I like noodles with soup. I’ve always liked JanChiGukSu (잔치국수/”Party Noodle Soup”, Korean thin noodle soup) and KalGukSu (칼국수/”Knife Noodle Soup”, thicker Korean noodle soup), and have been digging Pho (Vietnamese thin rice noodle soup) ever since I came to the U.S. in 1994.
However, there is something special about RaaMen (ラ―メン/”ramen”). I am not certain about the origin of the name, but the term came about in the early 20th century in Japan.
Certain times, it is also called ChuuKaSoBa (中華そば/”Chinese Noodles”). Soba is a Japanese word for “noodles” and I think when that kind of noodles were introduced in Japan, it was named such to differentiate from Japanese noodles that existed.
Another indication that it is related to China (or that people think it’s related to China) is that most Ramen shops (in and outside Japan) have a decor of Chinese restaurants (the designs on the bowls, the soup spoons, the woks, etc.). However, this could have been more of a marketing device.
Whatever the origin of the noodle was, that is not all that makes a Ramen. Ramen is a Japanese food with its unique characteristics of the soup, the toppings, and the culture.
As for me, while growing up in Korea, I was only exposed to the instant versions (takes 5 minutes or so to cook in a boiling water). And indeed, I thought that and the cup versions were the only variations of Ramen till I saw “Tampopo” in 1995.
I realized that the Ramen that I knew were only a “frozen pizza” version (not that I don’t like instant ramen)! I stumbled onto Ryowa Ramen in Mountain View, CA one day in 1996 and got a taste of what it could be. And when I had a chance to visit Japan in 2001, I tried several shops in Kyoto and Tokyo.
Anyway, there are a couple of pretty good Ramen-ya around where I live (San Jose, CA). And with the help of World Ramen Net‘s DB, I was able to find a couple more.
I don’t know why more people aren’t getting into Ramen (non-instant) as much as Pho. Maybe it’s the cost… Maybe it’s the misconception that most people have about Ramen being instant.
Hmm… I need to get my GukSu fix…
Post a Comment