I think that for me, growing up, my dad was in the Navy; we went all over the world. I love things the weirder the better. The idea I could eat things like snails or frogs legs or things like that was mind-blowingly cool.

I played the guitar and thought that was what I was going to do as a career. I still record music that is played in my restaurants.

I can't just sit all day on the couch and expect the weight to come off. My goals are my new focus instead of food.

Kosher salt, eggs and flour. These are the building blocks of everything. Kosher salt, above and beyond everything.

The music in my family has always been there; it's been quite an obvious trait that seems to have trickled down the bloodline.

My father was a restaurant man, laundry man in his lifetime. And I've often wondered how and why did I become an actor? Where did I get the so-called talent to express myself? And I look back, and I see that my mother was very animated. I can remember that she used to, what she called 'bei zhu.'

I constantly work at maintaining balance. For me, my family comes first. If my family is taken care of, then everything else usually falls into place.

I love my children and care greatly for their future. If they decide they just want to loaf around for a bit between the ages of 16 and 25, that's perfectly fine by me. I did it, and I'm doing fine, thanks. Sometimes 'leaving kids to their own devices' is the best thing for them.