Eddie Huang is the proprietor of Baohaus. He hosts Fresh Off the Boat for VICE TV, hosted Cheap Bites for the Cooking Channel, and co-hosted episodes of Anthony Bourdains The Layover. Hes written for Eater.com, The New York Observer, Grantland, and his own popular blog. He lives in New York City.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we do not use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness.
I have never read a book where someone was being quite so straightforward, in-your-face, unselfconscious about their story. Huang has the confidence to respect the reader, not beat you over the head. It's not about whether you agree with all his ideas or positions, it's about thinking, considering, and being honest. His story is engaging and his ideas are both fresh and ancient. If I could carry a whole shelf of these in my classroom, I'd bug every student to read it. But then I'd probably lose my job and what would be the benefit? I'll just keep one, next to all the other stuff, and write in it "Your teacher does not officially recommend this book. Do not tell your parents you checked this out from me. Just READ IT." The rest of ya'll, buy the book, steal it from your friend, read it, and then go out and live an authentic life, however you see fit.
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent read and insight to the trials and tribulations of growing up as a minority in the US
25 March 2013 - Published on Amazon.com
Verified Purchase
I was fortunate enough to meet Eddie and this book very accurately describes him as a person. It's a refreshing and raw autobiography of what it is like to grow up as a minority in the US. I do enjoy that this is a not a book about bashing "the man", but about adapting to awkward situations/life. This book is really a perspective of the American dream and achieving your goals in life, as well as, the struggles to get there. I highly recommend this book to anyone.
Note: The language is pretty raw and uncut and i may not give this to a younger reader.
I had heard of Eddie Huang from an article in the newspaper, as well as his appearance on an Anthony Bourdain show. In reality, I had no idea who he was or what he represented. I was simply looking for a new book to read, and his story sounded somewhat interesting.
To be honest, the book sat in my bookshelf for months. I had tons of books to read, and this one didn't really make it in the rotation. Then, the night before I was supposed to get on a plane to NYC, I quickly scanned my books, desperately trying to find something that would kill the boredom on a 6 hour flight, and decided on a couple of books. At the end, the other book never saw the light, and as I write this review, I have no recollection what the other book was.
The minute I opened Fresh Off the Boat, I was hooked. Now, Eddie and I are very different. He grew up on the East Coast listening to hip hop. I grew up on the West Coast listening to anything but. He fought. I ran. He sold drugs. I had no idea what drugs were. His dad was a gangster. My dad couldn't kill a fly.
Despite all of these obvious differences, everything boiled down to one thing, and that is race. We were both Taiwanese American kids of restaurateurs. Getting picked on because your English sucks or because you eat with chopsticks can damage a child's psyche no matter who they are or what they do. Eddie's honest assessment of his childhood struck a chord with me. He may have dealt with this situation a lot differently than how I dealt with mine, but it was so nice to see that I wasn't the only one dealing with it. Obviously, immigrant children deal with this stuff all the time, but to be able to read it physically in a book, recounted in painstakingly great detail, left a huge impression with me.
Coincidentally, Eddie now owns a restaurant called Baohaus in NYC. After reading the book, I just had to go check it out for myself. I had just eaten a big lunch with a friend, but that didn't stop me from taking the subway to Baohaus and picking up another bite to eat. It was a reminder of my childhood, when I was still in Taiwan and race wasn't an issue. Unfortunately, Eddie wasn't around at that time, but merely being at Baohaus was already a pretty awesome experience. Not that I don't enjoy living in California, one of the most diverse states in the country, being a minority in a foreign country is always a struggle no matter what.
I really enjoyed reading Eddie's memoir because I found him to be a really fascinating person. His experiences have proved that anyone can transform their life with hard work and education. Eddie also introduced me to various Taiwanese foods such as soup dumplings and also the Taiwanese Dan-Dan Mian which is a spicy noodle with peppers, onions, and pork. The writing style of this book is also very interesting because it's written in a hip-hop voice with a combination of Chinese. However, readers should take caution because of the slang language that some may find awkward and hard to understand. Nevertheless, I really recommend "Fresh Off the Boat" and wish Eddie continued success in his restaurant, his book, and his blog. :)
I first fell for Eddie's brand of humor by watching him on his VICE TV show. I highly recommend this book everyone who likes that show. His voice is strong and as it's been said, You can HEAR him as you read this book. Anyone who grew up in the 80/90s will get a kick out of it. I'm not even through but I'm reading this puppy faster than ANY book I've read in a long time. Every chapter is just like an appetizer for the next. I have no doubt that when it comes to the ending though, he will leave me full and I'll be begging for him to stop making me cry laughing, can't take it... ( 我吃饱了) "I'm Full!"
