Don’t go to a ramen shop the next time you schedule a date to catch up with a friend you haven’t seen in a while.
The Japanese noodle soup dish has evolved from its humble beginnings as fast food to become a global obsession and the focus of intense food nerdery. But somewhere along its journey, ramen lost its instruction manual. Advertisement.
Ivan Orkin, a chef from Long Island who established a prosperous ramen shop in Tokyo before moving back to New York to do the same thing in 2014, has promoted the “slurp” as a component of the “authentic” way to consume ramen. But equally required is haste.
As with many noodle soups, including pho from Vietnam, ramen quickly degrades as the noodles soak up water, expand, and lose their chewy consistency. Ramen is best when consumed within the first ten minutes of preparation and is best served piping hot.
In a video for Bon Appétit, Orkin states, “All the effort I’ve put in over the past ten years learning how to make these noodles, they have about 10 minutes of life.” He talks about an average male customer in Tokyo who would enter and finish a bowl in four minutes. In contrast, it takes 20 to 40 minutes to get a bowl of ramen in New York. It’s a little bit heart-breaking,” he says.
Wheat-flour noodles are used to make ramen, which is typically served with toppings like pork, green onions, bamboo, and poached or soft-boiled eggs. A freshly made bowl is best enjoyed within a 10-minute window of its preparation. Advertisement.
The constant barrage of carbohydrates may initially hurt your stomach or make you feel uncomfortable if you’re not used to vacuuming noodles properly. Still, don’t dilly dally. Avoid combining the ingredients, letting the noodles cool, or cutting the noodles with your teeth before dumping them back into the bowl. As soon as you get your bowl, grab a few noodles with your teeth and, sort of, inhale the pile into your mouth by removing them with your chopsticks. Slurping allows you to enjoy the aroma while cooling the noodles. It also makes a childishly enjoyable sound. If you prefer, after you’ve finished eating, you can take the bowl and place it in your mouth to drink the broth.
This strategy might go against your natural urges to consume food mindfully, slowly, or by counting your bites. You must refuse the appeal of delivery or deli takeout in order to participate. You need to get up from your desk and sit at the bar or table in the ramen shop. Your reward is this steaming bowl that was freshly prepared for you and the tense joy of the noodle-inhale, which you can complete in under 30 minutes without having to interact with anyone.
Insist that the components are packed separately if you do decide to defy ideal noodlery and order a noodle-soup dish to go.
What Equipment Do I Need to Eat Ramen?
To consume ramen the Japanese way, you need three things.
Community Q&ADid you know you can get expert answers for this article?Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHowSearch
Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer. They actually sell practice chopsticks that are easier to hold. You can learn how to hold chopsticks using those. Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer. Try adding some fresh herbs on top of your noodles, like coriander or mint leaf. 
Community Answer Place the first chopstick in your dominant hand, holding it with the wide end. The tip of your thumb should be pressed against the chopstick, holding it in. Advertisement
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Eating Noodles With Utensils
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1 Eat noodles like an Italian. Italians eat noodles by twirling the pasta with a forkturning the noodles into a small nest. Different cultures have different ways of eating noodles.
- Italians spin the pasta because it enables them to incorporate additional ingredients
