Tags: Food, Video

"The noodle isn't just a meal. It's a steaming hot celebration of texture and flavor. We understand the noodle better than anyone. With Top Ramen and Cup Noodles, we taught an entire generation that quality ramen noodle soup is never more than three minutes away." (Nissin Food Products Co).

Hear hear, as I slurp away another spoonful of chicken ramen.

Funny, I was never a fan of instant noodles. My college years poverty-food was always a endless row of stale cheese sandwiches or occasionally, when craving for decent dinner stuff, a frozen 'saté' I heated in the watercooker (Do Not Cook!). And later when traveling, and still on a budget, I always went for at least something freshly cooked, cut or chopped by street stall ladies, that without exception had that warm but tired smile of a grandma managing the grandkids to empty there plate full of veggies.

I guess it was the instant in the noodle always that ticked me of, putting it high in the order of crappy mystery food, just under tv-dinners and Jell-O pudding. Also, it was, hey still is, convenient food. And at a certain age you just don't want to be associated with anything remotely convenient. Nah, you want the raw thing, to kick ass, so shove that future astronaut food your parents presented as the killer invention. I know for todays teenage kids that may sound a bit crazy ("duuuuh?), but really there was a whole generation that spat on anything plasticy like corporate fast food. McDonalds, same thing, a big no no; better starve then to be seen there. Amazing eh?

But nowadays, I can't seem to get enough of it.

Why? I like to think it has something to do with the death early this year of Mr Noodle himself, Mr Momofuku Ando (安藤百福). And as things go, global fame peaks when a fresh corpse is involved. So reading his obituary and the numerous web articles that followed, a unique personal story got unfolded and in my subconscious I likely realized eating another cup makes me part of history; that this is not just some snack, no, this is post war heroism melting in my mouth.

Ah well, perhaps the reason is more down to earth, lesser psycho history deep. That this munching just triggers memories of gone airplane-rides. Yeah, that midnight cup you collect in a bumpy Chinese Airlines 747, sent back to your chair with the biggest of stewardess smiles: "You're welcome sir." Nowhere does a cup noodles taste better then in the dark at 10 k height.

From mystery food to memory food, gosh, my life has took a strange turn.

Tags: Food, Japan, Nostalgia