Ramen For The Win
One of the many perks of being a teenager is that you are allowed to, and almost expected to (to some extent anyways) be a raging consumer of fast foods. Recently, my quick daily skims through my usual dose of Google News has been informing me that I am missing out on one crucial component of my life: ramen. In particular, Buldak ramen. But I was also interested in how the rest of the world takes this rise in popularity of something that used to be predominantly East Asian.
I think that the world is currently at a very interesting stage when it comes to food. Within the past decade, it seems that the world has come to embrace East Asian origin foods by storm. Foods that used to be considered foreign such as bubble tea and mochi donuts have become considered by the majority as a novelty. And with it, new spins have been put to the foods themselves. For example, you could visit every boba shop in Los Angeles and realize that each store has a unique flavor that is perhaps not offered at any other store. I was shocked when I discovered that Nissin, another famous cup noodle company, recently introduced a S'mores flavor option to their cup noodles. The exciting part is mostly in the sauce, which is a mixture of chocolate, marshmallow and graham cracker bits. Perhaps the flavor was created more than just because the company felt the eclectic urge to do so. The company is looking to expand beyond just being a pantry staple by increasing the occasions in which consumers would consume the cup noodles (Tulfo). This is accomplished through the creation of new and interesting flavors while maintaining the cheap price. And in this economy, it can be hard to say no to such deals, especially since this new flavor may appeal to those with a sweet tooth.
Another case that recently has been hot on the internet is the ban of Buldak ramen in Denmark due to concerns over its spiciness. I personally found it amusing that food agencies would find spicy noodles to be spicy to the point of being a safety hazard. While Western food is often portrayed as being excessively unhealthy and promoting poor health, one thing that is almost always missing in such food is the presence of extreme seasoning. Sure, there is the burger sauce and the barbeque sauce that is often sold in ounces and even gallons at retail stores, but it has never been the case that Western food is spicy. The spiciest food you would expect to encounter at a typical American restaurant would be sprinkled with just the slightest touch of chili flakes. As I have observed, the only truly spicy American food is not really actual American food. Take for example tan tan noodles, a type of noodle originating from East Asian countries. Its popularity in America stems mostly from Asian-style restaurants in Asian commercial districts such as Little Tokyo or Little Koreatown. The science of spiciness suggests that perhaps it is more than cultural differences that keep those who repulse spice away. Spiciness comes from a chemical called capsaicin, which binds to a protein known as TRPV1. TRPV1 is found in nerves in the digestive system area and is triggered as a survival mechanism to alert us when we are in high temperatures. When we consume spicy foods, these proteins bind with capsaicin and therefore create that burning sensation (Singh). However, it seems that the food agencies of Denmark have decided that perhaps Buldak is not as dangerously spicy as they were once thought to be, as they restocked the noodles on the shelves (Koreatimes).
Amidst all this, I think one thing is very clear. Though the saying of “you never know until you’ve tried it” does not apply to every area in life, this saying definitely goes hand in hand with the experimentation of new ramen flavors. I will be delighted to (when given the chance) try out Buldak’s ramen flavors.
Works Cited
Singh, Nandini. “Why Did Denmark Ban These Spicy Noodles from South Korea? Explained.” @Bsindia, Business Standard, 10 July 2024, www.business-standard.com/world-news/why-did-denmark-ban-these-spicy-noodles-fro m-south-korea-explained-124071000307_1.html. Accessed 11 July 2024.
“How Some Very Spicy Noodles Saved the Company That Pioneered Korean Ramen.” Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024, www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2024-03-05/how-a-spicy-noodle-saved-the-pioneer of-korean-ramen-from-scandal.
““Not Harmful to Health”: Korea’s Buldak Spicy Noodles Return to Shelves as Denmark Reverses Recall.” Koreatimes, 16 July 2024, www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2024/07/113_378743.html. Accessed 17 July 2024.
Tulfo, Erika. “Cup Noodles Wants to Rethink the Way You Eat Ramen with New S’mores Flavor | CNN Business.” CNN, 1 July 2024, www.cnn.com/2024/07/01/business/cup-noodles-smores-nissin-ramen/index.html. Accessed 17 July 2024.