Essentials: Eddie Huang of Baohaus

Food, travel, knowledge and laughter are just a few of the many joys this wild world offers. If I can consume as much of these as possible as I drunkenly travel the course of life, I’d say it was a pretty successful endeavor. But what if I told you this can all be done from the comforts of your quaint shag pad? Well, not exactly, but television sure makes it seem that way. Chefs like Gordan Ramsay, Andrew Zimmerman and Anthony Bourdain are but a few culinarians who’ve leveraged their worldly food-related experiences into television stardom, navigating the world to reveal obscure cultures, eats, chefs and much more, whilst sprinkling in a dash of drama and humor along the way. Although these gentlemen may be the real life personifications of “the most interesting man in the world,” there hasn’t been anyone in this globetrotting genre that directly aligns with our young HYPEBEASTs of the world. Nevertheless, that all changed when brothers Evan and Eddie Huang opened Baohaus – a Taiwanese-infused American dining experience in the Lower Eastside of New York – exposing Eddie’s audaciously easygoing personality to the masses.

After quitting his burgeoning lawyer career, Eddie decided to return to the profession his father assumed for much of his life: a restaurateur. Opening an eatery in a 400-square-foot, subterranean bomb shelter that didn’t just sell Americanized baos, but instead acted as a mouth piece for the social, cultural and political issues they cared for. Just about three years later the Taiwanese-American now has a second Baohaus location in the East Village, a well-trafficked blog that touches on everything from Asian stereotypes and fine cuisine to Dr. Huxtable-grade marijuana and Ghostface Killah lyrics, a web series on Vice, and a memoir, all under his Fresh Off The Boat tag. And did I mention this guy is a comedic genius fluent in all thug life doings? In any light, Eddie Huang is happy to assumed the fly, cultured cousin we all wish to rage with, opening our eyes to an array of subject matters the younger audience actually cares for. So to highlight a few of his toting must-haves and personal necessities, Eddie links with HYPEBEAST to continue our ongoing Essentials series. Whether he’s coolin’ out smoking a clip to a game of NBA 2K12 or traveling the world in a pair of Jeremy Scotts documenting his experiences with a Cartier pen, Eddie will continue to entertain us, stuffing our face with foreign foods and intellectually hilarious anecdotes.