Saturday, February 1, 2014

When Ramen Grows Up

When I was between the ages of five and eight years old, my family lived on the island of Oahu. Yeah, that's Hawaii. Livin' the dream. Not that I knew it was a dream, since I was five years old and all. But it was there that I learned to appreciate a few particular foods that have remained favorites to this day: Asian rice crackers, nori (dried seaweed), and ramen.

You think impoverished college students love ramen? You should go to Hawaii. Ramen is practically a sacred food. And I loved it, in all its overly-salted, MSG-laden glory.

Tonight as we were eating our ginger-flavored chicken soup with vermicelli (also known as rice sticks--just a very thin noodle made of rice flour), I realized that this soup is essentially a higher quality, adult version of ramen. No wonder I love it so much and make it whenever I have the ingredients on hand.

Since all I need to make it are the vermicelli, onions or leeks, homemade chicken stock, carrots, and chicken (plus powdered  ginger and soy sauce), I make it every couple of months or so. But it just occurred to me tonight why it is that it's such a happy food for me.

Grown-up ramen. Rock on.

4 comments:

  1. I didn't know vermicelli was made of rice flour. How about that. Learning something at 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning. Wonders never cease.

    Hawaii was a learning experience for everyone, both good and bad I might add. But the food was always awesome. Those after game potlucks were the best!

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  2. I have never eaten Ramen. Is it too late? Mary in MN

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  3. Oh, my god - right? I lived off of Ramen (and Cup of Noodles) when I was in college/grad school.

    Now? I occasionally give it to the tot and get a little excited when she doesn't finish it because, you know, waste not want not. I gotta take one for the team and eat the rest.

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  4. Oh ramen. We eat ramen (but not Top Ramen) and pho all the time. But we have to go to the ramen and pho places because SHOCKER I haven't learned to make it yet because NOT SHOCKER that shit takes forever what with the bone broth and noodles and such.

    Then there was a recipe in Cook's Illustrated for it last issue and now I'm locked into making Beef Pho.

    Like, eventually.

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