In Defense of Instant Ramen
Ramen houses are ubiquitous these days, but they won’t ever replace my instant ramen.
My love for cooking started at the age of 7 with instant ramen. It still has a soft spot in my heart and a place in my pantry. As an immigrant latchkey kid growing up in Southern California, there were many hours to pass and a hungry tummy to fill. I became good friends with George and “Weezy” Jefferson, The Brady Bunch and “Rerun” from What’s Happening!! But my BAE? Sapporor Ichiban (original flavor) Japanese Style Noodles. I spent countless afternoons stirring noodles with chopsticks on a hot stove while perched on a black-and-red plastic stool. From Oscar Mayer deli meat to iceberg lettuce to eggs, there isn’t much I haven’t dropped into my ramen. I’ve poached eggs in the broth, hard boiled them separately and mixed them in à la egg-drop soup, mesmerized by the beautiful ribbons that emerge. Instant ramen was my oyster.
As the years passed, my meal got fancier, mainly in presentation. At first I added a vinyl placemat beneath my bowl; soon after, I discovered two-piece plastic champagne flutes in a hard-to-reach cabinet and decided it deserved a spot at the table. Feeling so grown up, I would fill the flute with ice and water before sitting down to my ramen. Then, I would watch the magic of condensation as droplets formed on the outside of the flute. You would’ve thought I was watching water turn into wine. Before long, I completed the place setting with three Flinstones multivitamins. Shhh, I was only supposed to have two.
As I was growing up in our little duplex, I often wished my mom had been there to greet me at the door after I walked home from the bus stop. But being home alone gave me the opportunity to be self-sufficient, cook and learn one of my favorite lessons—there is great comfort and power in food.
These days, I watch as my kids cook Sapporo Ichiban ramen for themselves and their friends. As it turns out, they make it my favorite childhood way—with frozen peas, an egg stirred in and topped with cilantro. On the practical side, cooking instant ramen has taught them about the different cooking time of ingredients, what goes in first and what happens when noodles stay in soup for too long (answer: they turn to mush because they absorb all the liquid). More importantly, they’ve come to see cooking and food as a beautiful love language that bridges cultures and tells stories while providing sustenance.
