3,000 to 4,000 years of history. "

" Shellfish is better to buy live. In the U.S., because we eat oysters and clams raw, it is very important that they are alive before we prepare them. It's important to look for a closed shell. If a clam is alive, the shell will be closed. Never buy clams if the shell is open. "

" One of my favorite ways to use cilantro is in a beautiful clear soup with monkfish and lime. It's a great dish for cooler weather, especially because monkfish is very good in fall and winter. Also, I like the meatiness and rich texture of monkfish. "

" Making sushi is an art, and experience is everything. "

" Large fish such as tuna are shown already cut into fillets and bought by the block. Fillets should be almost transparent. Avoid tuna that looks rainbow-colored or black. "

" My cooking is very simple, so I don't really use machines at all. A knife, cutting board, frying pan and strainer are my essentials. "

" I don't go out much. "

" One day, the people who work in my kitchen stir-fried chopped Napa cabbage to serve with some meat or fish for their own dinner. I got to thinking: 'What if the cabbage was the most important thing on the plate?' "

" I travel all over the world, usually 10 months out of the year. I stay at a lot of hotels, and the ones I like best are clean and not complicated. You go to bed and say, 'Wow, I feel comfortable.' "

" Many chefs are either technically or artistically better than me, but I know my food has soul. "

" Cooking and film are completely different - but I'd rather stay in the kitchen than be in movies. "

" People eat the chicken, people eat the beef, they still say, 'Don't kill the fish.' "

" Have you ever been to Mexico City and haggled with the locals over souvenirs? Well, in Peru, you had to negotiate like that to get the freshest fish at the market. "

" One of my great loves is golf. When I am in L.A., I like to play with a few close friends: no phones, no distractions, the great outdoors and the chance to bet some money to keep it interesting. "

" I learned from my first restaurant: Make customers happy, make sure the customer comes back again. And automatically, success has followed me. "

" I remember watching steak being cooked on TV and wanting to try it. As a special treat, my mother cooked it for me, and I thought this would be the time I would eat with a knife and fork. Alas, I ate it with chopsticks! "

" The first jolt I received in my life was when I lost my father in a motorcycle accident when I was eight. I would have been with him if he hadn't turned down my request to go out with him that afternoon. "

" Sushi is something very exclusive. It is not like a McDonald's, not like a hot dog, not like a French fry. It's very high-class cooking in Japan. "

" Swimming keeps me fit and flexible, and it helps that I have a large pool at my house in Beverly Hills. "

" I feel like I owe something to America, as it is where I found success. "

" Dashi remains unfamiliar to most French and American cooks, who tend to reach for a bouillon cube to do many of the same things. But dashi is worth preparing and using the way the Japanese do: for poaching fish, as a soup base, and in simmered dishes. "