Tianjin chef a goodwill ambassador

“My dad is so professional! But I am always better than him; that, I wish!” Li wrote.

The young man earned his spot on the television show by serving the three judges Asian-inspired Scotch eggs, known as lion’s head meatballs, garnished with pickled radish.

“Although my hands look weird, like chicken feet, I am definitely not being a chicken in the kitchen!” Li wrote.

Since the first dish, Li has served up a slew of Chinese and Western foods to the delight of judges Gordon Ramsay, Aaron Sanchez and Joe Bastianich, all famous chefs in Europe and the Americas.

“Flying into the heaven isn’t enough for my hunger!” he tweeted. “Flying into the finale is my goal! It is my American dream!”

The show, on the Fox television network, began its ninth season with two dozen home cooks, many working in the food service industry or, like Li, with families in the business. Li is near the top of the pack of the remaining competitors.

One thing this television show is demonstrating is that China-US interaction goes far beyond the brouhaha over trade, which seems to grab all the headlines.

“There is no way to stop me cooking with my passion and love!” he wrote. “As a pilot, I will fly my Asian fusion cuisine to deliver to everyone’s heart with love!”

After all, he wrote, “It’s not how you start. It’s how you finish.”

Li Bowen posted this photo on his Twitter page showing him washing a crab during an episode of on Fox TV.