Instant Noodles

Going through college, I never really paid much attention to ramen noodles except as a cheap way to fill my stomach up. It wasn’t until I went to Japan and tasted a real bowl of ramen that I realized the amazing variety and flavors of a high quality bowl of ramen. Ramen continues to be one of Japan’s most popular foods with over 24,000 ramen shops in the country, including over 5,000 in Tokyo.

In 1957, Momofuku Ando, a Taiwanese-Japanese inventor, created the first instant noodles and went on to found Nissin, which is still going strong today.

The Animal Crossing version, as in real life, shows different variations of ramen you can buy.

• Shoyu Ramen (red and white box) – Shoyu ramen is made with Japanese soy sauce. It has dark, clear broth and is high in savory and umami flavors. It’s the most popular kind of ramen in Japan.
• Shio Ramen (aqua and yellow box) – Shio means “salt” and tends to be lighter and clearer than the other kinds of ramen. The soup is meant to bring out flavor more so than adding its own strong flavor.
• Miso Ramen (orange and brown box) – Miso is fermented soy bean paste and has a light, cloudy color.
• Green Curry Ramen (green and yellow box) – As the name suggests, green curry ramen has a green broth and is spicy.
• Tom Yum Kang Ramen (purple and rainbow box) – Tom Yum soup hails from Thailand, but has made its way to instant noodledom. It has a spicy red broth.
• Spicy Ramen (red and black box) – Spicy ramen, as the name suggests, is made by adding hot spices and chilis to regular ramen.

You’ll notice that I didn’t mention Tonkatsu ramen, which is another popular ramen flavor. That’s because Tonkotsu ramen is made with pork bones, and every dish in Animal Crossing is vegetarian or pescatarian. Rule #1 in any healthy society is that we don’t eat our neighbors!