In Memoriam: Mr. Ramen Noodle
Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant noodles, has died at the age of 96:
The product came out as Japan recovered from the ravages of World War II and began a long period of economic expansion.It was the masterstroke of providing a waterproof polystyrene container for the noodles that made his Cup Noodle an instant success in 1971.
Nissin has led the global instant noodle industry since then, selling 85.7 billion servings every year, according to Agence France Presse.
Even in Manhattan, you can buy a six-pack of Top Ramen noodles for about a dollar. That achieves more for the poor than any government-run shelter or soup kitchen ever could.
Say what you want about the “non-delicacy” of ramen noodles, or their status as an “empty calories” contribution to the “obesity crisis.” This man, through his own entrepreneurship, created a entirely new product that has delivered unimaginable quantities of utility, to uncountable multitudes of people, for incomprehensibly little cost, for decades, with no end in sight.
There’s a word for that: capitalism.
Remind me again how it’s somehow synonymous with “evil”?
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Ramen Noodles sustained me as my only food for about 4 months – rest in peace!
Ramen noodles are not a delicacy, they are empty calories, and they contribute to the obesity epidemic.
Why should we celebrate them? We should be celebrating the role of government in adjudicating the agricultural market, propping up domestic sugar producers and family farmers.
Oh, and McDonald's = DEATH!!!
Nissen may dominate the global cup noodle market, but Milunch Instantaneo, from Productos Alimenticios La Moderna, is making inroads at my house.
They are very low in calories. If people ate Raman Noodles every night, you would have a very fit country.