Get QuoteDark Inspirational Quotes App

" Whenever possible, buy a fish whole. With tuna, this isn't practical; with smaller fish, it is. "

Related Quotes:

" 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. "

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

" My business partner Robert De Niro knows a lot about hotels; he opened the Greenwich Hotel in New York City. "

" Napa cabbage is very beautiful, all those long, pale leaves with ruffled edges. "

" 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! "

" Eating a lot on the plane is not good for jet lag. "

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

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

" In my generation, there was no sushi school, no cooking school, so people have to learn from working. "

" It's true that cilantro has a strange, strong flavor. People seem to love it or not like it at all. Even I didn't like it at first when I had it in Peru. But I got used to it - it's hard not to in South America - and now I can't live without it. "

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

" 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. "

" In Tokyo, we have more three-star Michelin restaurants than Paris. "

" My flight time is important to me; I actually prefer a longer flight to a short one. That way I have time to read a book, watch movies, and think about new dishes. "

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

" Los Angeles is my home - I have my wife and two daughters growing up there. "

" Every year, I do a New Year's day party at my home. I invite my staff and my friends and their kids. Around 40-50 people come by, and I do a barbecue and salads, steak and sushi, and also lots of cheese. "

" My favorite knife is from Miyakoya in Japan - I have one in each of my restaurants. "

" 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 am very lucky to consider many of my business associates friends. Some are closer than others, but I respect and value all of them. "

" 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. "

" With sushi, it is all about balance. Sometimes they cut the fish too thick, sometimes too thin. Often the rice is overcooked or undercooked. Not enough rice vinegar or too much. "

" 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. "

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

" I was a bit of a wild boy - always swimming and exploring the mountains. "

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

" When I'm home in L.A., I go to La Brea, a bakery which does artisan breads, excellent sourdoughs primarily, but also patisserie and cakes. "

" When I was 11 or 12 - a young boy in Japan - one of my older brothers took me to a sushi restaurant. I had never been to one, and it was very memorable. Back then, sushi was expensive and hard to come by, not like today, when there's a sushi restaurant on every street corner and you can buy it in supermarkets. "

" If I am at home in L.A. on a Saturday or Sunday, I like to start the day with a hot bath and then do an hour of stretching. "

" A different spice is the most interesting thing to me. "