Tigers and Cranes

instant ramen.

where would we be without instant noodle and all its different variations on the theme? surely it ranks up there in the pantheon of processed quick foods, requiring only that h20 of boiling variety is required for an instant meal.

truly a dish for the working man, a slob, a student, preternally lazy and the hurried, from its humble origins in post war japan to dizzying variety one can get all across the world.

in japan, i don’t care what anyone says, nissin curry cup ramen rules the roost. i’m so lazy as to just pop it in a microwave oven, because i don’t want the hassle of boiling water. the label clearly says that such cooking methods are actions of a deranged daredevil, but that’s the kind of reckless dude i am.

or, look at korea, with its ever present escalation of fiery assault on your tastebuds. it’s a point of a pride for many ramen makers in korea to make the damn most spicy noodles known to mankind. you can use the stuff to peel paint off on a wall. i think they may actually concoct new spicy chemicals just to see how manly you are.

here’s a spicy one.

but none of these would have been possible without one mr. ando momofuku. the inventor of instant noodle passed away on january 5th, and the world is poorer for it.

TOKYO — Momofuku Ando, the Japanese inventor of instant noodles - a dish that has sustained American college students for decades - has died. He was 96.

Nissin Food Products Co., the company Ando founded, said on its Web site that he died Friday after suffering a heart attack.

Born in Taiwan, Ando founded his company in 1948 from a humble family operation. Faced with food shortages in post-World War II Japan, Ando thought a quality, convenient noodle product would help feed the masses.

In 1958, his “Chicken Ramen” - the first instant noodle - was introduced after many trials. Following its success, the company added other products, such as the “Cup Noodle” in 1971.

“The Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum” opened in 1999 in Ikeda City in western Japan commemorating his inventions.

i’ve personally reached the next level in the ancient art of ramen-do. for an intrepid noodle journeyman like myself, having mastered the vagaries of ramen-ism has elevated me to the ranks of yakisoba san. it’s a ramen art that requires multiple steps beyond what simple pouring of hot water into a styrofoam container entails, where patience is a sacred virtue as well as reverentially bowing to the rite of draining hot water out of the yakisoba bowl as you contemplate the fleeting moment that is required to cook the block of soba. all thanks to the invention of mr. ando.

so please, next time you bring your yellow, curly scalding hot strands of noodles to your lips, say a little prayer of thanks to the man who made it possible for all of us hopelessly weak in cook-fu to enjoy a square meal on the cheap.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 10th, 2007 at 1:10 am and is filed under korea, japan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.