No matter how crazy that path looks, you can't deny it.

無論這條路看起來有多瘋狂，你都無法否認。

I've always had this life that has been very unpredictable.

我的生活總是變幻莫測。

And there was something about moving to Louisville, Kentucky, even though it was a crazy idea, felt right to me. I had no friends, no contacts, and took over a restaurant in the worst neighborhood for a fine dining restaurant and was quickly told that I would not last three months here.

搬到肯塔基州的路易斯維爾，雖然是個瘋狂的想法，但我還是覺得很合適。我沒有朋友，沒有人脈，在最糟糕的街區接手了一家高級餐廳，他們說我在這裡撐不過三個月。

That was 17 years ago. When you're born to traditional immigrant parents, being a chef is not exactly the first career choice.

那是 17 年前的事了。當你出生在傳統移民家庭時，廚師並不是你的第一職業選擇。

I have 20 generations of people on my shoulders saying, you're the first born in America, you can't squander your life.

我肩負著 20 代人的期望：你是美國的長子，你不能浪費生命。

My first entry into Korean culture was really through food.

我第一次接觸韓國文化其實是通過美食。

My grandmother and my mom cooked really traditional Korean food.

我外婆和我媽媽做的都是非常傳統的韓國菜。

So every time I come to Korea, it's always this chasing the flavors that I had as a kid.

所以我每次來韓國，都會追尋小時候的味道。

There was always this feeling that my connection to this heritage is unfinished, incomplete. I see life through a prism of food.

總有一種感覺，我與這一遺產的聯繫是未完成的、不完整的。我透過食物的稜鏡看待生活。

I remember eating collard greens for the first time in a soul food restaurant and feeling like I came home.

我記得第一次在一家靈魂食物餐廳吃油麥菜時，感覺就像回到了家。

The more I started to investigate southern food, the more I started to dig deeper into my history, what Korean food means to me.

我越是開始研究南方美食，就越是開始深入挖掘我的歷史，以及韓國美食對我的意義。

Food is one way I define myself as being Korean.

食物是我定義自己是韓國人的一種方式。

Even though the food is in my blood, culturally I'm not Korean.

儘管我的血液裡流淌著韓國食物的血液，但從文化上講，我並不是韓國人。

I have this position in life to be both an insider and an outsider when I'm here.

在這裡，我既是局內人，也是局外人。

I can see it from both perspectives.

我可以從兩個角度來看待這個問題。

I can see people and music, but until I sit down to a bowl of cold spicy noodles, I just get transported into my childhood.

我可以看到人和音樂，但直到我坐下來吃一碗冷辣醬面，我才會回到童年。

That's what it feels like to be in Korea.

這就是在韓國的感覺。

I'm here. Being in Korea is reconnecting with my own nostalgia.

我在這裡在韓國，我重新找回了自己的鄉愁。

But then the other part that's really important for me is also discovering what's new here.

但對我來說，真正重要的另一部分是發現這裡的新事物。

The perfect balance of innovation and heritage is one hand reaching forward but the other hand reaching back.

創新與傳承的完美平衡，就是一隻手向前伸，另一隻手向後伸。

For every time that we create something new, we have to go back and honor something old. As I get older, I don't want to stop growing.

每當我們創造出新的東西，我們就必須回到過去，尊重舊的東西。隨著年齡的增長，我不想停止成長。

And travel is a huge part of how I can get to the next chapter of my life.

而旅行是我邁向人生下一個篇章的重要途徑。

You put yourself in uncomfortable situations and you sort of peel back all these layers and you really get to the true definition of who you are.

你把自己放在不舒服的環境中，剝開所有這些層，你就能真正瞭解自己是誰。

Food is about experiences and memories.

食物關乎體驗和記憶。

It's the story I want to tell about my life. If I was walking down the road and there were two paths in front of me, I would always pick the path that was more adventurous.

這是我想要講述的人生故事。如果我走在路上，面前有兩條路，我總是會選擇更冒險的那條路。

I can't imagine being where I am today without traveling.

如果沒有旅行，我無法想象能有今天。

I could live out the rest of my life pleasing other people, taking the safe road, or I could pursue my dream and do what I really need to do. What I do know is what's inside my heart. For more UN videos visit www.un.org.

我可以一輩子取悅別人，走安全的路，也可以追求夢想，做我真正需要做的事。我所知道的就是我的內心。欲瞭解更多聯合國視頻，請訪問 www.un.org。