THE RAMEN REVOLUTION: Oodles of Asian noodles
Elyse Coleman / Contributing Writer
Issue date: 10/1/07 Section: Life!
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Ramen noodles have often been referred to as a staple food for college students: it doesn't cost much and requires no culinary prowess other than knowing how to boil water.
"I think, just like in Japanese culture, ramen's become a decent way to grab a quick and cheap meal," said Ed Wu, proprietor of The Ramen Blog & Other Goodies (www.ramenramenramen.net). "Of course you can't even mention ramen any more without instantly associating it with college students."
Its popularity among college students has led to its incorporation into American culture. For a decade, a giant steaming cup of Nissin's Cup Noodle could be seen in Times Square.
Currently in post-production is The Ramen Girl, a movie about an American woman (Britney Murphy) who decides to be a ramen chef after she is abandoned in Tokyo. It's loosely based on the 1985 Japanese film Tampopo.
Hungry students can find two major producers of instant ramen in the United States, Nissin Foods and Maruchan, whose products are available in most grocery stores. Nissin Foods was the first company to produce instant ramen; instant noodles themselves were invented by the company's founder, Momofuku Ando, and first appeared in 1958 as a packaged block of hardened noodles known as Top Ramen.
Today, these "ramen bricks" are available in a wide variety of flavors - from chicken to picante shrimp - Cup Noodles, another ramen option, comes in its own portable cup. As of 2006, more than 25 billion servings of Cup Noodles have been sold worldwide since its release in 1971.
"I personally prefer Cup Noodles over Top Ramen," said senior Dahyana Villalobos. "Though I do find the broth a bit salty. I ordinarily pour out the broth and just eat the noodles."
Ramen consists of much more than dried, precooked noodles, though. The non-instant variety is a large noodle dish served in one of four broths: shiro (salt), tonkotsu (pork bone), shoyu (soy sauce) and miso (soybean paste). Commonly included are slices of pork, hardboiled eggs, bean sprouts, seaweed and kamaboko (fish cakes).
"I think, just like in Japanese culture, ramen's become a decent way to grab a quick and cheap meal," said Ed Wu, proprietor of The Ramen Blog & Other Goodies (www.ramenramenramen.net). "Of course you can't even mention ramen any more without instantly associating it with college students."
Its popularity among college students has led to its incorporation into American culture. For a decade, a giant steaming cup of Nissin's Cup Noodle could be seen in Times Square.
Currently in post-production is The Ramen Girl, a movie about an American woman (Britney Murphy) who decides to be a ramen chef after she is abandoned in Tokyo. It's loosely based on the 1985 Japanese film Tampopo.
Hungry students can find two major producers of instant ramen in the United States, Nissin Foods and Maruchan, whose products are available in most grocery stores. Nissin Foods was the first company to produce instant ramen; instant noodles themselves were invented by the company's founder, Momofuku Ando, and first appeared in 1958 as a packaged block of hardened noodles known as Top Ramen.
Today, these "ramen bricks" are available in a wide variety of flavors - from chicken to picante shrimp - Cup Noodles, another ramen option, comes in its own portable cup. As of 2006, more than 25 billion servings of Cup Noodles have been sold worldwide since its release in 1971.
"I personally prefer Cup Noodles over Top Ramen," said senior Dahyana Villalobos. "Though I do find the broth a bit salty. I ordinarily pour out the broth and just eat the noodles."
Ramen consists of much more than dried, precooked noodles, though. The non-instant variety is a large noodle dish served in one of four broths: shiro (salt), tonkotsu (pork bone), shoyu (soy sauce) and miso (soybean paste). Commonly included are slices of pork, hardboiled eggs, bean sprouts, seaweed and kamaboko (fish cakes).
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Kanna
posted 10/05/07 @ 5:27 PM EST
So the person who invent Instant noodles was Momofuku Ando?
I'm doing a research report on him, but I want to make sure I've got the right person who invent Instant Ramen noodles. (Continued…)
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