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. With Noodler
Posted Under: Obituaries
Yesterday the Times ran its obit on Momofuku Ando, who died last Friday. He was the inventor of instant Ramen noodles. The company he founded, Nissin Food Products Company, “sold 46.3 billion packs and cups around the world last year, earning $131 million in profits.”
Ramen noodles are of course associated with college students, and I had a very brief Ramen moment in my college days. But I never really cared for them. One interesting tidbit in the obit about the product’s global success:
Chicken was the prime ingredient in Nissin’s global success. “By using chicken soup, instant ramen managed to circumvent religious taboos when it was introduced in different countries,” Mr. Ando wrote. “Hindus may not eat beef and Muslims may not eat pork, but there is not a single culture, religion or country that forbids the eating of chicken.”
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Reader Comments
NPR did an interesting piece on Mr Ando as well…
Ramen is also closely tied to the U.S. prison experience, probably every prison in America sells the noodles on commissary (a bargain @ $.25). And, interestingly enough, going to prison for some segments of the population is as much a right of passage as going to college is for other segments. Anyway, look for my new program, ‘Ghetto Chef,’ on the Food Network in the near future. Ramen will feature heavily.
I’m pleased to see Cousin Lymon weighing in. Readers may be interested to know that in private correspondence he offered additional details about his new show:
” ghetto chef will feature emeril style catch phrases such as ‘crunk it up a notch’. also, instead of ‘bam,’ ghetto chef will simply fire a round into the live studio audience as a means of expressing his exuberance.”
I’ll be watching.