In 2009, noodle bars were the new sushi bars....sashima and spicy tuna rolls were old news. This is in part to over-fished (as well as overpriced) seafood, combined with the fact that consumers always want something more exciting, new, tastier and healthier. Especially when it is from the same country that started the raw fish craze.
Many college kids survive on ramen for days at a time, not just because it cheap and simple to make in under a couple of minutes, but also because it is surprisingly delicious. Nissin Food Products produce almost 100 billion packets of instant ramen every year, and gourmet ramen joints have sprung up in cities throughout America since 2008. This gourmet ramen is no comparison to the one that comes from the microwave; deep ceramic bowls hold rich golden broth, steaming underneath diced scallions, bamboo, corn, egg and meat.
Quick Ramen History
In the 1800s, Japan revised a simple noodle dish brought to them by China, and it quickly evolved among the working masses much like the hot dog in America, being sold from vendors all day, every day. In Japan, ramen is the ultimate comfort food, tantalizing tastebuds in more than 200,000 ramen shops.
The invention of instant ramen in 1958 was created by Momofuku Ando, an entrepreneur/philosopher. For more than a year he shut himself indoors, experimenting until he found the perfect way to dehydrate ramen noodles. As a matter of fact, in Japan his invention of instant ramen was voted the number one invention of the 21th century, surpassing votes for the Sony Walkman, the CD and the PC.
Ramen noodle bars first started popping up in New York almost five years ago, with the goal to provide the ultimate balance of a noodle dish: flavor, textures and heat. Since then, other noodles from Japan have found their place at these noodle bars, such as udon (thicker than ramen, made with wheat flour), pho (a dish made with thin white rice noodles), and soba (very thin, made with buckwheat), to name a few. These dishes have had current food trends pulled from dozens of other cultures, including the putting-a-fried-egg-on-top-of-everything phenomena that started in 1009.
The New Ramen Noodles
Forget the hot rich bowl of ramen, what about a chilled soba noodles with roasted lamb, a curry vinaigrette, toasted almonds and goat cheese, or a Chinese glass noodle soup with beef, shrimp and jalapeno? Or maybe wok-charred udon noodles with bamboo shoots, bacon dumplings and sweet corn.
Look for noodle bars popping up in local areas (if they haven't already) that are cozy, not too pricey and have a variety of noodle dishes to choose from. A bonus is if they use ingredients from local farmers markets in the area, or even local butchers. Some even have samplers so diners can try four to five small servings of different dishes.
And don't forget to eat at noodle bars in the traditional Japanese way! Typically, the Japanese technique is to grab a clump of the noodles with the chopsticks, hold it above the mouth and drop it in, sucking in the long strands.
Lauren Wise - Lauren Wise has a BA in Journalism with an emphasis on Media Analysis and Criticism from the Walter Cronkite School of ...
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