A steaming bowl of life
February 24, 2016 2:16 PM Subscribe
Ramen, despite its reputation as a cheap fast food, is a complex pillar of modern Japanese society, one loaded with political, cultural and culinary importance that stretches far beyond the circumference of the bowl.Dive in with one of Japan's top ramen bloggers.
Non-obligatory Courtney Barnett reference.
posted by oluckyman at 2:38 PM on February 24, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by oluckyman at 2:38 PM on February 24, 2016 [3 favorites]
Tampopo, anyone?
(Ramenthusiasm (sorry) is only just taking off here in Italy - if you're in need of pointers for Milan, Florence or Rome, hit me up!)
posted by progosk at 2:44 PM on February 24, 2016 [5 favorites]
(Ramenthusiasm (sorry) is only just taking off here in Italy - if you're in need of pointers for Milan, Florence or Rome, hit me up!)
posted by progosk at 2:44 PM on February 24, 2016 [5 favorites]
Very obligatory J. Kenji López-Alt recipe: Ultimate Rich and Creamy Vegan Raman
posted by Huck500 at 2:45 PM on February 24, 2016 [8 favorites]
posted by Huck500 at 2:45 PM on February 24, 2016 [8 favorites]
My wife recently picked up a book from America on the history of ramen in Japan (SUPER FASCINATING — by some guy named Solt, I think) and I've been meaning to read it once she finishes it.
We moved to Kyoto a year and a half ago and one of the few nice things about living in the city itself* is that we're near Ichijoji/Shugakuin, a little neighborhood that happens to be chock full of ramen shops. Like, five shops at a single intersection chock full.
*I am very cynical about Kyoto. Don't mind me.
posted by DoctorFedora at 2:48 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
We moved to Kyoto a year and a half ago and one of the few nice things about living in the city itself* is that we're near Ichijoji/Shugakuin, a little neighborhood that happens to be chock full of ramen shops. Like, five shops at a single intersection chock full.
*I am very cynical about Kyoto. Don't mind me.
posted by DoctorFedora at 2:48 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
I've yet to be genuinely impressed by a restaurant-bought ramen (even with free noodle refills), and have tried most of them around Brisbane that have been recommended, but then I'm not the best judge: my favourite is Samyang Spicy Fried Chicken with frozen vegetable dumplings.
posted by turbid dahlia at 2:50 PM on February 24, 2016
posted by turbid dahlia at 2:50 PM on February 24, 2016
I'm curious what the price for a bowl of ramen in Japan is these days. I remember it being crazy cheap for a really good bowl of soup, but that was almost ten years ago. The thing that bugs me about the ramen shops around Portland is a) they don't compare even close to what I remember and b) are all minimum $12. a) could just be tricks of memory, b) could be inflation, or just hipster tax.
posted by curious nu at 2:51 PM on February 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by curious nu at 2:51 PM on February 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
Snark mode engaged...
Okay, I'm not sure which of two possible responses I should post. I 'll go with both and you can decide which flavour of bile you prefer.
I spent a week in Tokyo last year, so I think I know a little about ramen. AND JESUS HELP ME IT'S ALL VIRTUALLY THE SAME. It needs no larger examination, it is never transcendent or spiritual, it certainly shouldn't be a fetish object. It's likely a better fetish object than their life size snuggly anime pillows they take on the trains with them, but still.
The best bowl of ramen I had in Japan was early in the morning, walking the suburban streets by Haneda with my family. No one was up yet, except the soccer boys, riding their bikes around the neighbourhood and avoiding soccer practice, and taxi drivers. We wandered by a shop, bare bulbs, dirty, by Japanese strandards, immaculate anywhere else on earth. Ten stools along a counter, walk in, nod at the propritor, a bowl of slurpy noodles is set down, slurp, leave 200 yen on the counter and leave. The whole process so quick that taxis were left running and double parked out front. So awesome, a brilliant memory. I don't really remember how good the ramen was or if he used bulk boiled noodles or they were done in baskets, and it doesn't really matter, all ramen is the same.
posted by Keith Talent at 2:52 PM on February 24, 2016 [4 favorites]
Okay, I'm not sure which of two possible responses I should post. I 'll go with both and you can decide which flavour of bile you prefer.
I spent a week in Tokyo last year, so I think I know a little about ramen. AND JESUS HELP ME IT'S ALL VIRTUALLY THE SAME. It needs no larger examination, it is never transcendent or spiritual, it certainly shouldn't be a fetish object. It's likely a better fetish object than their life size snuggly anime pillows they take on the trains with them, but still.
The best bowl of ramen I had in Japan was early in the morning, walking the suburban streets by Haneda with my family. No one was up yet, except the soccer boys, riding their bikes around the neighbourhood and avoiding soccer practice, and taxi drivers. We wandered by a shop, bare bulbs, dirty, by Japanese strandards, immaculate anywhere else on earth. Ten stools along a counter, walk in, nod at the propritor, a bowl of slurpy noodles is set down, slurp, leave 200 yen on the counter and leave. The whole process so quick that taxis were left running and double parked out front. So awesome, a brilliant memory. I don't really remember how good the ramen was or if he used bulk boiled noodles or they were done in baskets, and it doesn't really matter, all ramen is the same.
posted by Keith Talent at 2:52 PM on February 24, 2016 [4 favorites]
AND JESUS HELP ME IT'S ALL VIRTUALLY THE SAME
Miso ramen, shio ramen, tonkatsu ramen and tantanmen were actually all very different to me at least. I mean, I suppose they all came in big bowls and had liquid and noodles in them, if that's what you mean.
leave 200 yen on the counter and leave
That's like $2. Pretty sure that wasn't ramen you had.
posted by Hoopo at 3:05 PM on February 24, 2016 [19 favorites]
Miso ramen, shio ramen, tonkatsu ramen and tantanmen were actually all very different to me at least. I mean, I suppose they all came in big bowls and had liquid and noodles in them, if that's what you mean.
leave 200 yen on the counter and leave
That's like $2. Pretty sure that wasn't ramen you had.
posted by Hoopo at 3:05 PM on February 24, 2016 [19 favorites]
Forget to add; the phrase "go out to crush ramen bowls", is almost the dumbest collection of words ever assembled since Trump opined on any topic, and the picture that accompanies the third best blog "The Ramen Rater" is Malaysian lahksa, not ramen. SO really, how credible a list is it if the author doesn't even really know what ramen looks like?
posted by Keith Talent at 3:06 PM on February 24, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Keith Talent at 3:06 PM on February 24, 2016 [3 favorites]
Curious nu, going rate is usually about ¥750
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:06 PM on February 24, 2016
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:06 PM on February 24, 2016
Keith Talent: "Forget to add; the phrase "go out to crush ramen bowls", is almost the dumbest collection of words ever assembled since Trump opined on any topic, and the picture that accompanies the third best blog "The Ramen Rater" is Malaysian lahksa, not ramen. SO really, how credible a list is it if the author doesn't even really know what ramen looks like?"
Funny. Number 4 looks very much like a burger. But what do I know?
posted by Splunge at 3:08 PM on February 24, 2016
Funny. Number 4 looks very much like a burger. But what do I know?
posted by Splunge at 3:08 PM on February 24, 2016
The thing that bugs me about the ramen shops around Portland is a) they don't compare even close to what I remember and b) are all minimum $12. a) could just be tricks of memory, b) could be inflation, or just hipster tax.
My Japanese dad has a pet theory about b) - that Americans don't slurp their noodles, leading to longer turnover times per table. I was never sure how much stock to put in that though...
posted by taromsn at 3:09 PM on February 24, 2016 [3 favorites]
My Japanese dad has a pet theory about b) - that Americans don't slurp their noodles, leading to longer turnover times per table. I was never sure how much stock to put in that though...
posted by taromsn at 3:09 PM on February 24, 2016 [3 favorites]
In a nutshell, ramen occupies the same slot in the Japanese psyche as pizza does in America. It's a comfort food that was Ethnic Food two generations ago, and even when it's bad it's okay. Now there are well-entrenched regional variations, but most regions will stick to a certain style, much like how New Haven apizza is hard to come by in Chicago.
I have grumpy and cynical opinions on why it costs $12 in America that I will do all of us a favor and skip for now
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:11 PM on February 24, 2016 [18 favorites]
I have grumpy and cynical opinions on why it costs $12 in America that I will do all of us a favor and skip for now
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:11 PM on February 24, 2016 [18 favorites]
I agree with Keith Talent above. I liked ramen when I first arrived in Japan in my twenties, but twenty years on I don't see the point. I have lived off Route 8 for most of my time in Japan.
It's a busy truck route, and as Route 8 passes through town there are a ton of "yattai" ramen trucks selling mostly Hokkaido-style ramen (there's a truck ferry in town that goes to Otaru).
I just associate ramen with food for children (my two sons love it), or something to eat after drinking, and I don't go out drinking anymore.
It's salty and full of fat, with a taste that overpowers the senses.
So, indeed, "How did a bowl of noodle soup imported from China come to define Japanese food culture?"
The answer, of course, is that Japan is not a land of subtle, "wabi sabi" sensibilities. It's a country that has broad and gaudy tastes much of the time.
posted by My Dad at 3:13 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
It's a busy truck route, and as Route 8 passes through town there are a ton of "yattai" ramen trucks selling mostly Hokkaido-style ramen (there's a truck ferry in town that goes to Otaru).
I just associate ramen with food for children (my two sons love it), or something to eat after drinking, and I don't go out drinking anymore.
It's salty and full of fat, with a taste that overpowers the senses.
So, indeed, "How did a bowl of noodle soup imported from China come to define Japanese food culture?"
The answer, of course, is that Japan is not a land of subtle, "wabi sabi" sensibilities. It's a country that has broad and gaudy tastes much of the time.
posted by My Dad at 3:13 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
oh man, Route 8 is where my favorite ramen shop (めん屋龍吉) is located, in Kaga, Ishikawa! There's a lot of variety and good ramen around that part of Ishikawa, actually. Some truly wretched stuff as well, admittedly…
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:15 PM on February 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:15 PM on February 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
I just associate ramen with food for children (my two sons love it)
I also find this surprising. Most of the ramen shops I went to were full of businessmen in suits, eating alone. Did it change this much in 10 years?
posted by Hoopo at 3:17 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
I also find this surprising. Most of the ramen shops I went to were full of businessmen in suits, eating alone. Did it change this much in 10 years?
posted by Hoopo at 3:17 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
This is going to become a thread where all of the MeFites in Japan will have a chance to broadcast our shibboleths, mark my words, not least of all because it was posted at 8:00 a.m. here
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:18 PM on February 24, 2016 [15 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:18 PM on February 24, 2016 [15 favorites]
I also find this surprising. Most of the ramen shops I went to were full of businessmen in suits, eating alone. Did it change this much in 10 years?
Ah, sorry, I should have been more specific... I personally just associate it with kids. I won't eat it, but it's a treat for them. I can't eat it — my blood pressure will spike through the roof, it's so salty. I'm too old to eat that crap.
There are way too many people old enough to know better in Japan eating that stuff on a regular basis for lunch.
oh man, Route 8 is where my favorite ramen shop (めん屋龍吉) is located, in Kaga, Ishikawa! There's a lot of variety and good ramen around that part of Ishikawa, actually.
I'll have to take my kids there. We sometimes go up to Yamanaka-spa, and the ramen shop appears to be at the turnoff?
Of course, Route 8 equals Hachiban Ramen. I've actually lived within sight (and hearing distance) of Route 8 in all three Hokuriku prefectures, and during my early years, when I didn't speak or read Japanese, Hachiban Ramen was a safe place to grab something to eat.
posted by My Dad at 3:24 PM on February 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
Ah, sorry, I should have been more specific... I personally just associate it with kids. I won't eat it, but it's a treat for them. I can't eat it — my blood pressure will spike through the roof, it's so salty. I'm too old to eat that crap.
There are way too many people old enough to know better in Japan eating that stuff on a regular basis for lunch.
oh man, Route 8 is where my favorite ramen shop (めん屋龍吉) is located, in Kaga, Ishikawa! There's a lot of variety and good ramen around that part of Ishikawa, actually.
I'll have to take my kids there. We sometimes go up to Yamanaka-spa, and the ramen shop appears to be at the turnoff?
Of course, Route 8 equals Hachiban Ramen. I've actually lived within sight (and hearing distance) of Route 8 in all three Hokuriku prefectures, and during my early years, when I didn't speak or read Japanese, Hachiban Ramen was a safe place to grab something to eat.
posted by My Dad at 3:24 PM on February 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
Oh yeah, Hachiban. I've done menu translations for them. I will say that my mind was shattered when I found out that that smallish regional chain has TONS of shops in Thailand.
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:25 PM on February 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:25 PM on February 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
it's so salty
For sure, it's more of a once-a-year thing for me now, in my late 30s. When it's miserable weather, or I have a bad cold, it really hits the spot.
posted by Hoopo at 3:35 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
For sure, it's more of a once-a-year thing for me now, in my late 30s. When it's miserable weather, or I have a bad cold, it really hits the spot.
posted by Hoopo at 3:35 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
Stroke and stomach cancer are two of the leading causes of death in Japan. Cigarettes and salty food will do it to you.
posted by My Dad at 3:39 PM on February 24, 2016
posted by My Dad at 3:39 PM on February 24, 2016
one of Japan's top ramen bloggers.
I see what you did there.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 3:55 PM on February 24, 2016 [10 favorites]
I see what you did there.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 3:55 PM on February 24, 2016 [10 favorites]
You guys. Route 8. I can't even.
If I start to reminisce about the taste or the price of ramen in Japan, I really will start to cry, so instead I'll share my favorite cultural realization about ramen: I was hanging out with a girlfriend who had lived in Japan longer than I had and was more assimilated into the culture, and I mentioned that I was probably going to grab dinner after she left. She asked where I was going and I said "I dunno, I thought I might try that ramen place that you guys are always raving about" and she looked at me, aghast, and said "You're going BY YOURSELF????"
And I was like, "Yes? Doesn't everyone?"
Well. She informed me that women DID NOT EAT RAMEN ALONE, that it was uncouth and Not Done and I had to go with someone or else everyone would think I was a crazy man-eating foreign woman. Also gyudon.
I still did it, but I felt like even more of a knuckle-dragging barbarian than usual.
Okay I lied, I do have one comment on the taste of ramen: All the ramen I've had in San Francisco is entirely too rich. Like if I wanted to heat up a tub of Crisco until it was liquid and then eat it like soup I would do that. UGH.
posted by sunset in snow country at 4:14 PM on February 24, 2016 [4 favorites]
If I start to reminisce about the taste or the price of ramen in Japan, I really will start to cry, so instead I'll share my favorite cultural realization about ramen: I was hanging out with a girlfriend who had lived in Japan longer than I had and was more assimilated into the culture, and I mentioned that I was probably going to grab dinner after she left. She asked where I was going and I said "I dunno, I thought I might try that ramen place that you guys are always raving about" and she looked at me, aghast, and said "You're going BY YOURSELF????"
And I was like, "Yes? Doesn't everyone?"
Well. She informed me that women DID NOT EAT RAMEN ALONE, that it was uncouth and Not Done and I had to go with someone or else everyone would think I was a crazy man-eating foreign woman. Also gyudon.
I still did it, but I felt like even more of a knuckle-dragging barbarian than usual.
Okay I lied, I do have one comment on the taste of ramen: All the ramen I've had in San Francisco is entirely too rich. Like if I wanted to heat up a tub of Crisco until it was liquid and then eat it like soup I would do that. UGH.
posted by sunset in snow country at 4:14 PM on February 24, 2016 [4 favorites]
my own humble contribution to the genre. dead since 2007.
posted by brappi at 4:15 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by brappi at 4:15 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
sunset in snow country: "Also gyudon."
Now we're talking.
posted by Splunge at 4:20 PM on February 24, 2016
Now we're talking.
posted by Splunge at 4:20 PM on February 24, 2016
After living in Japan for a decade now, I am a real fan of ramen. I went home to the U.S. during the winter break and my (Japanese) wife and I went to a local Japanese restaurant, mainly out of curiosity. It was about as I suspected--a ridiculously massive selection of sushi rolls, none of which you'd actually find in Japan. Things like spicy sriacha, dried onions, and a dozen other things I can't think of. The sushi was weird, but pretty tasty.
And we ordered a bowl of ramen. Big mistake.
What we got was a nice big bowl with fancy chopsticks. In it were bits of sauteed chicken and veggies, all was good. But the noodles? Fucking instant noodles. The bullshit Maruchan noodles you get at the grocery store for a quarter, that's what was in the bowl they sold for $9. And to add insult to injury, no soup! Soup is just as important as the noodles, and this had no soup at all. A travesty.
Sadly, outside of the big cities, I fear most Americans have no clue about ramen except for the instant crap from the grocery store. And that's sad.
posted by zardoz at 4:30 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
And we ordered a bowl of ramen. Big mistake.
What we got was a nice big bowl with fancy chopsticks. In it were bits of sauteed chicken and veggies, all was good. But the noodles? Fucking instant noodles. The bullshit Maruchan noodles you get at the grocery store for a quarter, that's what was in the bowl they sold for $9. And to add insult to injury, no soup! Soup is just as important as the noodles, and this had no soup at all. A travesty.
Sadly, outside of the big cities, I fear most Americans have no clue about ramen except for the instant crap from the grocery store. And that's sad.
posted by zardoz at 4:30 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
I don't know about all you big city types, but I was sad to see the local ramen place go. We have maybe 20 sushi places "downtown" and I'm just about fed up with sushi, or at least the excuse for sushi you get around here.
Ramen was different at least, and you got to slurp it.
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 4:34 PM on February 24, 2016 [3 favorites]
Ramen was different at least, and you got to slurp it.
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 4:34 PM on February 24, 2016 [3 favorites]
The only fast food I can eat, albeit guiltily, would be the gigantic pork cutlet set at Katsu-Doki. I am sometimes forced to take my wee ones to Coco Ichibanya , which is right around the corner from our townhouse (on Route 8) but "curry" is once again one of those revolting foods better left to youngsters. The Hama Zushi in Tsuruga is a family fave...
posted by My Dad at 4:35 PM on February 24, 2016
posted by My Dad at 4:35 PM on February 24, 2016
I can't eat it — my blood pressure will spike through the roof, it's so salty.
I mean, that describes about 90% of Japanese cuisine more complicated than the plain white rice with a piece of fish that my Okinawan granddad used to eat. (And, even then, the fish is usually pretty darn salty.)
posted by tobascodagama at 4:58 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
I mean, that describes about 90% of Japanese cuisine more complicated than the plain white rice with a piece of fish that my Okinawan granddad used to eat. (And, even then, the fish is usually pretty darn salty.)
posted by tobascodagama at 4:58 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
Los Angeles has had its ramen explosion, for a long time there were 5 main ramen shops, only one of which was really good. Now there are dozens, and several of them are really good. Japanese chains have come to the West Coast and it's great!
I agree that (for me at least), most ramen can only be eaten once a month. I love fatty/salty/rich tonkotsu ramen the best, but I feel like I don't need to eat anything else for about 48 hours after.
I do understand the fetishization of ramen-- the fact that it is simultaneously so simple and so complex makes it ripe for obsessives.
posted by cell divide at 5:05 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
I agree that (for me at least), most ramen can only be eaten once a month. I love fatty/salty/rich tonkotsu ramen the best, but I feel like I don't need to eat anything else for about 48 hours after.
I do understand the fetishization of ramen-- the fact that it is simultaneously so simple and so complex makes it ripe for obsessives.
posted by cell divide at 5:05 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
I mean, that describes about 90% of Japanese cuisine more complicated than the plain white rice with a piece of fish that my Okinawan granddad used to eat.
Basically, yes. A couple of years ago I was very sick and had to eliminate all salt and sodium from my diet. All I could eat was fish and vegetables. If I wanted to live dangerously I had onigiri wrapped in nori with a bit of home-made furikake in the center.
Dipping sauce for the fish was black bean vinegar. When we went out I coudn't eat anything except for salad.
Once my condition stabilized I could eat restaurant food, but I generally avoid chain restaurants now.
posted by My Dad at 5:30 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
Basically, yes. A couple of years ago I was very sick and had to eliminate all salt and sodium from my diet. All I could eat was fish and vegetables. If I wanted to live dangerously I had onigiri wrapped in nori with a bit of home-made furikake in the center.
Dipping sauce for the fish was black bean vinegar. When we went out I coudn't eat anything except for salad.
Once my condition stabilized I could eat restaurant food, but I generally avoid chain restaurants now.
posted by My Dad at 5:30 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
Oh yeah, ramen is absolutely Men Food in Japan. Japan loves it some gender roles, oh my goodness me. On the other hand, so is gyudon (though some efforts by Sukiya and the like have been underway to kind of rebrand it as a universal sort of thing).
What's kind of interesting is that really rich ramen soups in particular are especially regarded as Men Food basically everywhere but Kyoto. In Kyoto, really rich soup is just considered the norm for ramen (local style, I guess), which is doubly weird because Kyoto is otherwise famous for its refined, elegant cuisine. It also happens to be a major college town (more colleges — per capita, I think, at least — than anywhere else in Japan), and ramen is considered Student Chow, and the extra rich kind is particularly filling if you're a college kid without a whole ton of money.
What's up with everyone reminiscing about Route 8? That's weird. I mean, it's also awesome, but it's weird that so many folks seem familiar with such a relative backwater.
posted by DoctorFedora at 6:12 PM on February 24, 2016
What's kind of interesting is that really rich ramen soups in particular are especially regarded as Men Food basically everywhere but Kyoto. In Kyoto, really rich soup is just considered the norm for ramen (local style, I guess), which is doubly weird because Kyoto is otherwise famous for its refined, elegant cuisine. It also happens to be a major college town (more colleges — per capita, I think, at least — than anywhere else in Japan), and ramen is considered Student Chow, and the extra rich kind is particularly filling if you're a college kid without a whole ton of money.
What's up with everyone reminiscing about Route 8? That's weird. I mean, it's also awesome, but it's weird that so many folks seem familiar with such a relative backwater.
posted by DoctorFedora at 6:12 PM on February 24, 2016
salty salt salt salt foods
I remember going to the local Ohsho and getting the chicken karage with the little dish of salt. Just dip the chicken right in it.
posted by curious nu at 6:17 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
I remember going to the local Ohsho and getting the chicken karage with the little dish of salt. Just dip the chicken right in it.
posted by curious nu at 6:17 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
Forget to add; the phrase "go out to crush ramen bowls", is almost the dumbest collection of words ever assembled since Trump opined on any topic
In the "Ramen" episode of Mind of a Chef David Chang, who I'd say might know a thing or two about ramen, uses the word "crush" to talk about ramen multiple times (around 5 minutes in).
posted by nevercalm at 6:41 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
In the "Ramen" episode of Mind of a Chef David Chang, who I'd say might know a thing or two about ramen, uses the word "crush" to talk about ramen multiple times (around 5 minutes in).
posted by nevercalm at 6:41 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
We make our own ramen stock, pork bones,chicken feet, yada yada. Freeze it so we have supplies at the ready.
We control the amount of tare we put in it, ( man I love tare) and can get fresh noodles from various Asian markets by us.
Easy quick meals after 12 hour overtime days. You don't have to load your own with salt or pork belly or what ever the hell else bothers you.
I could eat any noodle dish though, as long as it has noodles.
posted by Max Power at 6:51 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
We control the amount of tare we put in it, ( man I love tare) and can get fresh noodles from various Asian markets by us.
Easy quick meals after 12 hour overtime days. You don't have to load your own with salt or pork belly or what ever the hell else bothers you.
I could eat any noodle dish though, as long as it has noodles.
posted by Max Power at 6:51 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
The thing that bugs me about the ramen shops around Portland is a) they don't compare even close to what I remember and b) are all minimum $12. a) could just be tricks of memory, b) could be inflation, or just hipster tax.
New American Hipster Ramen is both a) more expensive; b) smaller. It's a thing, no matter where you go. You always remember the first time you don't get egg because you didn't see that it was an add-on.
posted by rhizome at 7:01 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
New American Hipster Ramen is both a) more expensive; b) smaller. It's a thing, no matter where you go. You always remember the first time you don't get egg because you didn't see that it was an add-on.
posted by rhizome at 7:01 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
In the "Ramen" episode of Mind of a Chef David Chang, who I'd say might know a thing or two about ramen, uses the word "crush" to talk about ramen multiple times (around 5 minutes in).
I forgive it as trendy slang, since I think that was filmed around the time Gary Vaynerchuk was in various spotlights. I think it's also a part of gym lingo.
posted by rhizome at 7:03 PM on February 24, 2016
I forgive it as trendy slang, since I think that was filmed around the time Gary Vaynerchuk was in various spotlights. I think it's also a part of gym lingo.
posted by rhizome at 7:03 PM on February 24, 2016
You always remember the first time you don't get egg because you didn't see that it was an add-on.
I find this heresy extremely distressing. But I grew up in Hawaii, so it's already weird enough for me just to encounter ramen (that is, saimin) without Spam in it.
posted by tobascodagama at 7:43 PM on February 24, 2016
I find this heresy extremely distressing. But I grew up in Hawaii, so it's already weird enough for me just to encounter ramen (that is, saimin) without Spam in it.
posted by tobascodagama at 7:43 PM on February 24, 2016
Ramen is one of the only Japanese foods my wife and I get in LA where we've actually found a place she considers as good as back in Japan (the other is onigiri), so we go pretty often. Until a few years ago my only experience with ramen was the instant kind...
posted by thefoxgod at 8:06 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by thefoxgod at 8:06 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
DoctorFedora: "Oh yeah, ramen is absolutely Men Food in Japan."
Really? I'd agree about gyudon, but not ramen. I'd say that generally eating alone is a man thing, so in any restaurant you'll see a high proportion of men if you look at single diners. Restaurants which attract a lot of single diners therefore look like Man Food, but it's not the food so much as the number of people per party. But if you look at parties of two or more, you'll see that gyudon still skews heavily male, but for ramen there's pretty much gender parity.
It could also be an east-west thing, since most of y'all seem to be in Western Japan and I'm over here in snooty Eastern Japan.
posted by Bugbread at 8:44 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
Really? I'd agree about gyudon, but not ramen. I'd say that generally eating alone is a man thing, so in any restaurant you'll see a high proportion of men if you look at single diners. Restaurants which attract a lot of single diners therefore look like Man Food, but it's not the food so much as the number of people per party. But if you look at parties of two or more, you'll see that gyudon still skews heavily male, but for ramen there's pretty much gender parity.
It could also be an east-west thing, since most of y'all seem to be in Western Japan and I'm over here in snooty Eastern Japan.
posted by Bugbread at 8:44 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
Also, I know it's already been addressed, but:
Keith Talent: "JESUS HELP ME IT'S ALL VIRTUALLY THE SAME"
Keith Talent: "leave 200 yen on the counter"
What are you talking about and what on earth did you eat that you paid 200 yen for ramen?
posted by Bugbread at 8:49 PM on February 24, 2016 [3 favorites]
Keith Talent: "JESUS HELP ME IT'S ALL VIRTUALLY THE SAME"
Keith Talent: "leave 200 yen on the counter"
What are you talking about and what on earth did you eat that you paid 200 yen for ramen?
posted by Bugbread at 8:49 PM on February 24, 2016 [3 favorites]
For explanation of weepy Route 8 nostalgia, see username
Also, it is such a backwater that it's kind of amazing to happen upon people discussing it on Metafilter!
Interesting point about fatty/rich ramen being particularly manly... I feel like it's the bacon-loving manly man hipster demographic driving the U.S. ramen boom, so maybe that's why I can't order ramen in the U.S. without wanting to puke. I just want a nice miso! Or lemon shio!
posted by sunset in snow country at 9:15 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
Also, it is such a backwater that it's kind of amazing to happen upon people discussing it on Metafilter!
Interesting point about fatty/rich ramen being particularly manly... I feel like it's the bacon-loving manly man hipster demographic driving the U.S. ramen boom, so maybe that's why I can't order ramen in the U.S. without wanting to puke. I just want a nice miso! Or lemon shio!
posted by sunset in snow country at 9:15 PM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
Forgive me for I am old and sheltered, but until a few years ago, I thought all Ramen was was those packages you get for 25 cent that you add that package of dehydrated salt and artificial flavoring to that you eat when you are in college. It became comfort food to me. In college I was not in NYC where I could get a slice or a burger or pretty much any fast type food at any hour of the day or night. The only thing I could get past 10:00PM was the Hardees drive thru. So I learned to appreciate that 25 cent kind although I would not add the flavor package. I would just dump tons of hot sauce into the water and cook away. My roommate and I even learned to eat those packages raw, without the soup part or any cooking. The crunch was somehow satisfying. Never been to one of those ramen shops. Figured why pay $10 for a bowl of 25 cents. Maybe I was wrong.
posted by AugustWest at 9:23 PM on February 24, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by AugustWest at 9:23 PM on February 24, 2016 [3 favorites]
I got to spend a few days in Tokyo for work. One of my Japanese co-workers took me out for ramen. It was one of those shops where you put your yen in a vending machine and it gives you a ticket and you give the ticket to the cook behind the counter. It was really yummy soup! I ate it a few more times that trip and tried a couple other shops. I miss them and haven't found anything that compares in the US (Salt Lake City, or DFW area so far...)
That said it wasn't my favorite meal. No, that would have to be the bowl of chirashi I had for lunch. So good.
posted by Doleful Creature at 9:24 PM on February 24, 2016
That said it wasn't my favorite meal. No, that would have to be the bowl of chirashi I had for lunch. So good.
posted by Doleful Creature at 9:24 PM on February 24, 2016
AugustWest, that's the domain of RamenRater, above, who specializes in reviews of instant ramen. As for eating dry noodles, both me and my nephew unlocked this achievement independently, how about that.
posted by rhizome at 10:03 PM on February 24, 2016
posted by rhizome at 10:03 PM on February 24, 2016
Route 8 represent! Weird you are discussing my backyard on Metafilter though. In Shiga, Route 8 gets pretty lousy with traffic at times, especially around Hikone, so I try to go even more backwater if I can help it.
The other day on Route 8, while stopped at a railroad crossing, the old blue collar uniformed dude behind me whips out a pair of kitchen shears and starts cutting his bangs using the rearview mirror. Some serious multitasking!
I can also attest to the reputation of ramen as guy food though, because I was translating a menu for one ramen place recently that was trying to lose the reputation by marketing themselves as a more healthy and female-friendly version of ramen (they have a thinner broth and add fresh veggies).
posted by p3t3 at 10:05 PM on February 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
The other day on Route 8, while stopped at a railroad crossing, the old blue collar uniformed dude behind me whips out a pair of kitchen shears and starts cutting his bangs using the rearview mirror. Some serious multitasking!
I can also attest to the reputation of ramen as guy food though, because I was translating a menu for one ramen place recently that was trying to lose the reputation by marketing themselves as a more healthy and female-friendly version of ramen (they have a thinner broth and add fresh veggies).
posted by p3t3 at 10:05 PM on February 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood
heh
posted by atoxyl at 10:57 PM on February 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
heh
posted by atoxyl at 10:57 PM on February 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
Japan's top ramen bloggers = 8 blogs we could find that blog about ramen in English
For balance, here's a selection of some Japanese blogs that cover the topic from a local perspective. Japanese only, but plenty of pictures:
麺好い（めんこい）ブログ (a pun on menkoi, Hokkaido dialect for "cute" or "lovely", and the "men" of ramen plus the character for "like")
ラーメン食べたら書くブログ ("If I eat ramen I blog about it")
ぼぶのラーメン紀行 ("Bob's ramen journal")
あまおじさんのラーメン紀行♪ ("Uncle Ama's ramen journal♪")
ラーメン一期一会 ("Once-in-a-lifetime ramen encounter")
ラーメンの優しい食べ歩き ("The laid-back ramen eating tour")
そんなに食うなら走らんと ("If you eat that much you'd better run")
This one's for cup ramen -- the varieties of which you can get are pretty incredible.
posted by armage at 12:17 AM on February 25, 2016 [5 favorites]
For balance, here's a selection of some Japanese blogs that cover the topic from a local perspective. Japanese only, but plenty of pictures:
麺好い（めんこい）ブログ (a pun on menkoi, Hokkaido dialect for "cute" or "lovely", and the "men" of ramen plus the character for "like")
ラーメン食べたら書くブログ ("If I eat ramen I blog about it")
ぼぶのラーメン紀行 ("Bob's ramen journal")
あまおじさんのラーメン紀行♪ ("Uncle Ama's ramen journal♪")
ラーメン一期一会 ("Once-in-a-lifetime ramen encounter")
ラーメンの優しい食べ歩き ("The laid-back ramen eating tour")
そんなに食うなら走らんと ("If you eat that much you'd better run")
This one's for cup ramen -- the varieties of which you can get are pretty incredible.
posted by armage at 12:17 AM on February 25, 2016 [5 favorites]
I like ramen, but I like tsukemen much more. I'm not a fan of slurping the thick, rich broth as soup, but as a dipping sauce where the broth is cooked down even more so it's condensed and explosive? It's so good. The first time I had it, it was at this little ramen shop that was near the Shinjuku train station. It was artfully done, because the tsukemen noodles were a tad thicker than the ramen ones, so it really clung to the sauce well and had such a luscious, thick chew. The chashu was so tender and interplayed well with the noodles and dipping broth. There was also little worrying about whether the broth or noodles were at the correct temperature, or eating them fast enough. You could take your time really enjoying them.
I tried the tsukemen at Daikokuya LA (in Japantown) but the noodles weren't correct, they were the standard ramen noodles, so it didn't recreate the same experience. Too thin to really have the dipping broth cling onto the noodles.
posted by yueliang at 1:07 AM on February 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
I tried the tsukemen at Daikokuya LA (in Japantown) but the noodles weren't correct, they were the standard ramen noodles, so it didn't recreate the same experience. Too thin to really have the dipping broth cling onto the noodles.
posted by yueliang at 1:07 AM on February 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
This one's for cup ramen -- the varieties of which you can get are pretty incredible.
It was the early 80s, and my father had just hosted 2 young Japanese boys as part of some Rotary exchange. When they left, they didn't take the leftovers of their supply of food they'd brought with them (guess they discovered they could actually eat our food, Dad's been hosting Japanese guests since the late 1950s).
I discovered cup ramen. Not just one single packet of condiments, oh no, but the complicated combinations available. That was a revelation that I'll never forget. I'll still occasionally splurge on the $5 insta bowl if it looks like it might be complicated enough to put together if I spot it in an Asian store.
posted by infini at 4:25 AM on February 25, 2016
It was the early 80s, and my father had just hosted 2 young Japanese boys as part of some Rotary exchange. When they left, they didn't take the leftovers of their supply of food they'd brought with them (guess they discovered they could actually eat our food, Dad's been hosting Japanese guests since the late 1950s).
I discovered cup ramen. Not just one single packet of condiments, oh no, but the complicated combinations available. That was a revelation that I'll never forget. I'll still occasionally splurge on the $5 insta bowl if it looks like it might be complicated enough to put together if I spot it in an Asian store.
posted by infini at 4:25 AM on February 25, 2016
Well. She informed me that women DID NOT EAT RAMEN ALONE, that it was uncouth and Not Done and I had to go with someone or else everyone would think I was a crazy man-eating foreign woman. Also gyudon.
Man, this bums me out. I've never been to Japan but I've read everything Murakami's ever written and I've always loved the totally unapologetic way that his protagonists do anything and everything (especially eating out) alone. I'm only now putting together that they're almost all men and that may have something to do with it.
posted by telegraph at 4:34 AM on February 25, 2016
Man, this bums me out. I've never been to Japan but I've read everything Murakami's ever written and I've always loved the totally unapologetic way that his protagonists do anything and everything (especially eating out) alone. I'm only now putting together that they're almost all men and that may have something to do with it.
posted by telegraph at 4:34 AM on February 25, 2016
Don't worry. In real life, people go out to eat on their own all the time, and often that meal is ramen! Odds are nobody would bat an eye.
I mean, hell. If you're visiting from overseas it's not like you're going to disappear in a crowd or anything (unless you're of Asian descent, and even then, not necessarily). You're going to wind up standing out no matter what you do. ; )
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:46 AM on February 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
I mean, hell. If you're visiting from overseas it's not like you're going to disappear in a crowd or anything (unless you're of Asian descent, and even then, not necessarily). You're going to wind up standing out no matter what you do. ; )
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:46 AM on February 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
Nobody's going to look at you askance for eating out alone. The worst that will happen is that if you mention to a group of friends/coworkers/etc. that you go out for gyudon alone a lot, a few of them may find that weird. It's like...it's like going to the movie theater alone. If you see someone alone in a movie theater you don't stare at them or think they're weird. But if someone says "I go out to see movies alone all the time," some people will think that's normal and some people will think that's weird.
posted by Bugbread at 5:23 AM on February 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Bugbread at 5:23 AM on February 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Yeah, to be clear, I never got the remotest bit of trouble for it! This friend and I actually both happen to be of Asian descent and because of that we tended to at least try (with varying degrees of success) to blend in, but she was very "OMG you're going to do THAT???" and proper about everything and I mostly did whatever I wanted and occasionally embarrassed myself but it's Japan, it was going to happen eventually.
I actually asked about it on Lang-8, whether people could think of foods in other cultures that were gendered, and a few people responded that it would be weird in the U.S. for a guy to go out and eat fancy cakes by himself, but that wasn't quite the same thing. Now that I think about it, though, I actually had a very similar feeling the other week eating McDonald's by myself on my lunch break, which makes me realize that it might be kind of a class thing? In my area the typical guy-eating-ramen-by-himself was a factory worker on break. But like, you do you.
OK, there are MORE Route 8 people on Metafilter? Crazypants! I am most familiar with the bit between Kashiwazaki and Nadachi (westernmost part of Joetsu) in Niigata, but I once went on an ill-informed road trip to Osaka and we took Route 8 almost the entire way there because I am an idiot and don't understand geography. So I've basically driven the length of it. Fun times!
posted by sunset in snow country at 7:09 AM on February 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
I actually asked about it on Lang-8, whether people could think of foods in other cultures that were gendered, and a few people responded that it would be weird in the U.S. for a guy to go out and eat fancy cakes by himself, but that wasn't quite the same thing. Now that I think about it, though, I actually had a very similar feeling the other week eating McDonald's by myself on my lunch break, which makes me realize that it might be kind of a class thing? In my area the typical guy-eating-ramen-by-himself was a factory worker on break. But like, you do you.
OK, there are MORE Route 8 people on Metafilter? Crazypants! I am most familiar with the bit between Kashiwazaki and Nadachi (westernmost part of Joetsu) in Niigata, but I once went on an ill-informed road trip to Osaka and we took Route 8 almost the entire way there because I am an idiot and don't understand geography. So I've basically driven the length of it. Fun times!
posted by sunset in snow country at 7:09 AM on February 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Is this a good place to mention the movie the Ramen Girl? Because I randomly watched that years ago and it was arguably not a great film, but for some reason I keep re-watching it. It's pretty lovable. If you haven't seen it, it's about an American who ends up alone in Japan unexpectedly and is drawn to a local ramen shop and its cranky old owner. There's a bit of a Karate Kid master/student element. Sweet movie. It addresses the male domination of ramen culture a bit too.
Also Brittany Murphy is the star (she died of pneumonia and OD of OTC drugs). Sad story there.
posted by freecellwizard at 7:15 AM on February 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Also Brittany Murphy is the star (she died of pneumonia and OD of OTC drugs). Sad story there.
posted by freecellwizard at 7:15 AM on February 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
In a nutshell, ramen occupies the same slot in the Japanese psyche as pizza does in America.
As an ironic footnote to this, an great little Italian ramen bar (Casa Ramen in Milan) recently opened its second location in... Yokohama.
posted by progosk at 10:21 AM on February 25, 2016
As an ironic footnote to this, an great little Italian ramen bar (Casa Ramen in Milan) recently opened its second location in... Yokohama.
posted by progosk at 10:21 AM on February 25, 2016
My (Australian) boss in Japan mentioned once that she wasn't comfortable going alone to a ramen shop because it was a "very male" environment, which made me look more closely at the customers when I went to eat ramen..and it seemed to me she was pretty much right. The ones I went to often looked like they were set up for eating alone, with a long and narrow bar-like table and stools as the primary seating arrangement. Usually there was not much in the way of decor except those wooden boards with the names of the menu items painted on them (sorry I don't know the name of these things) and the odd beer ad. Always full of men in the evening, and full of that slurp/blow noise I could never pull off. It didn't occur to me until she said it that yeah, this place is pretty much geared toward men.
posted by Hoopo at 10:22 AM on February 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Hoopo at 10:22 AM on February 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
When my husband and I visited Japan last year, the gendered bit I noticed about ramen-eating was how the men would bend their heads low over their bowls and plow right in, while many of the women would take a daintier approach, lifting the noodles out of the broth with their chopsticks and draining them over their spoons before eating them, so as not to get broth spots on their clothes. I really should try to adopt that when we go out for ramen--I can't manage to eat it without getting something on my shirt.
posted by telophase at 10:52 AM on February 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by telophase at 10:52 AM on February 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
My (Australian) boss in Japan mentioned once that she wasn't comfortable going alone to a ramen shop because it was a "very male" environment, which made me look more closely at the customers when I went to eat ramen..and it seemed to me she was pretty much right.
Yes, I do think this is one of those things that doesn't have explicitly gendered associations but is still set up in such a way to make it an unattractive/uncomfortable experience for women.
posted by tobascodagama at 11:03 AM on February 25, 2016
Yes, I do think this is one of those things that doesn't have explicitly gendered associations but is still set up in such a way to make it an unattractive/uncomfortable experience for women.
posted by tobascodagama at 11:03 AM on February 25, 2016
Sounds like how some talk about why they don't want to go to the gym.
As an ironic footnote to this, an great little Italian ramen bar (Casa Ramen in Milan) recently opened its second location in... Yokohama.
Do they let you substitute pepperoni for chashu? zing
posted by rhizome at 11:15 AM on February 25, 2016
As an ironic footnote to this, an great little Italian ramen bar (Casa Ramen in Milan) recently opened its second location in... Yokohama.
Do they let you substitute pepperoni for chashu? zing
posted by rhizome at 11:15 AM on February 25, 2016
RE: Japanese folks not really seeing the big deal: a lot of my friends who never left NYC think it's weird when I go back and eat bagels like I have some disease and it's the only cure, and when I ask about their favorite bagel place... I get strange looks. Like yeah, fish don't notice the water until it's gone.
Interesting point about fatty/rich ramen being particularly manly... I feel like it's the bacon-loving manly man hipster demographic driving the U.S. ramen boom, so maybe that's why I can't order ramen in the U.S. without wanting to puke.
I think it's a combination of a few things. A comparative lack of appreciation for subtlety in the Western palette (I have friends who insist Japanese food all tastes the same). A contrast to the ramen that people are used to (weak, thin, unsubstantial). So it's kind of inevitable that shops here are going to headline with an intense thick tonkotsu rather than a balanced, subtle shio. This is AMERICA. We need our vegetarian cookbooks to have a lot of curse words in it, we need our beer to be undrinkable bitter, and we need our ramen to be INTENSE.
That said, I don't think any of that is necessarily inauthentic, it's just a focus on a certain part of the ramen spectrum.
posted by danny the boy at 11:33 AM on February 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
Interesting point about fatty/rich ramen being particularly manly... I feel like it's the bacon-loving manly man hipster demographic driving the U.S. ramen boom, so maybe that's why I can't order ramen in the U.S. without wanting to puke.
I think it's a combination of a few things. A comparative lack of appreciation for subtlety in the Western palette (I have friends who insist Japanese food all tastes the same). A contrast to the ramen that people are used to (weak, thin, unsubstantial). So it's kind of inevitable that shops here are going to headline with an intense thick tonkotsu rather than a balanced, subtle shio. This is AMERICA. We need our vegetarian cookbooks to have a lot of curse words in it, we need our beer to be undrinkable bitter, and we need our ramen to be INTENSE.
That said, I don't think any of that is necessarily inauthentic, it's just a focus on a certain part of the ramen spectrum.
posted by danny the boy at 11:33 AM on February 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
Yes, I do think this is one of those things that doesn't have explicitly gendered associations but is still set up in such a way to make it an unattractive/uncomfortable experience for women.
I've never heard this discussion, that ramen shops or sushi joints in Japan are structurally sexist. But it would not surprise me. I hope more people, both Japanese and American (or Western), speak up about these kinds of experiences.
posted by polymodus at 11:33 AM on February 25, 2016
I've never heard this discussion, that ramen shops or sushi joints in Japan are structurally sexist. But it would not surprise me. I hope more people, both Japanese and American (or Western), speak up about these kinds of experiences.
posted by polymodus at 11:33 AM on February 25, 2016
And speaking of bullshit like not including an egg, one of the hot new places in San Francisco charged me $2.00 extra for pressed garlic. Literally for one clove. I nearly threw my bowl on the floor.
One of the places I actually like only includes half and egg standard, and a full egg is an upchage. At least they have garlic presses at the table.
Sigh. We get the ramen we deserve. Basically, San Mateo and the Peninsula is where ramen is at. I can't truly recommend anything in SF city limits.
posted by danny the boy at 11:40 AM on February 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
One of the places I actually like only includes half and egg standard, and a full egg is an upchage. At least they have garlic presses at the table.
Sigh. We get the ramen we deserve. Basically, San Mateo and the Peninsula is where ramen is at. I can't truly recommend anything in SF city limits.
posted by danny the boy at 11:40 AM on February 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
the gendered bit I noticed about ramen-eating was how the men would bend their heads low over their bowls and plow right in, while many of the women would take a daintier approach, lifting the noodles out of the broth with their chopsticks and draining them over their spoons before eating them, so as not to get broth spots on their clothes.
I'm Chinese, and I was taught to to put noodles (and any items in your broth) in your spoon first. It's just considered proper manners/etiquette for an adult, especially when you are having dinner with guests, etc. I can totally see why men would tend to forgo it, in a casual, nontraditional setting. Incidentally, I (male) was taught/shown this behavior by women—they told me this was the correct way to eat.
posted by polymodus at 11:44 AM on February 25, 2016 [4 favorites]
I'm Chinese, and I was taught to to put noodles (and any items in your broth) in your spoon first. It's just considered proper manners/etiquette for an adult, especially when you are having dinner with guests, etc. I can totally see why men would tend to forgo it, in a casual, nontraditional setting. Incidentally, I (male) was taught/shown this behavior by women—they told me this was the correct way to eat.
posted by polymodus at 11:44 AM on February 25, 2016 [4 favorites]
We get the ramen we deserve.
I NEVER VOTED FOR TONKOTSU
posted by sunset in snow country at 11:57 AM on February 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
I NEVER VOTED FOR TONKOTSU
posted by sunset in snow country at 11:57 AM on February 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
Oh dear, I didn't mean to hit post just now. Oh well. Anyway, I think you're right about all the other reasons for the tonkotsu love. I do like Kenken Ramen in the Mission.
posted by sunset in snow country at 11:59 AM on February 25, 2016
posted by sunset in snow country at 11:59 AM on February 25, 2016
What's you're favorite danny the boy? My partner loves Himawari, I was disappointed by Santa Ramen the one time I went, and as much I love Ramen Parlor the line is always craaazy long.
posted by Carillon at 12:40 PM on February 25, 2016
posted by Carillon at 12:40 PM on February 25, 2016
I've enjoyed the original location of ramen underground a few times. Sawaii was also nice in the city, but didn't blow me away.
posted by Carillon at 12:42 PM on February 25, 2016
posted by Carillon at 12:42 PM on February 25, 2016
I haven't tried all the spots but I'm pretty into what some people consider the origin of ramen craze in the bay: Ramen Dojo.
I've found ramen is pretty... individual. Like I've found that people really love their one place, and it's never the place that anyone else likes. And there are these best of lists where 50% are shops I wouldn't eat at if it was free.
The next place I want to try is in SF, Mensho. But I am not willing to wait two hours at this point.
posted by danny the boy at 1:01 PM on February 25, 2016
I've found ramen is pretty... individual. Like I've found that people really love their one place, and it's never the place that anyone else likes. And there are these best of lists where 50% are shops I wouldn't eat at if it was free.
The next place I want to try is in SF, Mensho. But I am not willing to wait two hours at this point.
posted by danny the boy at 1:01 PM on February 25, 2016
I spent a week in Tokyo last year, so I think I know a little about ramen. AND JESUS HELP ME IT'S ALL VIRTUALLY THE SAME.
I actually just got back from a couple-week stint in Tokyo myself, and while there are many varieties of noodles, broth, and additional constituent ingredients, all ramen does have a single unifying trait - it invariably reminds me that I'd much rather be eating Pho. (luckily I found a place that served some of the best Pho I've ever had near my train station)
posted by FatherDagon at 1:17 PM on February 25, 2016
I actually just got back from a couple-week stint in Tokyo myself, and while there are many varieties of noodles, broth, and additional constituent ingredients, all ramen does have a single unifying trait - it invariably reminds me that I'd much rather be eating Pho. (luckily I found a place that served some of the best Pho I've ever had near my train station)
posted by FatherDagon at 1:17 PM on February 25, 2016
Ken Ken is delicious as all get out, but they are also a hipster-ramen offender.
posted by rhizome at 1:45 PM on February 25, 2016
posted by rhizome at 1:45 PM on February 25, 2016
it invariably reminds me that I'd much rather be eating Pho
That's funny--for me, after trying ramen for the first time I haven't gone for pho since. Even when I used to eat it, it was kinda bland and I'd put hot sauce in it.
posted by Hoopo at 1:50 PM on February 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
That's funny--for me, after trying ramen for the first time I haven't gone for pho since. Even when I used to eat it, it was kinda bland and I'd put hot sauce in it.
posted by Hoopo at 1:50 PM on February 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Now, now. Let's not fight but agree that noodle soup is superior to all other forms of food, whether it's ramen, pho or laksa.
posted by peripathetic at 2:01 PM on February 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by peripathetic at 2:01 PM on February 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
IM SO HUNGRY i hate this thread now
posted by poffin boffin at 2:10 PM on February 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by poffin boffin at 2:10 PM on February 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Hoopo: "Even when I used to eat it, it was kinda bland and I'd put hot sauce in it."
Well, yes, hot sauce is one of the condiments that go in pho. That's like saying "I find steak bland so I'd put salt on it" or "I find shrimp cocktail bland so I'd dip the shrimp in cocktail sauce"
I'm not sure why pho and ramen are even being seen as in some sort of opposition. My son's favorite dishes are tonkotsu ramen and pho.
posted by Bugbread at 4:35 PM on February 25, 2016
Well, yes, hot sauce is one of the condiments that go in pho. That's like saying "I find steak bland so I'd put salt on it" or "I find shrimp cocktail bland so I'd dip the shrimp in cocktail sauce"
I'm not sure why pho and ramen are even being seen as in some sort of opposition. My son's favorite dishes are tonkotsu ramen and pho.
posted by Bugbread at 4:35 PM on February 25, 2016
There are way too many people old enough to know better in Japan eating that stuff on a regular basis for lunch.
Gee, a bit judgmental, aren't we?
but "curry" is once again one of those revolting foods better left to youngsters
Now you're just talking crazy talk - Japanese curry rice is fantastic, although admittedly it may be an acquired taste.
I am sometimes forced to take my wee ones to Coco Ichibanya
Now I feel sorry for them; that really is the worst curry restaurant in Japan. It's worse than Gusto! Worse than Skylark....
posted by Umami Dearest at 7:42 PM on February 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
Gee, a bit judgmental, aren't we?
but "curry" is once again one of those revolting foods better left to youngsters
Now you're just talking crazy talk - Japanese curry rice is fantastic, although admittedly it may be an acquired taste.
I am sometimes forced to take my wee ones to Coco Ichibanya
Now I feel sorry for them; that really is the worst curry restaurant in Japan. It's worse than Gusto! Worse than Skylark....
posted by Umami Dearest at 7:42 PM on February 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
Umami Dearest: "that really is the worst curry restaurant in Japan"
Gee, a bit judgmental, aren't we?
Coco Ichibanya's shrimp and cheese curry is awesome.
One of the things I notice about ramen restaurants is that there are some restaurants that everyone hates, but no restaurants that everyone likes. I think it's fair to say if you hate a restaurant and everyone else does, too, then it's bad. If you hate it, and a lot of other people hate it, and a lot of other people like it, it's not bad, it's just not to your liking. Same with curry. I think it's fair to say that Gusto is bad -- I've never met anyone who liked it. But Coco Ichibanya has a lot of fans and a lot of detractors, so it falls in the "not to my taste" camp, not the "bad" camp.
posted by Bugbread at 8:15 PM on February 25, 2016
Gee, a bit judgmental, aren't we?
Coco Ichibanya's shrimp and cheese curry is awesome.
One of the things I notice about ramen restaurants is that there are some restaurants that everyone hates, but no restaurants that everyone likes. I think it's fair to say if you hate a restaurant and everyone else does, too, then it's bad. If you hate it, and a lot of other people hate it, and a lot of other people like it, it's not bad, it's just not to your liking. Same with curry. I think it's fair to say that Gusto is bad -- I've never met anyone who liked it. But Coco Ichibanya has a lot of fans and a lot of detractors, so it falls in the "not to my taste" camp, not the "bad" camp.
posted by Bugbread at 8:15 PM on February 25, 2016
It's just like Dostoyevski said! Every good ramen shop is uniquely good, but every bad ramen shop is bad in the same way.
posted by DoctorFedora at 12:55 AM on February 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 12:55 AM on February 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
i can't wait for tsukemen to become more popular in the US so it's not as hard to find...i still think longingly of the tsukemen i had at a ticket ramen spot in tokyo a few years ago.
also the kuro ramen at maru ichi in mountain view is so good ahhh that's all i want right now but it's such a long drive
posted by burgerrr at 1:56 PM on February 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
also the kuro ramen at maru ichi in mountain view is so good ahhh that's all i want right now but it's such a long drive
posted by burgerrr at 1:56 PM on February 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
If my supermarket ramen doesn't have queso fresco (Ranchero style/brand?) or goat cheese in it I am disappointed.
posted by clorox at 7:14 PM on February 26, 2016
posted by clorox at 7:14 PM on February 26, 2016
Is Coco the place with the hotness levels 1-10?
Probably. They have hundreds of possible permutations of ingredients, hotness levels and portion sizes, but all the toppings are less appetizing than you'd find at Sunkus. The curry itself is actually not terrible.
posted by Umami Dearest at 8:50 PM on February 26, 2016
Probably. They have hundreds of possible permutations of ingredients, hotness levels and portion sizes, but all the toppings are less appetizing than you'd find at Sunkus. The curry itself is actually not terrible.
posted by Umami Dearest at 8:50 PM on February 26, 2016
There's also a little ambiguity: CoCo Ichibanya is a curry shop that does do spice levels 1–10 and beyond. Coco's California Kitchen is a so-called "family restaurant" that, like all of the others, offers curry.
CoCo-ichi isn't bad, per se, but I've never made a trip there that felt like I got anything approximating my money's worth. It reminds me of going out for breakfast in that way. Kanazawa curry, on the other hand… man, I wish there were a Champion Curry anywhere in Kansai that wasn't straight-up inconvenient to get to.
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:13 PM on February 27, 2016
CoCo-ichi isn't bad, per se, but I've never made a trip there that felt like I got anything approximating my money's worth. It reminds me of going out for breakfast in that way. Kanazawa curry, on the other hand… man, I wish there were a Champion Curry anywhere in Kansai that wasn't straight-up inconvenient to get to.
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:13 PM on February 27, 2016
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posted by Carillon at 2:36 PM on February 24, 2016 [2 favorites]