I was a restaurant kid surrounded by delicious Chinese food mmm mm m… and I hated it.

Yes, Contest Master, my fellow Toastmasters and ALL Chinese food lovers! I was that stinky kid with the big wonton face, but eventually, I learned to love who I was. Everybody in my family was in the restaurant business and they all went to the same university – UCLA – anyone know that university? Oh, not THAT UCLA, this was the University of Chinese Food in Los Angeles.

In school, other kids would call me names. Egg roll boy, wonton face, and here comes the fortune cookie man! I hated it! And they’d pull pranks too: Like Bobby Zukoski, my friend since 1^st grade, called the restaurant pretending to be an old lady. “Hi, I’d like to order 200 egg rolls for my party. Yes, my number is 283-5555.” Then nobody came to pick them up! Man, I had to eat egg rolls for breakfast, lunch and dinner for 2 weeks straight because of Zukoski! Hey, I thought he was my friend?

After school, while the other kids played, I had to work. Sometimes I’d try and make work fun. I’d make my own hip hop music in the kitchen. “Yo homeboy, is that a hat in your apron or are you just happy to see me? It’s a hat in my apron. Now kick it!” Lobster fried rice with some chicken and beef, crab rangoons with a side of dumpling. Hot & Sour soup, don’t you make it spicy. You wash it all down with a cherry Pepsi! My Mom would say, “Shut up and get back to work!”

Life wasn’t easy, but don’t feel bad for me. Being the owner’s son, I was a VIP. But my said I wasn’t a VIP, I was the VPG… that’s right…Vice President… of Garbage. I stank so bad that not even garbage wanted to be my friend. Easy fix with some cologne right? Wrong. When I put on cologne, I smelled even worse! Hey Eric, why does your cologne smell like Gucci Fried Rice? I remember asking God every day, “God, why wasn’t I born into a rich family?” Is my sole mission on earth to work, eat and stink? Well, look, I’ve been doing that and I’m sick of it!

So this was my life all the way up through college. I hated the restaurant. I hated my life. I hated myself. I wanted to run away. And finally, when I graduated college and scored a real job, I was gone. (Throws apron) I’m not the fortune cookie man anymore!

Life outside of the restaurant was great! In just a couple of years, I was makin’ it happen. But as with any job, there was stresses and headaches. I gotta admit, there were days I really missed the simplicity of being just a restaurant kid. I started to realize that much of my success today was actually due to my experiences as a restaurant kid and not due to my awesome chinese food rapping!

In 2003, things took a turn. I was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. In order to take care of me, my mom sold the restaurant. Sold the restaurant? How could she sell the restaurant? I never imagined the place where I grew up, did my homework, and got my first promotion, Gone! I remember walking through the dark empty restaurant depressed and still in denial. Where are the egg rolls? Where’s all the stinky garbage? When I saw something… (grab apron) Still stinky! Why is it so tight? This feel great. How do I look? It was at that moment, for the first time in my life that I loved who I was. I was the restaurant kid and nobody can take that away from me. Nobody.

Two year went by. The cancer was gone. But what did I learn from all of this? I learned that no matter who you are, no matter what you dislike about yourself – maybe you smelled a little like I did – maybe you eat a little too much like I do – or maybe it’s something deeper. We should love who we are. Love yourself like I love I love being the restaurant kid, but don’t eat 200 egg rolls like I did. I’ll get you Zukoski! Where is he? I love being the restaurant kid so much that I’m even considering going to get my PhD at THE OTHER UCLA! Remember my friends, love who you are. Contest Master!