Father of instant ramen passes away

[Sasq]

Ando Momofuku, you may not know his name, but he has affected nearly everyones dietary habits, and possibly allowed many a college student to eat.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20070107a2.html

OSAKA (Kyodo) Momofuku Ando, the founder of Nissin Food Products Co. and inventor of instant ramen, died of heart failure Friday evening at a hospital in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, his family said. He was 96.

[Jessterw]

I believe I owe him my first born... or something of that nature.

Good to see he lived a full life.

[Dr Mordrid]

I sure ate a lot of his product in college , with a little added shrimp/pork etc..

[TnT]

Man no kidding. How many calories were provided to college students' brains via instant ramen?

[gt40]

Never even heard of it, but he seems to have lived a long and healthy life.

[Nowhere]

May he rest in peace...

(eating product of his genius now)

[Dr Mordrid]

Never even heard of it

contains this;



and a small packet of instant "soup", actually boullion. There are several varieties including beef, chicken, shrimp, "oriental" and others.

Boil water, add the noodles & soup mix and boil a couple of minutes. Also add meat, egg & veggies at your option. When done chow down. I like adding shrimp or shredded pork with some bok choy. China eats ~45 billion packs a year.

This has sustained college & med students in the US and Canada for decades, especially during exam crunch. It's probably the inspiration for most instant dry soups on the market (Cup o' Soup etc.).

Cost: $0.12 to $0.25 a meal, which with convenience is why students find it attractive.

[Jessterw]

Don't forget, it makes a pretty good dried snack that fills you up nicely. Probably better for you than a bag of chips or the like...

maybe

[TnT]

I believe the specific Nissin brand in the US is "Top Ramen". Nissin also make the Cup o' Noodle.

[Jessterw]

Top Ramen is indeed the major Nissin brand here and is probably the most popular as well (in that style, opposed to the cup/bowl variety).

There are also a few Chinese and other style brands out there as well, though the Chinese ones are rather similar to the Japanese brands (which isn't surprising given the origins of ramen).

[cjolley]

Oddly (considering how many years I was a university student ) I have never had a serving of that stuff.
Is it good or is it just salty?
I don't have much of a taste for salt and don't salt my food, or generally like salty food.

[Jessterw]

Yeah it's sorta salty in a way. The flavour varies based on what sort of soup packet you get with the noodles, but you could probably liken it to chicken broth or bullion cubes (in liquid form).

[Wombat]

Yeah, high sodium, fairly tasty, and takes all of 2 minutes to make, at ~400 calories a (20 cent) package.

[ZokesPro]

Oddly (considering how many years I was a university student ) I have never had a serving of that stuff.
Is it good or is it just salty?
I don't have much of a taste for salt and don't salt my food, or generally like salty food.

You can just cook the noodles and pour soy sauce over it, or add leek's, carrots, brocoli. The packets that come with it generally have msg and are salty, I tend to try differents variations.

[Dr Mordrid]

Oddly (considering how many years I was a university student ) I have never had a serving of that stuff.

Is it good or is it just salty?

I'm no salt fan either so I usually add just half the 'soup' pack. The extras add more than enough flavor to make up for it.