Interview

David Chang is best known for delivering perfectly executed, unpretentious comfort food at his wildy popular fleet of Momofuku restaurants in New York City. During a recent book signing at San Francisco's Sur la Table (he was in town to promote his new cookbook Momofuku, co-written with Peter Meehan), Chang flipped through local newspapers in search of escort ads. Armed with a glue stick, he individually pasted the provocative photos on the inside cover of each cookbook, adding a little fun to the usually ho-hum autographing process.  As with his cooking, when Chang meets his fans, he likes to deliver something extra. 

Chang took a few minutes to talk to me about Sichuan hotpots, Kevin Smith, and what he looks for in a woman.


ERIK MORSE: I really like the idea of food tours, where you pick one food, and take one day to visit all the places where a great version of that food can be found.  If you were to do such a food tour, what food would you pick and what culinary destinations would you visit?

DAVID CHANG: I would do Sichuan hot pots and I would go to all the Sichuan restaurants throughout New York. I'd go to Flushing, Chinatown, Brooklyn and Manhattan. Spicy & Tasty and all the Grand Sichuans. There's probably about fifteen restaurants we'd have to check out.

MORSE: Have you ever done such a food tour before?

CHANG: Oh yeah. It's great for groups–and sweating heavily.

MORSE: Favorite vegetable?

CHANG: Daikon

MORSE: You use a lot of eggs in your cooking. Many people say that a great chef can be judged on his ability to perfectly cook an egg.  Would you agree with that, and what's your favorite way to cook an egg?

CHANG: I like eggs. My favorite way of cooking eggs is old school French. I love them soft boiled. I think you can probably make a good judgement call [about the quality of a chef] well before they actually even cook the egg. The process and organization leading up to cooking the egg can tell you a lot about the cook.

MORSE: If you had to pick a genre or period of time in film that embodies your cooking, what would it be?

CHANG: I really don't know. I think most people would probably say we were like fucking Kevin Smith: overrated and terrible. I like Kevin Smith, but it's sort of like anyone can do it.   

MORSE: What do you look for in a woman in terms of what she can do for you with food and cooking?

CHANG: I don't know. I just found out signing today that a girl I dated a couple of years back just got married. I mean, what the fuck? It's always a shock. I don't know.

MORSE: Is food a big part of the courting process for you?

CHANG: I have no idea.  I guess the question is can she deal with a neurotic weirdo like myself.  Not the other way around.