Ramen O' Rama

Golden Wheat Korean Style Noodles - Shrimp Flavor

2009-06-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome gentle readers to a new installment of Ramen O' Rama. This week we tackle Golden Wheat Korean Style Shrimp Flavoured Noodles. Usually we start this segment by telling you a little bit about the company that produced the product. According to the Internet (the source of all information) Golden Wheat doesn't exist. We can't find any record of them other than another person's evaluation of their noodles. We looked for a larger company listed on the package but none was to be found. It's one of the more prolific brands at the Asian Supermarket with over a dozen different flavours and styles - so to find no trace of the company concerned us to no end. Something fishy was going on with these shrimp flavoured noodles and it wasn't just the scent when we opened the bag.

On the Panel Today Are:
Bex - Hungry for power and glory- but noodles will have to do.
Krissy J - Our cultural correspondent.

Packaging (4/10)
Not good. Not good at all. Okay, granted that the noodles on the cover look nice and shiny (We'll discovery why later) and all the lovely things that they've added to the noodles do in fact look quite appetizing. The blue is a delightful touch reminiscent of the ocean. Still that huge red and white sticker on the front is a total eye-sore. What's it covering up? Why the claim that the product contains no MSG of course. God bless the people working in the in department of food labeling in the Canadian Government - keeping us safe from mislabeled flavor enhancers. We're not being sarcastic. We mean it.

Golden Wheat has also surpassed the bad-health standard that we seem to have set for our noodle tests here Golden Wheat - Shrimp Flavour is significantly higher in calories and fat than a Big Mac.

These noodles weigh in at a whopping 656 calories with 28g of fat. A Big Mac as you may recall is 576 calories with 32.5g of fat.
Seeing as your daily calorie intake is supposed to be around 2000 calories, you'd better be planning some salads with light dressing in your near future.

The Peripherals (3/5)

Okay... so far pretty standard looking...Veggie Pack, Seasoning and wait...hold on a second....

What...the...hell...is...that?

It appears to be a packet of congealed and flavoured fat. It reminded Bex of a liposuction bag. Krissy J. Started screaming about the rules of fight club and things went down from there. At least it should go along nicely with the dusty looking flakes of...something greenish...with the dehydrated hunks of...something yellowy orange in the veggie package. Those dehydrated shrimp are not a colour found in nature and were even less appealing when rehydrated - but we'll get to that in a moment.

Preparation (1/2)

FINALLY! Something microwavable! Although this isn't in an instant cup so I guess that we'd have to go and find a bowl and then clean it and everything. Best to just eat the ones in packages straight from the pot like real students do. Although admittedly there were some concerns as we attempted to squeeze the content of the fat package into the boiling pot as instructed. Not only did it ooze out extremely unappealingly ("That's going to be inside us soon!" screamed Krissy) but our hands were singed by the steam from the boiling water. Not well thought out Golden Wheat.

Taste and Texture ( 1/15)

Look at that bowl. Looks pretty good huh? That inviting steam floating gracefully off a sepia broth with green and pink accents just screams "I'm delightful!" It lies. This was one of the worst ramen's we've have ever had. Texture wise the noodles are fat, sloppy and very very soggy. They were unusable with chopsticks as the noodles broke as soon as you tried to pick them up. The broth was watery and after 3 minutes the whole bowl looked like this:

Look at the shimmer on the surface of the broth. 5 minutes after that the noodles had absorbed almost all the broth and was just slimy noodles with green smatterings. It appeared to be a bowl of mouldy tape worms. Appalling. We just ended up throwing out most of it.

Bonus Points (0/8)

NONE! This stuff is vile. THEY GET NOTHING!

Total Points (9/40) Worst...noodles...ever...

Comments
Honestly, Bex was more than a little freaked out by the whole experience and intends to monitor her heart rate over the next few days due to the horrific fat content. To console herself she found an awesome commercial from the Nong Shim company - whose noodles we do enjoy greatly. Hopefully it will make you smile.

Nissin Food's Damea Itcho Noodle Bowl - Japanese Seafood Flavour

2009-06-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a special "First Person" edition of Ramen O' Rama. This week Bex will be testing out a styrofoam cup of Japanese Seafood flavoured noodle soup from the good people of Nissin Foods. Nissin foods as you may or may not know is directly responsible for the instant atrocity known as "Cup Noodles." I'm going to take my chances with this bowl as the actual brand of noodles is a subsidiary of Nissin called Damea Itcho Noodles - which also happens to be the name of their inexplicably blond rosy cheeked Japanese mascot:

Damea Itcho is HUGE in Hong Kong. As you can see from the commercial above he has a whole family complete with dog and a mother who eerily resembles Harpo Marx. It's so popular in fact that it has inspired a variety of merchandise that has NOTHING to do with ramen including toasters, medical thermometers, luggage and easy-bake style ovens. They even have a fun and colourful website with movies, games and rockin' product placement. It's like they are the Hello Kitty of Ramen!

Will this non-recyclable cup of noodles be better than it's cousin the cup noodle? Are the noodles named after the mascot or is the mascot named after the noodles? We explore all this and more on this edition of Ramen O' Rama.

On the Panel Today Is:
Not really much of a panel at all. It's...
Bex: Flying solo on her lunch break

Packaging (7/10)
I don't know what exactly constitutes specifically "Japanese" seafood but the packaging features squid, octopus, some sort of white fish (Possibly Cod) shrimp,swirly fish cakes and inexplicably egg. All of this is brightly coloured and with our friendly little Damea Itcho carrying a hot box of Ramen for your convenience.And there's English on the package! Not just a sticker! Actual English! This instills some confidence in me which was detracted by the following:

Some things that lead me to worry:

#1. The ingredients include non-dairy creamer which is the equivalent of white death. Ir also includes dehydrated egg. "Rapeseed oil" appears to be one of the main ingredients. That doesn't sound right.*

#2. The cup is made of recyclable styrofoam which is one up on those deceptive wax covered paper cup...however isn't heating styrofoam a bad thing?

#3. Nutrition-wise the contents of this bowl is comparable to a BigMac:
520 calories 22g of fat - Noodle Cup
576 calories 32.5g of fat - Big Mac

* Rapeseed is a actually a derivative of the turnip family or rāpum/rāpa family. It is also known as Canola Oil and has been used for everything from greasing parts of steam engines to being used as a medicine in the 1600's. It also has a high Omega 3 fat content. Word to Wikipedia!

The Peripherals (5/5)

Yay! Swirly fishcakes! I love swirly fish cakes! I have to say that the big hunks of yellow which I assume are the dehydrated eggs are a little off putting. They're such a violent yellow I am seriously concerned for my digestive tract. Still, this is the most appealing package that we've seen so far on Ramen o' Rama. I like that you can actually see the "Vegetables" and the little package of seasoning oil is a nice touch. I feel like I'm in good hands here.

Preparation (0.5/2)
I'm getting really disappointed in this whole "No Microwave" thing. It's starting to appear that microwavable noodles is a privilege instead of a right. I am so happy to live in the first world where microwaves are easily accessible.

Taste and Texture ( 14/15)

Good. Really Really Really good. Usually I'm used to doing this with other people and therefore I have to split the bowl. This time I was glad I could be selfish and just enjoy the whole bowl. This "Seafood Flavor" tasted like a creamy bonito soup instead of a fiery hell broth as I'm getting used to "Seafood Flavour" meaning. There was very little fat floating on the surface. The noodles kept a great consistency. Even the little dehydrated bits which are usually so favourless actually tasted like something. I don't know if it tasted like egg, but it definitely had a flavour that wasn't unpleasant. All in all I'm really impressed. I finished the whole bowl! Only decorum kept me from licking it clean. Say what you will I'm a classy broad.

Bonus Points (6/8)
This was one of the more expensive bowls running at $3.50 which kind of sucks, but it was well worth it for the deliciousness.

Total Points (32/40) If only this was microwavable and not so bad for my health I would eat this every day.

Comments

While searching for animations of Damea Itcho I ran across a series of ads for Nissin foods that feature adorable children snacking happily on their noodles. This totally made my day.

Mystery Korean Noodles - Chajang Flavour

2009-05-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

This week we have a steaming cup o' mystery. I have no idea the brand or even the instructions for this cup of Korean Chajang Flavoured noodles. I don't even know what Chajang means. Honestly, the only English on this thing is the little legally obligated sticker stuck to the lid that gives the import information and the ingredients in English and French. Everything else is a total mystery. That having been said I had a tough time roping people into doing this one with me. Will this scratch another couple people off the list of people that are willing to do this, or will they be willing to come back for more?

On the Panel Today Are:
Bex: Risker of taste buds
Shivanee: Can't eat beef but Random Dehydrated Chunks are A - O.K
Jenny K. - Correspondent Translator by Facebook Satellite (Not tasting - just translating)

Packaging (8/10)

Bex LOVED this package. Despite the fact that there was little to no English to be had, she decided that the adorable little Picasso people were more than reason enough to purchase and consume the product. The only thing that Bex and Shivanee had a problem with was the little MSG thing that you see in the picture. Is it advertising that it has MSG in bucketfuls and is therefore delicious, because according to the ingredient listing it is certainly not MSG - Free.

The Peripherals (2/5)

Okay, the only thing that came in the package was the little flavoring pack, which when opened appeared to a a particularly mineral rich black dirt.

The other item that was less than confidence inspiring was when the package was opened we were treated to what appeared to be dried nuggets of mammal poo all over the noodles as you can see to the left. I assume that they were dehydrated something but the ingredient listing left us with the following options:

#1. Dried Cabbage (Accounted for by the green flakes)
#2 Dried Carrots (Possible)
#3 Dried Onion (Possible but unlikely - though are not accounted for anywhere else.)
We'll get back to how these mystery nubs taste later.

Preparation (0.5/2)

Okay, so this, like the Palado Lobster Cup noodles is not microwavable - which blows. The whole point of a noodle cup is that you can eat it anywhere at anytime. So though microwaves are well and truly accessible to all, kettles and hot water are not. Not making your stuff accessible to everyone earns you a big FAIL from us here at Ramen O' Rama you microwave discriminating bastards. I am also fed up with the whole "not providing a fill line business. It's not that hard.

Also, when we poured in the flavoring and added water the whole thing looked like wet mud. (Pictured Here)

Taste and Texture ( 13/15)

Surprisingly not bad. The noodles were good and maintained their consistency and the broth had minimal fatty/oily residue floating around. We also leaned something new. Chajang (As Jenny K. ever so helpfully translated) actually means "Black Bean" which explains why the flavoring packet was such a dark black powder. The black bean was flavourful and poignant. In fact the only negative thing we can possibly say about this is that that the little dehydrated nuggets were flavourless and textureless and really quite off putting.

Bonus Points (6/8)

We REALLY like the packaging and at $1.25 this is a pretty good treat.

Total Points (29.5/40) Huh...Not bad...not bad at all.

Other Comments Of Note: We learned that the Korean word for cooked white rice is "bop" which is awesome. Specifically because it reminds me of the awful teen magazine produced in the early 90's. I know they "Bop" refers to Teen-Boppers, but knowing that makes it also means white rice makes seem even more appropriate.

New Look

2009-05-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Ramen O' Rama is back with a new, exciting and less constricting design. Featured on the blog now is DOMO-KUN! Beloved mascot of Japanese television. I hope you all like the new lay out and I'd love to hear your feedback.

To get the new look kicked off I give you... The birth of Domo-kun.

Ramen Bath!

2009-04-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know this is a fairly old posting but look at it! Look at that noodleness. Apparently the broth is pepper flavoured. I'll totally ignore how delightfull canibalistic this looks.

Check out more details at the Japan Probe blog and I'll be back in a week or so with another post.

Palado King Cup Noodle - Lobster Taste

2009-03-05T09:51:00.000-08:00

Thanks for waiting my gentle readers! This week we have a Korean offering with a Spanish name. They even have that little squiggly thing over the O'. Paldo is a multi lingual product featuring Spanish, English, Korean and French on the packaging, making it, I would assume, a UN approved meal. A quick trip to Paldo Food's well put together website features more white people slurping down instant noodles with not a native Korean in sight. Maybe I'm just being redirected to the North American site. The Introduction page on the site features a lengthy and surprisingly surrealistic film with high production values for a food company website and I am pleased to see that it features Korean Actors! A little trip further down the introduction page features the following text.

"With the encouragement by the trust of our customers, Korea Yakult Co.,Ltd has led the development of fermented dairy food industry of Korea since 1969, and we have progressed to expand our product range to include other health food products."

Firstly, since when is fermented dairy food considered a health food product? Secondly, why do all these companies insist on referring to their saturated fat laden, MSG infused, fried noodles noodles in broth as health food? Paldo's slogan - found plastered all over their website and product - is Fun and Yum. Will we find yummy fun in this brimming cup of promised Lobster taste? Or will we find nothing but a King Sized Cup of disappointment?

On the Panel Today Are:
Bex: Your Homebase Homeslice
Krissy J: A wealth of cultural information. (She's 1/4 Black, 1/4 Filipino, 1/4 Indian and 1/4 Chinese)
Kaiser: Representative from the Guild of Angry People
Mr. Stark: Representative from the Guild of Sarcastic People

Packaging
(7/10)

Krissy J, budding with aesthetic sensibilities immediately commented on how much she liked the packaging. Bex agreed. She found that the mustard yellow complimented the red of the boiled lobster. Both boys abstained from commenting instead deciding to save their comments for what really mattered. Taste. Becky was intrigued about how the package proudly declared in an appropriately green banner that it was a "Paper" container. Points were deducted after we realized that the cup was lined with a heavy wax coating; rendering it undegradable and unrecyclable. Delightfully though it is worthy of the title "King Cup." The portion size is very generous.

The Peripherals
(3.5/5)

Pretty typical. Block of dried noodles, a seasoning package and a package of "Vegetables" which once again includes our old friend fish cake. One new twist however is the inclusion of something called Sea Tangle Flake. A quick visit to Wikipedia informed us that Sea Tangle is a kind of edible kelp from Japan, traditionally known as Kombu. Unusually the sea tangle replaces the usual flakes of dehydrated seaweed. Interstestingly enough Wikipedia lists a number of health benefits for Sea Tangle including promotion of the thyroid gland hormone, lowered blood pressure, lowered cholesterol and prevention of a sudden rise of the blood sugar level. That must be what Paldo means by health food, although mixed in with the oils and MSG's I doubt it does much good.

Preparation
(1/2)
NOT MICROWAVABLE??? Probably because of the wax on the paper cup. Pfft.

Taste and Texture
( 5/15)
Not...good. But still not as bad as Mr. Noodle either. Again we discover that seafood flavor or any dervivated thereof tastes like burning. The whole red powdered mess tasted like watery heat - which we are aware is oxymoronic. It honestly just tasted like water with a kick to it. Krissy commented that she would eat it if she was starving, which was okay because she was. Mr. Stark made it known that the only lobster like flavor that it had was the mildly buttery taste provided by the oil. Kaiser shrugged his shoulders and made a number of comparisons to Mr. Noodle - specifically because of the consistency of the noodles, which were soggy and extremely cardboardy. All in all no one was impressed.

Bonus Points
(3/8)
It really is a generous portion size and even if it's a large portion of crap. And the movie on the introduction page is really quite entertaining. You should check it out. If only they put as much money into their food as their advertising.

Total Points
(19.5/40)
Poor show.

Other Comments Of Note:
Krissy J. Made us aware 3 hours later that her stomach was still burning.

A Hilarious Interlude

2009-01-05T10:08:00.000-08:00

Let it be knownst that there are 3 new Ramen O Ramas on the way, including a special Phillipino Edition. To keep you occupied here's a vintage Nissin Cup Noodle commercial starring the Governor of California

As Gene Kelly once said, "Dignity. Always Dignity." I think that applies here.

NongShim - Seafood Ramyun

2008-12-10T18:04:00.000-08:00

Ah Seafood flavour - so generic, so sketchy, so much potential for deliciousness. When a student purchases a seafood flavour they feel a small kick of uperclassness. The rich have their lobster, king crab and arctic char, the higher end of student has their Seafood Ramen.

Weighing in this week at a pricey $2.20 CA we have NongShim's Seafood Ramyun. For the uneducated the spelling "Ramyun" is a more phonetically accurate translation of the actual Japanese noodle name, which gives NongShim brand an uppityness and air of authenticity that it may or may not deserve.

A quick visit to the NongShim website enlightened us to the type of company they are. A Korean originating company we were surprised to see a photo montage of unrelated WASPS that have probably never dined on anything instant in their lives. It immediately set a standard for the instant noodles that we, sitting on our 4th hand couch and eating off our back alley rescued coffee table, hoped we could debunk.

The Players
Duncan: Instant Ramen Connoisseur and Sniffly Nosed Germ Factory
Bex: Creator of Ramen O' Rama and Sinus Clearing Guru

The Packaging
(8/10)
Pretty dang shnazzy if we do say so. The packaging was clearly created for Canadian consumption with it's French, English, Korean and Chinese lettering. It's like a melting pot on a bag. ( A brief digression - Fruits de Mer? Fruit of the Sea? Quoi?) The serving suggestion looked lovely and the slight metallic gold shimmer on the package adds a nice high end touch to the whole thing. Looks like NongShim is determined to keep their high standards obvious to all. There was a brief cry of "Ooooh Shiny" then the light foil package was opened with a silk like tear and the fun began. The two points were deducted for a reason that will be disclosed later.

Peripherals and Accessories
(3.5/5)
We were very excited to see that this package contained a small foil pack labeled Vegetables.
After the mundanety that was Ichiban it was nice to see some extras put into such a nice package. A quick trip to ingredient-ville informed us that "Vegetables" included Carrots, Mushrooms, Kelp, Seaweed, and for some insane reason - Pollock Cake. Pollock is a type of fish most commonly used as imitation crab. Last we checked, Pollock wasn't a vegetable. Also, why would the package tell us to try it with our favorite vegetables if they'd already provided them for us? Still points for style on drying the the noodles round instead of rectangular. We're not sure why they decided to be all iconoclastic, but they did. When we opened the seasoning package was when we should have noticed something was amiss. But we didn't. We just carried on unsuspectingly, moving on to the...

Preparation
(2/2)
Pretty dang simple. We just added water and waited until the package told us to take it off the heat (4-5 mins.) and put it in a bowl. There were microwave instructions included, but that way madness lies, so we stuck with the old tried and true stove top method. There was a smattering of Canadian pride when the instructions were given in Milliliters instead of cups.

Taste and Texture
(13/15)
Holy CRAP! No where on this package did this say it was spicy! No where! The warning bells should have gone off when when the contents of the seasoning pack turned the boiling water a caliente chili red. The noodles took on an orange-ish tinge. Duncan, although taken aback by the initial taste, soon started gobbling the noodles and the soup as if there was some kind of world economic crisis. Chopsticks flashed, mucus ran free and wild! Hygiene became a serious issue. Duncan and Bex awarded the noodles full marks for taste and texture. Even super hot and spicy they were thick and delicious, with a nice feeling on the teeth. It should be noted for this and every subsequent evaluation that we prepare the noodles exactly how the package states - no more, no less. And this was what instant noodles should be like. Delicious! Even the rehydrated vegetables were big and even looked like vegetables. Duncan squealed with delight on the discovery of a sizable mushroom! Worth the extra money for sure!

Bonus Points
(4/8)
Actual Vegetables! Seriously! Full on Mushrooms and carrots and seaweed! Yummy!MAJOR points deducted for the lack of spice warning. NOT COOL! On a side note, Duncan would like to thank the people at NongShim for clearing his sinuses.

Total Points
(29/40)
Not too shabby NongShim. We shall meet again.

Other Comments of Note:

We had a few choice words after reading through NongShim's company mandate and seeing:

"Nongshim has spared no effort to leapfrog to a global company and help create a better life by providing end-to-end services for promoting health and lifestyle"

Considering that the 1 pack of noodles we consumed contained 540 calories, 18 grams of fat and 2700 mg of sodium. (For the record, a regular diet consists of 2000 calories/day and that's 40% of your daily recommended fat intake and 112% of your daily sodium intake.) We're less than impressed at the falseness of their claims and have bestowed upon them the official douche award. They also make potato chips and those poofy onion ring things. Seriously, if you're going to try and puff up your company, talk about your commitment to quality or something. Sheesh.

For the record, the package that it came in made an excellent receptacle for all of Duncan's used Kleenexes as his nose ran and ran from the spice. Hurray for Recycling!

On a super excited happy funtime note - here's a one of the Company's Korean Commercials. No matter how much I love Ramen I don't think it will ever make me this happy.

The Official Ramen Website

2008-12-08T14:11:00.000-08:00

Be aware that another taste test is just around the corner. I have a shopping bag full of ramen-y goodness sitting in the little hovel called my room and aching to be rehydrated. Keep in mind that I am a busy woman and my partners in tastebuds are too.

To tide you over you should check out The Official Ramen Homepage as run by Matt Fischer. It features recipes, history, and even a pronounciation guide. Good times.

Devoted to Ramen?

2008-11-23T19:02:00.001-08:00

Show it by picking up one of these adorable cell phone charms from Strap-Ya Japan! Really how much hipper can you get sporting Japan's favorite snack food on Japan's favorite portable electronic device! So much cute for only 2.17 USD! They're not paying me for this. I just think they're cute. Check em' out!

Sapporo Ichiban - Shrimp Flavor

2008-11-22T15:19:00.000-08:00

For our first ranking we decided that we would go back to the #1 type of Ramen on our previous scale: Sapporo Ichiban! We found the most exotic kind of Ichiban sold at our local store, Shrimp Flavor! Costing a measely 95 cents Canadian we hope it will bring us joy!

Moses would like to interject here to say that admittedly it was the second most exotic kind of Ichiban offered. They were all out of Miso flavor. Anyway, we picked up a package of this dorm room staple and started our evaluation:

The Players
Moses: Stand-up Comic and Superstar Nintendo Fan
Duncan: Film Student and Instant Ramen Connoisseur
Bex: Food Snob and Creator of Ramen O' Rama

The Packaging
(6/10)
Overall the packaging hasn't changed much over the years. All three tasters remember the exact same packaging from when they were kids. Based on that we awarded points for nostalgia, but subtracted points for marketing laziness. Moses commented that even after all the years of looking at this package, he's still not totally sure what the blue arrow in the upper right hand corner is supposed to do. Is it pointing to something specific? In fact it bothered Moses so much that he demanded that points be deducted from the total, "Poor Craftsmanship!" He huffed. Bex and Duncan on the other hand delighted that even though the product was made in the USA, the packaging was printed in Japan. Points for authenticity were awarded. The package was fairly simple to open, although there was an incident with the bits that had broken off the chunk of noodles encased within. The broom was sent for and the issue was quickly resolved.

Peripherals and Accessories
(3/5)

Basically it only comes with two things, the noodles, which come in a dehydrated brick and the soup base, which comes in a foil package and looks vaguely of sea monkey eggs. Moses was subdued after a minor tantrum involving the return of the incongruint blue arrow. He was told to seek help and the evaluation resumed
Points were deducted for the pain in the ass that it was to open the package. An argument ensued on whether or not points should be awarded or deducted for minimalism. It was settled that they should compromise and a point was deducted.

Preparation:
(1.5/2)

It's really really hard to screw this up. When timed, total preparation was only 4 1/2 minutes when the stove was set to high. Half a point was deducted because of splash back when stirring noodles in boiling water. Bex was rightfully called a wuss.

Taste and Texture
(7/15)
Not as good as remembered. It might have been because none of the three were drunk or starving, but the texture was slimy yet firm - making it less than appetizing. Duncan commented that watching the noodles unfurl and rehydrate in the water was akin to watching worms burrow for the winter. All three evaluators agreed that the soup base tasted less like "Shrimp" and more like that generic "Seafood" taste that so many Ramen companies offer. All in all it was a disappointing first run. Hope was high that the noodles direct from Japan will hold up well against these American made impostors.

Bonus Points
(3/8)
Points for nostalgia, but not much else. Overall very dissapointing.

Total Points
(20.5/40)
Not a great standing for this North American Favorite. This is definately student food.

Other Comments of Note:

Duncan (While Looking at Package): My God! This is made by Sanyo? Didn't they make Hello Kitty! They have their hands in everything don't they?
Bex: No...Sanrio makes Hello Kitty. And I think she has her own brand of Ramen.
Duncan: Ooh! Can we do that next?
Moses: I kind of feel gypped. Even Cup Noodle comes with dehydrated peas and corn.
Bex: If you look really close you can see little green things swirling in the broth.
Duncan: What kind of nutritional value do you suppose they have?
Bex: According to the package they're leek chips. Duncan: So they're as much of a vegetable as ketchup then.
Bex(Looking at the Ingredients): Hey guys, this is like reading a high school AP Chem textbook. What do you suppose Disodium Guanylate is?
Duncan: You know, my mom used to put a package of dry Ichiban in my lunch once a week for a treat.
Moses: My mother said if I ate it dry I would get worms.

Needless to say, the experience hardly left us dancing about like the people in the commercial below, although Moses seems to believe that we may have come close had we actually found the "Miso" variety which was advertised.

Ramen O' Rama would like to thank the good people of Safeway for putting up with 3 doofuses and their quest.

So Soon!

2008-11-16T09:59:00.000-08:00

In two weeks time we will have our first installment. But since you're here anyway why don't you click on one of the ads to help me buy the Ramen? Seriously. I'm poor.

Thanks for waiting! It'll be worth iy!

The Critiria

2008-11-06T10:19:00.000-08:00

To be taken seriously every scientific endeavour requires a standard of criteria by which it is judged. Our hunt for the ultimate instant ramen will be no less diligent. We here at Team Ramen have come up with a series of criteria by which all noodles will be judged. We are aware that as we progress and we learn more about what we're up against the criteria will change and adapt. Until then we will use the following system of adjudication.

#1 Packaging (Out of 10 points) How's the design? Is it appealing? Appropriate? Entertaining? Odd? Is it easily accessible? Is there any English on the package? Did you have to break it open with your teeth or did it glide open easily. Bonus points will be awarded for any holograms on the package. Holograms are awesome.

#2 Peripherals and Accessories (Out of 5 points) What does it come with? Are the dehydrated Vegetables in physical contact with the noodles? Does it have any other flavoring components?Are utensils provided? Are they useful in any way or are they so small you burn your hands on the broth?

#3 Preparation (Out of 2 Points): How long did it take and what were the chances of burning yourself.

#4 Taste and Texture (Out of 15 Points) How does it sit on the palate? Could you use the word "Gourmet" with a straight face? Are the noodles sticky? Dry? Crunchy? Is the broth salty? Sweet? Savoury? Gritty? Does it taste even remotely about what it's supposed to taste like?

#5 Final Comments (Up to 8 Points) Here the testers may award bonus points based on any other factors that they may come across.

Totaling: 40 points

Ramen O' Rama - Statement of Intent and a commitment to quality

2008-11-05T09:42:00.000-08:00

To start this off let's just say that I am poor. I have little to no disposable income and thus instant noodles are a staple of my diet. I loved them as a kid and I love them even more now. While ramen is my favorite (Thus the title of the blog) I am in no way discriminatory of noodle type. Udon, Wonton, Ramen, Rice, Egg, are all noodles that I have consumed with great voracity and passion.

I take my inspiration from the delightful blog Second Rate Snacks, which compares two varietiesof products that are roughly similar (Mello Yello vs. Moutain dew for example). Last week they performed one on Cup noodle Vs. Maruchan Instant lunch. this reminded me of a time about a year ago getting drunk with friends (Despite my financial situation there is always money for booze) when we created a hierarchy of instant noodles that were available at our local Safeway. We evaluated them in different categories, from taste, to consistency, to value, to package design. From what the drunken haze had allowed me to remember the ranking level went thusly:

#1. Sapporo Ichiban (It's Number 1)
#2 Kimchi Noodle Bowl (Fantastic for making your nose run when you have a cold or giving you acid reflux induced sexy voice)
#3 Cup Noodle (Mushy Saltiness)
#4 Mr. Noodle (Bland Mushiness)

For those of you that came here via my other Bohemian Reject blog, you no doubt know of my obsession with Asian food and the Asian super market in my neighborhood. For those of you that don't, there's an Asian super market in my neighborhood and I'm addicted to Asian food.

Obviously the list above in no way reflects what is now at my disposal and so I intend to quest for the perfect bowl of noodles. Using a finely tuned rating system myself and my urban bohemian roommates will risk the potential horrors of Oxtail, Bonito, Abalone, Lobster, Dehydrated Fish Cake, all in the quest of the perfect bowl of ramen.

To get you in the mood here's a Japanese Ichiban commercial from 1970. Let the hunt begin!