RAY SUAREZ: As an African child who is adopted into Sweden — one of the whitest places in the world basically…you were aware of color and the difference it made, but it never crushed you. You were very realistic about it, but unsentimental about it. And that’s a tough line to walk. You’ve got it, even though there is no reason why you should have got it so young but you did. How did that happen?
MARCUS SAMUELSSON: I think it’s not just because of me, but it’s because of my parents. You know, my father — we talked about this a lot — he had to constantly prepare me for the workplace. That was his job to me more than anything, give me the work ethics. I was prepared, but also he understood that being a black child is not necessarily fair but so many things in life are not just fair. As a chef I like bitter, but in life you can’t get stuck on bitter.
