Back in mid 2018, I reviewed this right after their ‘new recipe’ change for review #2910. Around that time, it seemed that US manufacturers decided to change the product names of economy pillow packs that were initially known as ‘Oriental’ flavor to Soy Sauce. The term ‘Oriental’ has come under fire in recent years, hence the change. What does Oriental mean? Basically it derives from Latin, meaning ‘of the east’ – the opposite being Occidental being ‘of the west.’ From what I’ve gathered from running the Ramen Junkie facebook group for a while as this has come up from time to time is that many things and businesses will use the term; ‘insert city name here’ Oriental Market for example, however it isn’t a term to be used for people, at least that’s what I found. I read an L.A. Times article about this very subject that I thought was very interesting – you can read it here. One particular quote from the author I found fascinating was ‘A funny thing I noticed is that my Caucasian colleagues, not my Asian colleagues, are most eager to remove Oriental from public discourse.’
That reminds me of a controversial tweet a few years ago. I believe it was from a New York Times writer who mentioned enjoying Korean Ramyun varieties with processed cheese. Westerners immediately came to the ‘aid’ of all Koreans, crying foul that the author was ‘appropriating Korean food culture and Westernizing it.’ However, this was not the case. In fact, Koreans were kind of stumped and told the naysayers, ‘we actually do this!’
I think the big problem a lot of times is as a newly global collection of people with so many different backgrounds, we don’t know our new neighbors. I often hear and friend say they met someone who was foreign. I always ask where they were from – but I’ve often heard repeatedly ‘oh I didn’t ask – I didn’t want to offend them.’ I think that’s too bad – everyone likes to talk about their families, and if they don’t, it’s very unlikely that if you ask someone a question about where they come from that they would be offended. There’s so much to learn from one another, after all.
Anyways yeah – I think here in the United States, we have some cultural issues that really need to be sorted out. It’ll happen someday, and when it does I think everyone will be happier and more educated. Anyways yeah – that’s what happens when I get a pack of instant noodles at the store! This package has gone through a couple small changes since 2018. Let’s give it a try.
Nissin Top Ramen Soy Sauce Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup – United States
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Labeled as Vegetarian friendly however look for yourself. To prepare, add noodle block to 2 cups boiling water and cook 3 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The seasoning base sachet. Notice it says 0001. I wonder…
A poster my wife got me about ten years ago – an original…
The way Top Ramen looked when it was introduced in 1972.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added egg, shichimi, scallion, mung bean sprout, sesame seed, and chashu. Noodle is as expected as can be expected; they’ve been making this for decades. I like the texture and light tooth of it. The broth is interesting as it has a shoyu and ginger kind of thing going on. After a few years, it seems much better to me. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 070662010013.
Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!
