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by Alan Wiren
"Hungry?!"
That and the name of the product were the only words in a clever
series of advertisements by Nissin, the internationally (and
extraterrestrially) known maker of instant noodles. The ads
juxtaposed the ease and convenience of preparing Cup Noodles with
the difficulties of other, more traditional means of finding
sustenance -- hunting mammoth, for instance. If you have never been
to the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum, you may not realize that
these ads reflect the seminal origins of the company.
Just after World War II, before there ever was an instant
noodle, the Japanese people were hungry. Recovering from a lost war
left the nation with food shortages. Momofuku Ando, later to become
founder of Nissin, was struck by something he saw at that time:
long lines stretching out in front of ramen shops. It gave him the
idea of making ramen available to people, in his words, "anytime,
anywhere."
Buy the 'Essential
Japanese Cooking' video series.
It is easy, now, to take instant ramen for granted; indeed, the
company's very goal is to make instant noodles an integral part of
people's lives.
But the invention of the instant noodle was no mean feat, as you
can judge from the displays at the museum. Just inside the doors
you will find a glass case filled with medals and letters of
recognition, not only from Japanese universities, but from culinary
institutions as far away as Los Angeles and Brazil, all commending
Ando for having invented the instant noodle.
Step inside the main hall and the history of Ando and his
company unfolds.
It begins with his epiphany outside the ramen shop, presented as
a video. (The video is in Japanese, but you can borrow an English
guide tape for a deposit of 2000 yen.) The video goes on to tell of
the nights that Ando spent in the little shed in his back yard,
trying to find a way to get the water out of freshly cooked
noodles, and at the same time, put flavor in.
The solution to Ando's problem did not find him in his makeshift
laboratory, but at the dinner table. The video tells that one
evening while watching his wife make tempura, he suddenly realized
that deep frying was the way to dry out a wet noodle while locking
in the taste of the soup.
This was the first of seven revelations, which Ando calls
"hints", that make up the backbone of the museum's exhibits.
The video screen is next to a replica of the shed where Ando
conducted the first experiments that led to the product he called
Chicken Ramen: an instant ramen that makes a chicken flavored broth
when hot water is added.
Inside you can see the kind of tools he worked with, the
ingredients he used, and even a replica of the sink where he
diligently washed his hands.
Walking through the rest of the museum you will find hands-on
exhibits of the kind often seen in science museums. There are
cranks to turn, doors to slide, draws to be pulled out, automated
demonstrations and quizzes.
Then there are the modern additions of computer terminals and
electronic games. In an interactive format, they tell the story of
the challenges faced and overcome in making instant noodles what
they are today. One exhibit demonstrates the problem and solution
involved in getting the dried noodles into that big Styrofoam cup.
(Did you think you could just drop them in the top? You're not
ready, yet, Grasshopper!)
The exhibition continues with a presentation of Nissin's
cooperation with NASA. In keeping with the "anytime, anywhere"
motto, they have created an instant ramen that can be eaten easily
and safely in zero gravity.
It ends with a kind of time tunnel, a walk-through time line
showing the evolution of all of Nissin's instant noodle products,
but at that point, the instant noodle experience has only just
begun.
Near the end of Ando's story comes the decision to share his
discoveries with the rest of the world. The spirit of that choice,
however, runs through the entire exhibition. Perhaps the most
inspiring display is a short video presentation that is shown in
its own little theater at the end of the exhibit hall.
It is a cartoon, meant for children, that reviews Ando's life
and the seven "hints" that lead him to success. The English guide
tape will give you a translation, but that is hardly necessary. The
unmistakable intention is to whet the appetite for discovery and
the spark of invention in all of us.
In the next room, for a fee of only 300 yen, you can have the
experience of designing your own cup of instant noodles. Note that
the first step here is to wash your hands, just as Ando did in his
little, backyard shed.
Then you get to decorate your Styrofoam cup (while watching the
"Hungry?!" series of ads that are shown here in a continuous loop),
choose a combination of soup flavor and dried toppings, and watch
as your souvenir gets packed, topped, and shrink wrapped for you to
enjoy anytime, and anywhere you like.
On the museum's second floor is a kitchen area where groups can
actually make noodles by rolling out and cutting dough with pasta
machines like the one Ando used while inventing his original
Chicken Ramen. The museum staff will fry your noodles while you
decorate the packages.
Then, along with the noodles you have made, they will send you
off with other more modern samples of Nissin products, as well as
the bandana you wore over your hair while making the noodles. This
experience costs 500 yen for adults or 300 yen for elementary
school children, and requires reservations that you should try to
make at least one month in advance.
You can spend several hours having fun and discovering at the
Instant Ramen Museum and, should that inspire a hunger for
something more corporeal than invention, you can either visit the
tasting room in the museum, or stop off on the way back to the
station at Momofuku Ando Tei.
The latter is a ramen restaurant opened in Ando's honor.
They offer the Original Chicken Ramen Taste or a New Taste Ramen.
Either one is does the trick.
Read more: http://www.japanvisitor.com/index.php?cID=361&pID=1266#ixzz1Dl5X6rZL
