Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Andrew and David Fung

Known together as The Fung Brothers, David, 28, and Andrew, 26, have parlayed their successful YouTube presence to television. The siblings explore their love of delicious, affordable food as they travel across the United States on their new FYI Network series, "What the Fung?!"

"We were lucky enough to grow up in a house where both parents were into cooking," says David, who was raised in Washington. "I'd definitely hop on a flight back to Seattle for some steamed salmon fish and Dungeness crab real quick." Andrew adds that he would love to revisit the Gum Moon Ting restaurant in Hong Kong to devour the xiao long bao dumplings.

Stay in touch with the Fung Brothers via their website (http://fungbrothers.com/), Twitter (https://twitter.com/FungBros) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/thefungbros).

Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?

A. David: As a family, we used to take long, five-hour car trips that drove me crazy. I'm almost positive I will not be doing anything similar with my future family, because I hate driving.

Q. What's the most important thing you've learned from your travels?

A. Andrew: That Americans can be really ignorant to the rest of the world. We've got the top culture of the world that most everyone else tries to copy and I think that makes us arrogant in our perspective. But the globe is so huge and diverse. There's so much to learn.

David: There're so many talented entertainers in nameless countries that are totally being underrated. I think being American is such a huge advantage, because not only do we have a huge domestic market that is high-income, but also American culture is considered an international export to almost every market. You can't say the same for these smaller places. They've got a tiny domestic market and not much reach elsewhere due to language and culture barriers. But those are the cards in life. We're all dealt different hands.

Q. Have you traveled to a place that stood out so much that it gave you a new perspective?

A. David: Mainland China is such a crazy place. It's the country with the most people in the world and it was pretty much shut off from the world. Just seeing that tremendous change firsthand was fascinating.

Andrew: Singapore really changed my perspective, because it's not just a place for local Singaporeans, but it's a global hub. I could talk for days about that. Most Americans don't even know a single thing about Southeast Asia, so to be engaging with this region deeply is mind-blowing.

Q. If you've ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?

A. Andrew: There was that one time we went to Hong Kong for Christmas. Obviously they interpret the holiday completely different than we do here and it's more like Black Friday with lights but, yo; I never really got to see any family growing up so it was good.

Q. What are your five favorite cities?

A. Andrew and David: Los Angeles, New York City, Singapore, Shanghai, Tapei. We are Chinese, so (this list is) totally biased in that we could actually communicate in (Chinese) with (people) in those cities. (This) is totally important in how much you enjoy a city. If I could speak every language in the world, maybe (our) answers would be different.

Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?

A. Andrew: Kuala Lumpur is definitely near the top of the list for me. I think we'll make it out there within the next year. But, really, everywhere.

Q. What is your guilty pleasure when you're on the road?

A. David: Perrier water. I wouldn't buy that back in Los Angeles, because then I'd have to buy it for the whole office and that would get expensive. But, on the road, it really just eases the pains of traveling.

Q. When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?

A. Andrew: On the plane: Eye drops, face wipes, gum, mouthwash, floss picks, spray-can water, moisturizer, Wisps (disposable toothbrushes). Trust me. If you put that all in a little plastic bag and put it in the pouch in front of you, it's going to make your flight way more enjoyable.

Q. What is your best worst vacation memory?

A. David: The car rides, yo; the car rides. America needs to step up its public transportation infrastructure game. (Laughs)

========

(Jae-Ha Kim is a New York Times bestselling author and travel writer. You can respond to this column by visiting her website at www.jaehakim.com. You may also follow "Go Away With..." on Twitter at @GoAwayWithJae where Jae-Ha Kim welcomes your questions and comments.)