Stuff Asian People Like

“It’s fast, cheap, yummy, and everywhere,” says Masako Fukui of Kei’s Kitchen (speaking about Japan’s greatest innovation of the 20th century– no joke). Believe it or not, even though these wavy egg noodles in broth are now ubiquitous with Japan; it had origins in China long before that (over four thousand years to be exact).

How did this come about, though?

In 1665, the first ever account of “Lamian” consumption was made by Japanese Feudal Lord Tokugawa Mitsukuni. From the late 19th to 20th centuries, spurred by imperial aspirations, technological advances, and a post-WWII food shortage; Lamian became an instant (pun intended) hit in Japan.

Quick Japanese 101: Lamian, Lamen, and Ramen are the same thing. There is no distinction between the “L” and “R” sounds. Lamian is Japanese for “stretched, pulled, or elongated noodles.” Thus, we now call Lamian, Ramen.

Soldiers and lay people alike could have been found slurping Ramen noodles (much like college students today) during the Meiji Period because they were a great source of calories, easily portable, and provided warmth (did I mention they were extremely cheap?). Thus, the Japanese transformed a Chinese peasant meal into a cultural symbol.

Only in the past 60 years has Ramen become an international and (and Asian) sensation. Momofuku Ando of Nissin Foods is responsible for the globalization and westernization of Ramen. In 1958, he invented our modern day “instant cup noodles.” In 1972, these noodles came across the Pacific Ocean (and all over the world) under the guise of “Top Ramen (Maruchan)” and “Oodles of Noodles.”

Today, Asians and people around the world consume over 85 billion Ramen meals a year. That amounts to about $10 billion dollars worth of Ramen purchases — more than the nominal GDPs of over 67 countries worldwide (Cambodia grosses 10.82 billion dollars a year and is ranked 123 in the world). Thus, Ramen could very easily be the answer to both feeding and sustaining third-world countries for years to come (though we all know Asians are far too stingy with money to let that happen).

Instant Ramen flavors ranging from classic beef, chicken, and pork; to more bizarre flavors such as “salsa picante shrimp” are becoming available every day. If you want more authentic taste, we here at SAPL recommend a visit to Maru Ichi.

If you want to be immersed in Ramen history, you can see the Ramen Museum in Shin-Yokohama, Japan. You will definitely be blown away by the wheat, mineral water, salt, and mineral water that go into every meal. =)

With that said: Due to innovation in the face of adversity, the Japanese have turned Ramen noodles into a worldwide Asian phenomenon. That’s why, SAPL readers, #130 Ramen Noodles are Stuff Asian People Like.

“Named the greatest “made in Japan” invention of the 20th century, in front of the karaoke and headphone stereos, in a Japanese poll made by the The Fuji Research Institute Corporation, instant ramen became a Japanese cultural icon,” adds Ramenlicious.

Sources: Kei’s Kitchen (2008) and The Daily Orange.

On another note, if you want some Ramen in the comfort of your home, check out what our friends at RamenBox.com are doing. Have you ever wished that you didn’t have to buy Ramen in bulk? Their service offers Ramen like never before– combining the largest selection of Ramen and convenience into a box (literally). You can choose from their huge database of Ramen flavors, healthy alternatives, and have suggested flavors sent to your email (if you’re feeling adventurous).

Your own customized RamenBox is then sent to your home. With every RamenBox order, you get everything you need to eat your Ramen as well. Napkins, Chopsticks, even Chili Sauce are included for “the best noodle experience ever.”

Gone are the days of looking for utensils in the middle of the night when you have a paper due the next morning. Plus– how awesome would it be if your friends came over and saw a custom box of Ramen on your counter? If you really want to be Asian, we here in the SAPL family  suggest you give RamenBox a try.

SAPL EXCLUSIVE: Our friends at RamenBox have offered a 10% discount code for Stuff Asian People Like Readers! Just type “stuffasianslike” as your discount code, and 10% will be taken off your order. If you’ve already ordered, 10% is being taken off your order as we speak.

Two years ago, Nancy and I met up with TimBeTold, a wonderful band with a great message and cause! Check out our  feature on AC News: here.

Today, we were informed that “Pop rock group Tim Be Told [would be] embarking on a audacious national tour and are hitting everywhere they can!“

This is a great testament to their resiliency and persistence as a group. They are truly doing what they love while being positive influences for Asian Americans everywhere. If you haven’t checked them out, here is one of their hit songs, Analyze:

Tour dates:
Jan 12 2010 White Rock Coffee Dallas, Texas
Jan 14 2010 Kick Butt Coffee Austin, Texas
Jan 15 2010 Fort Bend Community Church Missouri City, Texas
Jan 16 2010 Houston Chinese Church Houston, Texas
Jan 17 2010 Fort Bend Community Church Missouri City, Texas
Jan 18 2010 Private Show Los Angeles, California
Jan 19 2010 The Living Room Los Angeles, California
Jan 20 2010 University of California Irvine Irvine, California
Jan 22 2010 Hollow Body @ TRiP Santa Monica, California
Jan 23 2010 Stanford University Palo Alto, California
Jan 24 2010 South Bay Sa Rang Community Church Torrance, California
Jan 28 2010 Livingwater Church Berkeley, California
Jan 31 2010 Bay Area Chinese Bible Church San Leandro, California

Feb 3 2010 Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon
Feb 4 2010 Skagit Valley College Oak Harbor, Washington
Feb 5 2010 Ethnic Cultural Theatre w/New Heights Seattle, Washington
Feb 6 2010 Evangelical Chinese Church Seattle, Washington
Feb 9 2010 University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, Colorado
Feb 10 2010 Chinese Evangelical Church of Denver Denver, Colorado
Feb 12 2010 The Chapel w/Fundamental Elements St. Louis, Missouri
Feb 15 2010 Elbo Room w/Lucrezio Chicago, Illinois
Feb 17 2010 The Canopy Club w/ guests Urbana, Illinois
Feb 18 2010 Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio
Feb 20 2010 Ishan Gala Benefit Concert Charlottesville, Virginia

This is not a paid advertisement. We have a great time whenever we go to their concerts or listen to their songs because they inspire change, much like we did with SAPL. Tim and the guys are some of the coolest entertainers on and off-stage as well.

They also performed at our non-profit service awareness concert, ServiceAsia, in June of 2009. If you live in (or near) their tour locations, check out their concert dates and be prepared for a great time.

-Peter

P.S. Nancy and I just got back from our China tour, so a highlight post is coming up very soon.  At this time, just enjoy the Holidays and New Years’ afterglow. Happy Holidays!

This is a very heartfelt Holiday and Seasons’ Greetings from all of us here in the Stuff Asian People Like Family. To all of our writers, guest writers, fans and followers– you’ve been such a blessing and inspiration to keep this website going for the past three years.

We hope to successfully debunk the world’s stereotypes and myths regarding Asians. We also hope to help the world understand all the Asian cultures and their various social and familial dynamics so that we can all understand one another.

Thanks again, and we’ll be releasing a very special post by guest writer Vannie Sung in the following days.

Peter Nguyen.
Stuff Asian People Like

This week’s post from Viet Nguyen is about the age old question: “Where did I come from,” but from an Asian perspective. There is a tremendous amount of truth to this post, as my name is actually “fourth” in a two-person family (go figure). At any rate, Enjoy!

From Wikipedia: In Western culture the White Stork is a symbol of childbirth. In Victorian times the details of human reproduction were difficult to approach, especially in reply to a younger child’s query of “Where did I come from?”; “The stork brought you to us” was the tactic used to avoid discussion of sex. The image of a stork bearing an infant wrapped in a sling held in its beak is common in popular culture.

Asian Cultures have similar childbirth myths. Asians also have similar difficulty explaining the concept of the “Birds and the Bees” to their children (please refer to #102 Being Modest about ***). In lieu of the stork myth, asians have come up with other kinds of lies they tell their kids when the dreaded “Where did I come from?” question gets popped.

1) One common story that gets told is that the child was found in the garbage and the parents happened to be in the vicinity so they could adopt the kid. Nevermind that this doesn’t really ANSWER the question of “where did I come from?” All it really does is give the false impression that the child was previously abandoned and left in the garbage to die. But it usually satisfied the child’s queries and most of the time, they are not traumatized.

2) Another common story that gets told is that the child was found beneath a bridge and the parents happened to be in the vicinity so they could adopt the kid. Again, this just gives the child the false impression that they were previously abandoned and left under that bridge to die. Again, the child’s query is satisfied, and after many hours of crying, he accepts that he really isn’t part of the family and is only living in the household because of the sympathy his parents had for him when he was a baby.

HOWEVER, this is actually a clever play on words. In Korean, the word for Bridge, 다리, also happens to be a homonym for the word “legs.” So when the child finally learns the truth about ***, then the parents have some wiggle room. “Well yeah Johnny, we TOLD you that you came from under 다리. What do you think it meant? A bridge? LOL you must have thought you were abandoned.”

People from Western Cultures are often entitled to a sense of identity and uniqueness when they come into this world. In fact, in addition to a surname and a personal name, all Americans as assigned a unique number; a social security number, that stays with them for their entire lives, even after they die.

Asians, however, have held this number assigning concept for centuries and in fact, commonly use their numbers to identify themselves. Like the American social security number, an asian’s number also stays with them for their entire life, even after he/she dies.

If you are asian, you are assigned your number from birth. If you happen to be the oldest of your siblings, you will be referred to as brother (or sister) #2. All your younger siblings will refer to you as “#2″ and you will often times refer them by their numbers as well, be it #4 or #6. Why isn’t there a #1? No one knows. (no really, I kid you not; no one, and I mean NO ONE KNOWS)

As you get older and your generation has kids, then your nieces and nephews will also refer to you by your number. Whether you be uncle #2 or auntie #4.

Eventually, your family will get larger and larger and you will start having grandkids and grandnieces and nephews. However, they will always respect you and will never forget the love and generosity you displayed to your family as they grew from children and eventually to adults. And as a gesture of respect, they will lovingly refer to you as “Old Man #7,” even after you have left this world.

Viet Nguyen from PDX

Thanks Viet for your wonderful insight! Stay tuned for our next post around Christmas Time.