Hey Hey and a Big G'Day toya,

There are things that I’ve always thought about doing and have done.
Then there are those things that I’ve never thought about and ended up doing.

Spending the day at a vibrant Chinese market place helping friends sell instant noodles by the boxful defiantly falls under the latter. What I thought was going to be a rather dull time in fact turned out to be very entertaining especially when certain people (yours truly) began yelling out (in Chinese) 'Australian Kangaroo Noodles’ and people actually raced over expecting instant noodles with dried kangaroo meat, chili and flavour all in a plastic packet. Actually now that I think about it, that does sound like a gold mine if anyone is interested!

Shiny things, honestly they really do attract people.

One packet of noodles was three Yuan, if you spent ten Yuan you got four packets, if you purchased an entire box for thirty Yuan you got a free shiny silver steel basin (actually worth five Yuan from the store down the road). After the first hour the one thing that I began to notice was that the people passing by who obviously weren’t interested in purchasing noodles, after spotting the shiny silver steel basin changed direction, came bounding our way and after turning it around a few times and giving it a quick flick with their finger simply chose a box full of wax coated flavoured flour and walked away with such big happy smiles due to scoring a free shiny silver steel basin that actually cost them more than five Yuan!

The power of the shiny silver steel basin is undisputed;
Expect Captain America to be using one during his next endeavor.

Food festivals?
I’m so glad you mentioned them as we actually have one here at the moment.

I get all giddy when I see the tents and stalls being put up and each afternoon after class I race into the city to see if the gas is on and the woks are hot. The food and fun photos in this blog are from the food festival that is being held here for several weeks. I love Chinese food festivals so much, the fun part is usually geared towards the children but I’m happy to pass by throwing rings and catching plastic fish from a kiddie pool in favour of searching for the several new foods/snacks that I’ve never tried, gorging myself on huge meaty and seafood BBQ treats and slurping down noodles that have been cooked in woks almost as big as a football field.

No need to ask where I’ve been for dinner for the past week!

The Introduction of Ramen (Japanese) Noodles

Instant noodles (also known as instant ramen) are dried or precooked noodles and are often sold with packets of flavoring including seasoning oil. Dried noodles are usually eaten after being cooked or soaked in boiling water, while precooked noodles can be reheated or eaten straight from the packet.

Lamian: La (Chinese) = Pulling and stretching & Mian (Chinese) = Noodles.
Ramen: Men (Japanese) = All kind of noodles made of cereal flour.

In Asia, because noodles kept well, they could be cooked with the broth from chicken or hot water so they were a natural partner with broth based soups. The two most popular and enduring types of Asian noodle soups are the Chinese/Japanese ramen and the Vietnamese pho, made with rice noodles.

The Chinese shared noodles with the Japanese in the 19th century during the Meiji period. The Japanese dish was originally called ‘Lamen’, but was later referred to as ‘Ramen’, since there is no distinction between the 'L' and 'R' sounds in the Japanese language and it was a more popular way to express the word.

After the Second World War came an intense food shortage hit Japan which also became a turning point in the history of noodles. Ramen were perfect and greatly helped Japan, they were cheap and a great source of needed calories. A bit later, in 1958, Momofuku Ando, founder and chairman of Nissin Foods, invented the instant noodles, which are a lot closer to what we eat today. Along with karaoke and stereo headphones, Ramen Noodles have been named the greatest ‘invention made in Japan’ during the 20th century.

In 1971, Nissin then introduced the Cup of Noodles, instant noodles in a waterproof polystyrene cup, to which boiling water is added to cook the noodles. A further innovation added dried vegetables to the cup, creating a complete instant soup dish.

So, Who Eats The Most Instant Noodles?

 As of 2010, approximately ninety five billion servings of instant noodles are eaten worldwide every year. China consumes forty two billion packages of instant noodles per year (44% of world consumption) Indonesia consumes fourteen billion, the Japanese almost five and a half billion, the Vietnamese almost five billion and Americans four billion. Per capita, South Koreans consume the greatest amount of instant noodles, sixty nine per capita per year.

The Big Question: Are They Healthy?

There is a reason they are still the same price as when you were a child!

Instant noodles are often high in carbohydrates and extremely low in fiber, vitamins and minerals. They have high a level of saturated fat and trans fat, therefore not so good for your health due the high calorie and the use of MSG. Because they're nothing but flour stuck together with oil (along with flavouring) the actual noodles are usually fifty percent fat. Everyone does actually need some fat in their diet but for the same amount of fat that is in one packet of noodles, you could go all out and eat a nice steak with salad or vegetables or a bowl of pasta with sauce both of which will give you vitamins, fiber, protein and what every else you get from a ‘real meal’, but from the instant noodles you pretty much get nothing but the huge cost difference left in your pocket.

Lastly, once you have consumed instant noodles it takes four to five days to excrete the wax coating from the body…..Ewwwwww!

 Is There a Right Way to Cook Instant Noodles?

Supposedly if you boil the noodles then drain the water and repeat this process several times it will get rid of the wax coating but hey, they are called ‘Instant Noodles’ for a reason and anyone who wants to take the time to do the above really should purchase ‘Normal Noodles’, you know the ones that take about ten minutes to cook.

The actual worst part of an instant noodle dinner comes in the ‘flavor packet’ as this is where nearly all of the sodium comes from. Back when I used to cook and I had no real noodles I’d swap them for instant noodles and on a weekend after a big night I’d boil the instant noodles, throw out the flavor and oil packets, get the fry pan out, throw the noodles in with an egg, chopped tomato and bokchoy and/or Chinese cabbage along with diced beef or chicken.

If you have a coffee prior to and a big glass of water during/after;
It makes the perfect hangover cure.

Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum

The Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum is a museum dedicated to instant noodles and Cup Noodles, as well as its creator and founder, Momofuku Ando. The museum is located in Ikeda in Osaka, and is located within walking distance of Ikeda Station on the Hankyu-Takarazuka Line. Admission is free. There is also a Cup Noodles Museum located in Yokohama, which features four stories of fun-filled exhibitions and attractions. This location includes various exhibits to display the history of instant ramen and Momofuku Ando's story.

Both museums have an instant ramen workshop allowing visitors to make their own ‘fresh’ instant noodles (fresh as in just made). Reservations must be made in advance to enjoy this feature at the museum. There is also a noodle factory where visitors can assemble their own personal Cup Noodles from pre-made ingredients for a small fee.

Beers N Noodles toya…..shane
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The soundtrack to this entry was by MUSE
The album was ‘Black Holes & Revelations’
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