History UsefulNotes / RamenAsDehydratedNoodles

** One of the things which the channel's host, Ryan, encourages is for people outside of Japan to experiment with combining traditional Japanese ramen preparation methods with locally-sourced ingredients, as a way of making it a truly international, but also local, dish. One of the fruits of this was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMr8Ra6Baiw this video from the channel "My Name is Andong"]] on making a German-themed ramen dish.

* One subplot in ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}} 3'' revolves around a food conglomerate trying to replicate the signature dish at local ramen restaurant in instant form.

* In one episode of ''Anime/{{Patlabor}}'', the prince of a Middle Eastern nation comes to visit Japan to check out their mecha police program. After becoming friends with the show's police squad he becomes enamored with "commoner" food and demands to be provided with every flavor of dried noodles they can find.

Instant noodles were invented by Andō Momofuku, a UsefulNotes/{{Taiwan}}ese Hokkien man born to a merchant family that had done well during the Japanese occupation of the country. Andō had moved to Japan in 1933 and set himself up in business in Osaka; after the conclusion of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, he found himself in control of a fairly extensive commercial empire. Among his many commercial ventures was his business as a salt merchant, giving him knowledge of the food industry inside out. Once in 1947, at the height of the postwar poverty in Japan, he saw a long line to the ramen shop in Osaka, and thought that it'd be nice if the people wouldn't need to wait outside for hours to eat. He then went to experiment in his storage-shed-turned-a-lab in his backyard, and after 11 years of experiments finally found a solution: fry the freshly boiled ramen in palm oil until crisp to remove moisture, then pour concentrated chicken stock over, dry it off and sell. So in 1958 his first product, Nissin Chicken Ramen, was out. Later, he or one of his employees invented a styrofoam cup, and so Nissin Cup Ramen was born. Andō died in 2007, at the ripe old age of 96 (eating his invention everyday, mind you), but Nissin Food, his company, remains the largest player on the market up to this day.

When you hear the word "ramen," what do you think of? If you are a Westerner, African or West Asian, chances are you think of dried noodles with some strange powder, served in a styrofoam cup. You pour boiling water into the cup, wait for three minutes, and serve. Instant ramen is also usually inexpensive, leading to the quote above where having to eat ramen on a daily basis is an implication that you're close to broke. Which companies and brands you see most often will depend on the country you're from:

** Instant noodles return as standard healing items in both ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker''.

* ''VideoGame/ProjectSekai'': Instant noodles are Kanade's TrademarkFavoriteFood, as their quick prep time and ease of consumption allow her to focus more time on composing music. The game also collaborated with Nissin for the [[MilestoneCelebration 50th anniversary]] of the Cup Noodles brand, adding five songs from famous {{Music/Vocaloid}} producers themed around Japanese Cup Noodles flavors.

What all dehydrated noodles have in common, however, no matter what country they're from, is that they're [[PovertyFood symbolic of poverty]] -- or, at least, not exactly stable life. Which is somewhat ironic, given that initially instant ramen was seen as an upscale product, and cost significantly more than the real stuff: the original asking price of the Nissin Chikin Ramen was 36 yen per portion, while the common ramen stall in Osaka would sell you the large bowl of the fresh stuff for something like 15 yen in 1958. Things changed since, though,[[note]]The King Size portion of the Nissin Cup Ramen costs ~180 yen nowadays, while the fresh stuff floats around 380-450 yen per bowl.[[/note]] and now whether it's the [[StarvingStudent starving university student]], people living alone flooded in debt, or folks who have fallen on hard times, whenever you see someone in fiction pouring boiling water into a brick of rock-hard noodles, you can tell they're hungry for money as well as food. Quite TruthInTelevision, as instant noodles are quite cheap and can be prepared quickly. The somewhat more nutritionally conscious might put in some veggies and an egg, although most brands nowadays, especially Nissin, also pack dehydrated eggs, veggies, and meat along with the noodles and the seasoning.

* ''Anime/RamenFighterMiki'' focuses on competing ramen delivery services.

* ''RamenFighterMiki'' focuses on competing ramen delivery services.

We shall begin with dehydrated noodles, as this is more familiar to a westerner than fresh ramen. While "ramen" refers strictly to a specific type of Japanese noodle (often in soup), the term is also used to refer to any package of dehydrated noodles with seasonings for a single serving. On the other hand, recently many producers started to differentiate between various type of noodles, so one can encounter amusing combinations like "udon instant ramen".[[note]]Ramen--the fresh kind--are a Japanese development of Chinese noodles, and might well be the Japanese pronunciation of the lo mein you find at Chinese restaurants pretty much everywhere (except of course most of China).[[/note]]

But the familiar styrofoam cups are not a given: they are characteristically Japanese and in foreign markets managed to get a hold mainly in US, so in other countries cup ramen would most probably be imported. The cheaper varieties will most commonly come in bags, which are meant to be prepared at home; but some more upscale types will come in plastic/cardboard bowls or buckets, which are meant to be prepared at school or at work. Most will cook in the same way as the familiar cup noodles (immerse the noodles in boiling water for 3-5 minutes, then uncover), though you should expect to see separate packets for the soup powder, as well as the occasional packets for chili powder, hot sauce, oil, soy sauce, fried garlic, vegetables, vinegar, etc., in addition to the brick of noodles. Some (mostly various versions of the ubiquitous fried noodles, such as mi goreng or yakisoba) require you to soak the noodles, drain, and ''then'' season them. Some brands require no preparation at all--you'd eat the dehydrated noodles as they are (actually most could be, as they're all ready to eat, rehydration just makes them more palatable). The approach depends both on the manufacturer and the type of dish.

[[folder: Anime & Manga ]]
* Part of Haruhi's "commoner food" in ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub''.

* One of the ''Project X'' nonfiction business documentary mangas is about Nissin and the creation of the Cup Noodle.
* In one episode of ''Anime/{{Patlabor}}'', the prince of a Middle Eastern nation comes to visit Japan to check out their mecha police program. After becoming friends with the show's police squad he becomes enamored with "commoner" food and demands to be provided with every flavor of dried noodles they can find.
* Despite living with a very good cook, Kazuki Yotsuga and Ken Sanada of ''Anime/DualParallelTroubleAdventure'' wind up sneaking instant ramen at midnight, saying they need that cheap junk food taste.

* In one chapter of ''Manga/{{Area 88}}'', [=McCoy=] sells Shin a case of cup ramen, which Shin much appreciates as a taste of home. Meanwhile in Japan, Ryoko decides to just have a cup ramen instead of eating anything fancy. The chapter closes with both of them waiting on their serving of cup ramen to finish cooking--Shin with a huge grin on his face.
* ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'': Vegeta bribes Whis with instant ramen to get Whis to train him.
* In a bit of {{Filler}} in the "Stone Wars" arc of ''Manga/DrStone'', Senku reinvents dehydrated cup noodles as convenient field rations for the Kingdom of Science, using natural cold and vacuum chambers to freeze-dry them. This saves them from having to hunt or carry heavy food packs, allowing them to travel much faster.
* ''Franchise/LupinIII'' characters are regularly seen eating cup ramen. Zenigata is often short on time and money while pursuing the gang, it's one of the few options to satisfy Goemon's strong preference for Japanese food while abroad, and the gang's finances are barely a step above PerpetualPoverty despite the members' skills.

[[folder: Fan Works ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live-Action TV ]]
* In ''Series/RedDwarf'', Lister refers to "Pot Noodles" as a meal of last resort. He eats dog food over them in "Marooned", and in "Angels and Demons", when on a "perfected" version of the Red Dwarf, he tests its perfection by ordering Pot Noodles from the food dispenser.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* Nissin Cup Noodles won the lottery on ProductPlacement in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'', where it serves as Gladiolus Amicitia's TrademarkFavouriteFood. There is a dedicated food truck in Lestallum that sells cups of noodles, which can be prepared when the party makes camp. Approaching said truck near the middle of the game begins an entire sidequest where Gladiolus convinces the party to find a special ingredient of the player's choice to make the perfect cup; meat (from a [[BossInMookClothing Behemoth]]), shrimp (from a [[BigCreepyCrawlies Big Creepy Crawfish]]), or egg (from a Phoenix roosting on [[LethalLavaLand the Rock of Ravatogh]]). In this case, it doesn't serve as an indicator of money troubles (your main player character is the Crown Prince of Lucis), but of [[LethalChef a lack of cooking skills]]; it's one of two options that can be prepared while team chef Ignis cannot cook [[spoiler:due to losing his eyesight]], with the other being a cold food tin.
* One subplot in ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}} 3'' revolves around a food conglomerate trying to replicate the signature dish at local ramen restaurant in instant form.
* Cup 'O Ramen is a very cheap quick meal available in ''VideoGame/TheSims2: University''.

[[folder: Webcomics ]]
* The students in ''Webcomic/{{PHD}}'' feed off of dried ramen and free food.

* ''Webcomic/{{Noblesse}}'' has the main character having ramen as his TrademarkFavoriteFood despite his high-class background.

[[folder: Web Original ]]
* There is a video out there (on Website/YouTube) where purely for scientific interest, two willing volunteers prepare and consume a twelve-year-old Pot Noodle found in the forgotten dark depths of a food cupboard. What worried them was that while it ''looked'' grey and unappetising, it still ''tasted'' broadly as if it were still fresh. Preservatives are there for a purpose, it seems...
* The WebSite/YouTube foodie/food science channel "Alex the French Cooking Guy" has made [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyZjoJcvHvE&list=PLURsDaOr8hWXGHjXPa3nTFZnbqJcAfs4N an entire series of videos]] describing his 'addiction' to instant ramen, which - in keeping with the rest of his channel - he then used as a jumping-off point for discussing many cooking topics, such as taste and texture, the health concerns involved with instant noodles, the science of how dehydrating foods works, the differences in instant ramen and traditional ramen, the different flavorings which can be used with or made for them, and how the noodles are made. He does this over (so far) twelve videos showing his quest to find the best way to ''make dehydrated instant noodles himself'' for his own use.
* The WebSite/YouTube channel "How to Make Everything"'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfjcflmqkis video on re-inventing instant noodles using primitive technology]] was not conspicuously successful, but interesting nonetheless.
* Yet another WebSite/YouTube foodie personality, Barry Lewis, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peg4l0T9F6M tried to replicate Unilever Pot Noodles]][[note]]and the related Pot Mash, an instant mashed potato and gravy cup formerly produced by Unilever[[/note]], one of the most popular instant noodle brands in the UK. Unlike some of the others, he didn't try to make the noodles himself (instead using some existing noodles), focusing on replicating the 'instant cup' packaging and the other ingredients included in the package (dehydrated chicken, sweet corn, and mushroom, specifically).

[[folder: Anime & Manga ]]

* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', Wanze fights using ramen noodles as armor and as grappling.
* ''Manga/{{Oishinbo}}'' has devoted chapters here and there to ramen and other noodles.
* ''VisualNovel/{{AIR}}'': Kunisaki Yukito is dirt-poor, third-rate street performer who will do anything for a bowl of real ramen.
* ''Manga/MissKoizumiLovesRamenNoodles'' is about the eponymous character visiting different ramen joints.
* In ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'', Chika Fujiwara has gotten several chapters dedicated entirely to her eating ramen, during which she usually ends up encountering one of "[[EliteFour The Four Ramen Emperors]]", a group of three men ([[TheSmurfettePrinciple and one woman]]) who are regarded as the ultimate connoisseurs of ramen.
* In ''Manga/DrStone'', Senku reinvents fresh ramen to impress the villagers and get them to provide manpower for his science experiments. They instantly love it, though to pre-Stone Worlders like Senku and Gen it tastes like a poor imitation of real ramen. As it was made from foxtail millet (which lacks gluten), it would realistically be very brittle, more like soba.

[[folder: Films -- Live-Action ]]

* ''Film/TheRamenGirl'', a movie about an American woman who follows her boyfriend to Japan, ends up getting dumped by him and left stranded there, and later drowns her sorrows at a local ramen restaurant. To cope with the loss, she vows to become an expert ramen cook and convinces the restaurant owner to train her in cooking ramen. She also gains the ability to create empathetic food - putting her tears in the broth - and uses it in the closing scene of Probably Happily Ever After back in the USA.

[[folder: Video Games ]]
* In ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', there's a ramen restaurant (Ramen Don) whose food affects the player characters' stats. In Week 2, Day 3, a mission revolves around Ramen Don and a rival ramen shop which opens a few doors down.
* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' had Hagakure Ramen as a typical hangout location, usually important for Social Links.

[[folder: Web Originals ]]
* ''WebVideo/BingingWithBabish'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXDQOSbcmv4 dedicated an episode]] to making proper, fresh, ramen, specifically recreating dishes from the previously mentioned ''Tampopo''. He even apologies to the pork cutlet.