Restaurant Ramen is Overated
The infatuation by the public for ramen is out of hand. Food fusion like the ramen-burger is popping up, hour long waits are the norm, prices are going up, and yet people still want more. A food that was once a go-to for convenience and affordability, is still getting guzzled down by people who are spending increasingly more for it. For people to be spending this much time and money trying to get ramen from a restaurant, they should be getting the best possible service or the best quality ingredients, and yet they’re not.
Ramen is meant to be a fast food. In Asia, you will find every culture to have their own staple, quick noodle soup dish. It makes sense from a business point of view, have a good soup stock in bulk, prepare small side-dish additions, cook noodles when ordered, mix together, serve, and get paid. The key, being fast and efficient. Ramen shops in Japan can be found in train stations where customers can order, eat, and pay for the meal all within five minutes. Ramen has lost this convenience, at least in the Bay Area, becoming a culture icon food, that has begun to turn me off from it.
Ramen made at home is fun and delicious. If you are going the “from scratch” method, you will be spending serious time, perfecting the soup base, and making good hand stretched noodles. But I’m not advicating that all food should be made at home or anything, I just think most people don’t know you can buy ramen packets in an Asian or Japanese grocery store, that has fresh ramen noodles in it, rather than the freeze dried variety. The difference between the two is as stark as the difference between dried and fresh pasta. Making it at home might take a few extra steps, but I find that even without embellishment, a fresh ramen noodle pack is already nearly on par with what you can get at a restaurant. To truly make it better, add the vegetables and meat you love, with some spices, chili or sesame oil, and you then have yourself a real gourmet ramen, without the hassle and line that would have awaited you otherwise.
I’m not telling you all this to stop you from eating ramen. Ramen is still one of my favorite foods. I mainly just want people to know there is an option to make an easy version at home, tailoring it to your personal delicate palate. I want people to avoid long unnecessary lines. I want people to go to restaurants where the food inspires them, that the food there is something they can’t make at home, or preparing the food is so time consuming that is worth going out to a restaurant for. But the absolute most important thing, I want there to be fewer people in line so if I did want to go back to some of these ramen shops, I can. ;)
