January 6, 2007
Momofuku Ando, 1910-2007
Time to review Andrew Simone’s “secret to making good Ramen” and reflect upon Momofuku Ando.
The inventor of instant noodles, Momofuku Ando, has died in Japan, aged 96, of a heart attack . . . .
He developed his first instant noodles, Chicken Ramen, in 1958.
The product came out as Japan recovered from the ravages of World War II and began a long period of economic expansion.
It was the masterstroke of providing a waterproof polystyrene container for the noodles that made his Cup Noodle an instant success in 1971.
Nissin has led the global instant noodle industry since then, selling 85.7 billion servings every year, according to Agence France Presse.
His firm also developed a version of Cup Noodle for Japanese astronauts to eat on the space shuttle Discovery in 2005.
In 1999, Mr Ando opened a museum in Osaka devoted to instant noodles.
He retired as Nissin’s chairman in 2005.
Japanese newspapers and business people have been paying tribute to Mr Ando.
“He was a self-made man who developed an epoch-making instant noodle product and spread it to all corners of the world,” Akio Nomura, chairman of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Kyodo news agency.
comments
Of course, if you don’t like BHT and other preservatives with your noodles, ‘whole-food’ ramen noodles are available (for a price).
But then, considering Mr. Ando’s longevity, maybe preservatives have their place after all.
I have had the ‘whole-food’ Ramen before and it is not bad. However, eating bad Ramen can be fun too.
Oh, yeah. And after all, the idea of being a Ramen snob is pretty comical.
That much said, I do like the Mitoku brand.
I am not familiar with it but I will have to give it a try. There is an incredible Asian market just outside of Princeton which will beckon me upon my return.
Today’s Lunch:
Maruchan Brand: Picante Chicken Flavor
Andrew, wanna trade lunches?
I am just now (honest truth) putting the finishing touch (a lavish splash of rice vinegar) on a lunch of Mitoku-brand Seaweed Ramen into which I have dumped extra kombu seaweed, a fair amount of diced-up tofu, and a generous amount of brown rice.
All of a sudden it seems dull and virtuous compared with your Picante Chicken Maruchan.
Maybe all my lunch really needs is a sprinkling of some wacky Japanese snack food like squid crackers.
Squid Crackers would do it…and I wish we could trade lunches, there wasn’t enough Picante flavor (the package cost me 25 cents).
Well, there’s plenty of leftover Seaweed Ramen w/rice ‘n’ tofu here at my house.
Plenty.
Well, the leftovers have been sitting since early afternoon.
Dare I run out and buy some Squid Crackers in order to create a profoundly disturbing Toxic Avenger Casserole — some frightening “Think Globally, Act as Though Devoid of Taste” version of Turkey Tetrazzini?
Heh. It is a disturbing thought. Honestly, I had no idea that Squid Crackers existed but, I suppose, it does make sense.
Didn’t know about squid crackers, eh?
Well, you know, it actually makes me feel kind of good to know that you haven’t been dipping into taquitos.net over the past I-don’t-know-how-many-years. It certainly heightens my respect for you.
Unfortunately, I do know about bad-candy.com
Well, you really don’t want to go in for deep exploration of the world of bad snacks. It is a vast and trackless waste.