--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My mom wasn't a good cook. No, that was…" description: "\"My mom wasn't a good cook. No, that was an understatement. She was really horrible. And in a Chinese family, that's a disaster.\" — Alvin Leung" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32c/alvin-leung-5636_disaster_my-mom-wasn-t-a-good-cook-no-that-was-an_1639738.jpg" --- # My mom wasn't a good cook. No, that was an understatement… ![“My mom wasn't a good cook. No, that was an understatement. She was really horrible. And in a Chinese family, that's a disaster.” quote by Alvin Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32c/alvin-leung-5636_disaster_my-mom-wasn-t-a-good-cook-no-that-was-an_1639738.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32c/alvin-leung-5636_disaster_my-mom-wasn-t-a-good-cook-no-that-was-an_1639738.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32c/alvin-leung-5636_disaster_my-mom-wasn-t-a-good-cook-no-that-was-an_1639738.jpg) > “My mom wasn't a good cook. No, that was an understatement. She was really horrible. And in a Chinese family, that's a disaster.” [Alvin Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-leung/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A mother’s poor cooking, especially in a Chinese family, is portrayed humorously as a disaster. **In simple terms:** Mother’s cooking is terrible. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and improve cooking skills. Themes family food humor Mood lighthearted critical Type humorous reflective When to use this quote - family meals - cooking lessons - cultural expectations Key Concepts cooking competence family expectations Questions to Reflect On - What steps can improve cooking? - How does family culture affect expectations? A Different Perspective Humor may downplay genuine frustration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chinese Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese-family-556538/) [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-disaster-556536/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-cook/) [Horrible Chinese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horrible-chinese-556537/) [Mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mom/) [She](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/she/) ## Related quotes > [“So my sister, she slipped through the cracks of the disaster of our family. She became her own disaster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/so-my-sister-she-slipped-through-the-cracks-of-the-disaster-of-our/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [Tom: I don't know how to tell you this, but... there's a Chinese family in our bathroom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/500-days-of-summer/tom-i-don-t-know-how-to-tell-you-this-but-there-s-a-chinese-family-in/) [500) Days Of Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/500-days-of-summer/) > [I grew up in a Chinese family where the parents' No. 1 priority is the kids' education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weili-dai/i-grew-up-in-a-chinese-family-where-the-parents-no-1-priority-is-the/) [Weili Dai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weili-dai/) > [Growing up in a Singaporean Chinese family, for me food is almost the primary means of communication between family members, both immediate and extended...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leong/growing-up-in-a-singaporean-chinese-family-for-me-food-is-almost-the/) [Melissa Leong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leong/) > [“You a good cook, Vegas?” I gripped the back of his neck. “You better believe it. You won’t know whether you want me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-levine/you-a-good-cook-vegas-i-gripped-the-back-of-his-neck-you-better/) [Nina Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-levine/) > [Very good cooks who are employed as 'chefs' rarely refer to themselves as 'chefs.' They refer to themselves as 'cooks.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/very-good-cooks-who-are-employed-as-chefs-rarely-refer-to-themselves/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) > [A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-schiaparelli/a-good-cook-is-like-a-sorceress-who-dispenses-happiness/) [Elsa Schiaparelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-schiaparelli/) > [I'm a really good cook. I left home to start my career at 15 - so my choices were to either learn to cook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-pressly/i-m-a-really-good-cook-i-left-home-to-start-my-career-at-15-so-my/) [Jaime Pressly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-pressly/) > [I always ask at once, 'Do you drink?' and if she says 'No,' I bow politely and say I am sorry but I fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-whistler/i-always-ask-at-once-do-you-drink-and-if-she-says-no-i-bow-politely/) [James Whistler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-whistler/) > [You don't have to be a chef or even a particularly good cook to experience proper kitchen alchemy: the moment when ingredients combine to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-chef-or-even-a-particularly-good-cook-to/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [I kind of do not like the word chef. Chef, giving you a sense of hierarchy and power. To be a good cook and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominique-crenn/i-kind-of-do-not-like-the-word-chef-chef-giving-you-a-sense-of/) [Dominique Crenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominique-crenn/) > [My mom's always been a good cook, so I took a lot of stuff from her, but most of the stuff I took from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-kane/my-mom-s-always-been-a-good-cook-so-i-took-a-lot-of-stuff-from-her/) [Christian Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-kane/) > [When you try to become a good cook, in the beginning, most likely the dish is not going to be good. But you keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jannik-sinner/when-you-try-to-become-a-good-cook-in-the-beginning-most-likely-the/) [Jannik Sinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jannik-sinner/) > [Being such a good cook that even the fire alarm cheers you on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-such-a-good-cook-that-even-the-fire-alarm-cheers-you-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are some things that I like, like education, wine, and I'd like to be a good cook, although I'm a pretty good eater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wagoner/there-are-some-things-that-i-like-like-education-wine-and-i-d-like-to/) [Rick Wagoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wagoner/) ## More by Alvin Leung > [You have to be confident to be successful... I am somewhat confident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/you-have-to-be-confident-to-be-successful-i-am-somewhat-confident/) [Alvin Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-leung/) > [When I'm in the moment, I'm in the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/when-i-m-in-the-moment-i-m-in-the-moment/) [Alvin Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-leung/) > [I loved Batman as a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/i-loved-batman-as-a-kid/) [Alvin Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-leung/) > [The core of who I am is Canadian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/the-core-of-who-i-am-is-canadian/) [Alvin Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-leung/) > [I don't sleep. I have a notepad next to my bed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/i-don-t-sleep-i-have-a-notepad-next-to-my-bed/) [Alvin Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-leung/) > [If you only use rich and luxurious ingredients, you end up with excess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/if-you-only-use-rich-and-luxurious-ingredients-you-end-up-with-excess/) [Alvin Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-leung/) > [I don't like it when people tell me I'm wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/i-don-t-like-it-when-people-tell-me-i-m-wrong/) [Alvin Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-leung/) > [Lowbrow ingredients don't equal inexpensive or not tasty food. In fact, it requires even more skill to make something simple into something spectacular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/lowbrow-ingredients-don-t-equal-inexpensive-or-not-tasty-food-in-fact/) [Alvin Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-leung/) > [I can't remember a dish my mother made that to me was pleasant. To this day I have a phobia of instant noodles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/i-can-t-remember-a-dish-my-mother-made-that-to-me-was-pleasant-to/) [Alvin Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-leung/) > [I travel on 150 flights a year; I am everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/i-travel-on-150-flights-a-year-i-am-everywhere/) [Alvin Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-leung/) > [Chinese parents always think you can do better. But it comes from wanting you to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/chinese-parents-always-think-you-can-do-better-but-it-comes-from/) [Alvin Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-leung/) > [When I first got two stars, I didn't think I deserved it. Now I have three I think I am worthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/when-i-first-got-two-stars-i-didn-t-think-i-deserved-it-now-i-have/) [Alvin Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-leung/) > [A lot of people who come to my restaurant bring their parents over because it brings back good memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/a-lot-of-people-who-come-to-my-restaurant-bring-their-parents-over/) [Alvin Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-leung/) > [There are never enough minutes in the day for what I want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/there-are-never-enough-minutes-in-the-day-for-what-i-want-to-do/) [Alvin Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-leung/) > [The stock from a pigeon is unique. It's much better than quail or duck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/the-stock-from-a-pigeon-is-unique-it-s-much-better-than-quail-or-duck/) [Alvin Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-leung/) [Explore all 100 Alvin Leung quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-leung/) ## More Disaster quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [One of the undervalued contributors to Trump's stunning 2016 victory was the masterful performance Pence had in his debate against Hillary Clinton running mate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-hemingway/one-of-the-undervalued-contributors-to-trump-s-stunning-2016-victory/) [Mollie Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-hemingway/) > [You know, we can't beat ISIS. We can't do anything. We can't take care of our vets. We can't have good health care. "Obama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-know-we-can-t-beat-isis-we-can-t-do-anything-we-can-t-take-care/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [My mind shrank from the menace sweeping down on us, as children's do from belief in death and misfortune, vainly clinging to the fancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-pankhurst/my-mind-shrank-from-the-menace-sweeping-down-on-us-as-children-s-do/) [Sylvia Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-pankhurst/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“She was—of course—perfectly normal— quiet and polite and reasonably intelligent and...normal and self destructive and lonely and terrified of every thing And she loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tah-the-trickster/she-was-of-course-perfectly-normal-quiet-and-polite-and-reasonably/) [Tah the Trickster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tah-the-trickster/) > [Obviously, it's my goal to be the top scorer in the Bundesliga, but it wouldn't be a disaster if I didn't achieve that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-gomez/obviously-it-s-my-goal-to-be-the-top-scorer-in-the-bundesliga-but-it/) [Mario Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-gomez/) > [Yes, life in Chechnya so far looks more like a life after a natural disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/yes-life-in-chechnya-so-far-looks-more-like-a-life-after-a-natural/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [Even disasters -- there are always disasters when you travel -- can be turned into adventures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/even-disasters-there-are-always-disasters-when-you-travel-can-be/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [We are always just one successful terrorist attack away from a nuclear disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/we-are-always-just-one-successful-terrorist-attack-away-from-a/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Architects mostly work for privileged people, people who have money and power, Power and money are invisible, so people hire us to visualize their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-ban/architects-mostly-work-for-privileged-people-people-who-have-money/) [Shigeru Ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-ban/) > [The only aspect of our travels that is interesting to others is disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-gellmanmartha-gellman/the-only-aspect-of-our-travels-that-is-interesting-to-others-is/) [Martha GellmanMartha Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-gellmanmartha-gellman/) [Browse all 2,239 Disaster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My mom wasn't a good cook. No, that was an understatement. She was really horrible. And in a Chinese family, that's a disaster.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alvin Leung" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/my-mom-wasn-t-a-good-cook-no-that-was-an-understatement-she-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Disaster" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/my-mom-wasn-t-a-good-cook-no-that-was-an-understatement-she-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32c/alvin-leung-5636_disaster_my-mom-wasn-t-a-good-cook-no-that-was-an_1639738.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32c/alvin-leung-5636_disaster_my-mom-wasn-t-a-good-cook-no-that-was-an_1639738.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32c/alvin-leung-5636_disaster_my-mom-wasn-t-a-good-cook-no-that-was-an_1639738.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My mom wasn't a good cook. No, that was an understatement. She was really horrible. And in a Chinese family…” — Alvin Leung", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alvin Leung", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-leung/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My mom wasn't a good cook....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/my-mom-wasn-t-a-good-cook-no-that-was-an-understatement-she-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-leung/my-mom-wasn-t-a-good-cook-no-that-was-an-understatement-she-was/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```