[HN Gopher] Our Founder - Momofuku Ando
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       Our Founder - Momofuku Ando
        
       Author : rawgabbit
       Score  : 155 points
       Date   : 2024-08-09 16:24 UTC (2 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.nissin.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.nissin.com)
        
       | creativeone111 wrote:
       | Surprisingly that was a great story.
        
       | toomanyaccts wrote:
       | Ever since reading "The Ramen King and I" I've been
       | hoping/sporadically searching for a translation of Momofuku
       | Ando's book of quotes. Hard to even find mention of them...
       | 
       | Edit: title is Momofuku Ando Speaks: Human beings are Noodle
       | Beings.
       | https://books.google.com/books/about/Momofuku_Ando_Speaks.ht...
        
       | CAPSLOCKSSTUCK wrote:
       | That was awesome, especially the bit about the Asama-Sanso
       | incident. Also made me instantly want some noodles . . . .
        
       | thehoff wrote:
       | The Cup of Noodles museum in Yokohama was well worth it (get
       | there early if plan to go though, can get very busy).
        
         | bobthepanda wrote:
         | Eh, I had the opposite experience. It's definitely very geared
         | towards elementary school age children.
        
           | astrange wrote:
           | There were a lot of families there, but we did enjoy it as
           | adults. Obviously no need to go a second time.
           | 
           | My favorite part is that near the end, there's an American
           | newspaper article on the wall that says Ando was once
           | imprisoned for tax evasion before inventing instant noodles.
           | This is mentioned exactly nowhere else in the museum.
        
         | nox101 wrote:
         | My favorite part was the video that said Cup Noodles was
         | invented when they tried to bring noodles to the USA and people
         | in the USA didn't know what "cup" was. "Jing ?nanisore?" in a
         | super thick USA accent (lol). And thus they added the "cup" and
         | "Cup Noodles was born"
         | 
         | Note: Whether or not it's a true story, it was the movie
         | playing at the cup noodle museum in Yokohama
        
           | SatvikBeri wrote:
           | "What are chopsticks? What are bowls?" was in the subtitles I
           | saw. I'm guessing it was a translation error, but the idea
           | that Momofuku Ando introduced bowls to the US was pretty
           | amusing.
        
         | sdrothrock wrote:
         | The best part of the museum is the chicken ramen factory, which
         | you need to make a reservation for in advance. It is NOT the
         | cup noodle factory.
         | 
         | Cup noodle factory: no reservations, draw on your cup, specify
         | what toppings to put in
         | 
         | Chicken ramen factory: make ramen noodles from SCRATCH, send
         | them off to be fried in front of you, draw the packaging
         | 
         | It's really worth the price of admission (1000 yen, maybe $6
         | USD) for the experience of making ramen noodles from scratch
        
         | wodenokoto wrote:
         | If you're in Kansai, you can take the Hankyuu Takarazuka line
         | to Ikeda, near Momofuku Andos birthplace, where they have a
         | noodle museum which not only has a noodle factory experience
         | but also a recreation of his childhood home.
        
           | sehyun wrote:
           | I didn't know that the Hankyuu Takarazuka line stretches
           | across the Pacific Ocean!
           | 
           | Maybe you meant to say Umeda Station (Osaka)?
        
             | wodenokoto wrote:
             | I meant to say kansai (fixed), but I guess autocorrect had
             | other plans.
        
           | m4rtink wrote:
           | Went there & it was really nice. Can also recommend visiting
           | the lookout & shrine above the town, a really nice view of
           | Ikede and the whole Osaka aglomeration from up there. :)
        
         | rwmj wrote:
         | Also the asadora drama about the invention of noodles starring
         | (unrelated) Sakura Ando: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manpuku
        
       | lagniappe wrote:
       | They come in a paper cup now, which is pretty awesome. Whoever
       | came up with that idea, I applaud you.
        
       | doytch wrote:
       | Oh /that's/ where David Chang got the name Momofuku from...?
       | Interesting!
        
         | viiralvx wrote:
         | I was thinking the same thing!
        
         | jfengel wrote:
         | Yep. It also means "lucky peach", which has a lot of positive
         | connotations in Japan. But the original ramen place name was a
         | nod to the inventor.
        
       | cnasc wrote:
       | I'd like to strongly recommend "Project X: Cup Noodle," a
       | business manga (who knew! Wish more of these were translated)
       | covering the story of the creation of Cup Noodle. Maybe read it
       | while enjoying the titular product.
        
       | Dalewyn wrote:
       | Cup Noodles (and more generally instant noodles) is easily one of
       | the most important inventions ever.
       | 
       | It's cheap, it's nutritious, it stores well (and easily), it
       | ships easily (read: cheaply), and it prepares simply and quickly.
       | Most importantly, it's delicious.
       | 
       | I know of no other food that checks _all_ these boxes and then
       | some.
        
         | grogenaut wrote:
         | Cheese, Hard Tack, Jerkey, Pickles, Kimche, Beer, Salt Pork,
         | Rum, Instant Soup, Pemican, Wine, Dried Beans, Honey, Grain,
         | Potatoes, Tons of Canned foods lets say peaches, regular pasta,
         | Nut butter... yeah I can think of a ton of them, and everything
         | I listed is much more nutritious than instant noodles which
         | basically has carbs, salt, potassium lots of fat, some protein.
        
           | gaadd33 wrote:
           | Where can you get jerkey, wine or nut butter for less money
           | than instant noodles? I'm not familiar with the pricing for
           | everything listed, but if I can find those 3 for cup noodle
           | prices, that would be awesome.
        
             | inhumantsar wrote:
             | unless you're eating a jar of nut butter in one sitting,
             | I'm pretty sure it's going to be cheaper by far on a per
             | serving basis.
        
               | grogenaut wrote:
               | I'm not personally going for the cheapest most shelf
               | stable food every as the core of my diet.
               | 
               | Also nut butter does looks similar on micro nutrients,
               | about an oz is very similar to a cup of noodles. maybe
               | not as filling. I don't find cup o noodles all that
               | filling though.
        
             | grogenaut wrote:
             | I wasn't really going on price. Also note that you're at
             | 48% daily sodium for 1 thing of nissan instant noodles
             | which is 290 calories (1/6th daily intake of 1800) and 20%
             | of nutritional value. I can get my own cider down to about
             | $0.28/12 oz bottle. My point was more that there are many
             | storable foods and have been for a long time that provide
             | nutrition and variation. And other than the salt pork
             | aren't loaded with salt.
             | 
             | As spike said "man cannot live on carbohydrates alone" :)
             | 
             | Also I personally feel like shit after eating cup o noodles
             | even if they are good tasty and cheap.
        
               | Dalewyn wrote:
               | >nissan instant noodles
               | 
               | Nissan makes cars.
               | 
               | Nissin makes cup noodles.
               | 
               | Nisshin makes flour.
        
               | grogenaut wrote:
               | cool, thank you for setting me straight, really added to
               | the conversation. I'll make sure to file a bug to Google
               | autocorrect so that such egregious errors are not made in
               | important conversations in the future.
        
           | hombre_fatal wrote:
           | How many of those do better than a package of instant ramen
           | noodles on a nutrient tracker like Cronometer? One pack gives
           | you 20% of the day's nutrients. You think pickles, honey,
           | beer, and wine come close to that? You need to recalibrate
           | your intuitions: cronometer.com
        
             | SargeDebian wrote:
             | I don't want to sign up to the product you're advertising,
             | but without doing that I can say that while some packets of
             | ramen may give you 20% of your required daily calory
             | intake, there are more required nutrients than calories.
             | Probably none of the other listed foods can give you
             | everything on their own.
        
           | bagels wrote:
           | Was with you until potatoes. They don't last nearly as long
           | as the other items.
        
         | genocidicbunny wrote:
         | > It's cheap, it's nutritious, it stores well (and easily), it
         | ships easily (read: cheaply), and it prepares simply and
         | quickly. Most importantly, it's delicious.
         | 
         | To add a kind of oddball one, fried instant noodles are a great
         | item to have a few of when camping -- not because you can eat
         | them, but because in a pinch the noodles are pretty good
         | firestarters, especially when you're having a hard time finding
         | small pieces of dry wood. And you can use the seasoning packets
         | as a source of at least some electrolytes in a pinch.
        
         | layer8 wrote:
         | I've never eaten any cup noodles that I found delicious (and
         | not for lack of trying). Apart from the spiciness (for the
         | "hot" flavors), they are rather bland.
        
         | glitchc wrote:
         | There's minimal nutritional value in ramen. It's basically
         | flour and salt, not to mention all the preservatives they add
         | to it. Living on ramen alone would leave you heavily deficient
         | in proteins, vitamins and minerals (other than salt).
        
         | alliao wrote:
         | the newer ones containing MSG's MSG (IMP GMP) will give you
         | gout so yeah like all things in life, moderation is key
        
       | j7ake wrote:
       | Nissin cup noodles (Japan version with nice toppings) are the
       | only thing I eat on airplanes, even if I am flying business.
        
         | gizajob wrote:
         | Why? Do you take your own?
        
           | j7ake wrote:
           | Cathay Pacific and Singapore airlines usually has them in
           | stock. You just ask.
           | 
           | I bring my own otherwise.
        
         | netsharc wrote:
         | I went on a bit of the Trans-Siberian rail. Chinese dried ramen
         | are sold at the station shops, the trains have samovars (hot
         | water dispensers), originally for tea, so it's perfect for
         | ramen.
         | 
         | I went to the "Top of Europe", a tourist trap at the Swiss
         | glacier saddle of Jungfraujoch. There's a cafetaria up there,
         | and by the cashier there's an empty ramen package (bowl-shape
         | with its lid cellotaped on). I added 2 and 2 and laughed: it's
         | for the Chinese tourists with the language barrier to point at
         | and make the cashier understand, they want ramen...
        
         | alliao wrote:
         | umami sensor on the plane hits different, must be due to
         | altitude/pressure etc I usually love a sip of tomato
         | juice/bloody mary on the plane but never hit the same once I'm
         | on the ground
        
       | aaron695 wrote:
       | > Space Ram journeyed into space in July 2005
       | 
       | Nissin's Yakisoba U.F.O. (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=UFO+Nissin
       | one of my favorites) have since have been certified for space.
       | 
       | Not clear if Soichi Noguchi took it with him on his recent 2020
       | mission - https://humans-in-space.jaxa.jp/en/life/food-in-
       | space/japane...
       | 
       | You can't buy them :( Instructions on how they are made -
       | https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/30167/how-was-spac...
        
       | uzyn wrote:
       | The homepage comes with a nice video on the invention of ramen:
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNbb9qixsRQ
       | 
       | (Turn on the subtitles)
        
       | parker-3461 wrote:
       | The best flavour is the Curry Cup Noodles
        
         | gwervc wrote:
         | My favorites are Cheese curry, and Tomato chili. Somehow last
         | time I see in Japan there was alternative versions a little
         | more expensive but it don't know the real difference besides
         | price.
        
       | nogajun wrote:
       | It is a lie that Momofuku Ando invented instant ramen. The
       | history of instant ramen as presented by Nissin must be
       | questioned.
       | 
       | In Taiwan, there was Ke-shi-men (Ji Si Mian ), in which the
       | noodles were fried in oil and then returned to hot water.
       | 
       | Before the introduction of Chicken Ramen, Choju-men (Chang Shou
       | Mian ) was introduced by Cho Kokubun (Zhang Guo Wen ) and was
       | widely known.
       | 
       | Momofuku Ando is a businessman who exploits these things, crushes
       | his opponents with lawsuits, and simply advertises that he
       | invented them.
       | 
       | Reference:
       | 
       | Dong Ming Shang Xing noZhang Guo Wen to[Chang Shou Mian ] noLi
       | Zhi Chuan : https://nobunaga-oda.com/tyou-kokubun/
       | 
       | NHK{manpuku} chikinramenhaBen Dang ni[Fa Ming ] nanoka |
       | hahuposuto PROJECT:
       | https://www.huffingtonpost.jp/entry/nhkmanpukuchikinramenwah...
       | 
       | {manpuku} An Teng Bai Fu noJi Xi Mian [Fa Ming haXu ] toYi Lun
       | Pen Chu  | Smart FLASH/sumahura[Guang Wen She Zhou Kan Zhi ]:
       | https://smart-flash.jp/lifemoney/63928/1/1/
        
         | chaostheory wrote:
         | Maybe it's related that Momofuku Ando and his family were
         | Taiwanese immigrants?
        
         | whamlastxmas wrote:
         | Humans have been dehydrating food for at least 12,000 years. I
         | think it's pretty unlikely that that he was the first to do in
         | that fashion in 1958. I agree.
        
       | aviraldg wrote:
       | Reminds me of one of my favourite ads, Nissin's 'Samurai Noodles
       | "The Originator"': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNbb9qixsRQ
        
       | thucydides wrote:
       | cool story but:
       | 
       | ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE
       | MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), PALM OIL, SALT, DRIED
       | CARROT FLAKE, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT,
       | CITRIC ACID, CONCENTRATED GREEN CABBAGE JUICE, DEXTROSE, DISODIUM
       | GUANYLATE, DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM SUCCINATE, DRIED CORN,
       | DRIED PARSLEY, EGG WHITE, GARLIC POWDER, HYDROLYZED CORN PROTEIN,
       | HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, LACTOSE, MALTODEXTRIN, NATURAL AND
       | ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, ONION POWDER, POTASSIUM CARBONATE, POTASSIUM
       | CHLORIDE, POWDERED CHICKEN, RENDERED CHICKEN FAT, SILICON
       | DIOXIDE, SODIUM ALGINATE, SODIUM CARBONATE, SODIUM
       | TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE, SOYBEAN, SPICE AND COLOR, SUGAR, TBHQ
       | (PRESERVATIVE), WHEAT.
       | 
       | yum!
        
         | saagarjha wrote:
         | Which part of that is disagreeable to you?
        
           | user_7832 wrote:
           | Palm oil, for starters. I really dislike the taste, and it's
           | terrible for the planet too.
        
           | whamlastxmas wrote:
           | The only thing that bothers me personally is the all caps :)
        
         | layer8 wrote:
         | I always wonder how those products have lactose in them, given
         | that allegedly most East-Asians are lactose-intolerant.
        
           | mango7283 wrote:
           | It's a matter of degree, most of us can handle a certain
           | amount of milk just fine...certainly enough to eat instant
           | noodles and have a latte.
        
           | 55555 wrote:
           | The dose makes the poison.
        
       | chaostheory wrote:
       | Momofuku Ando was born as Go Pek-Hok and his family was
       | originally from Taiwan. Ando and Nissin are a prime example of
       | why immigration is so important to a country's business sector.
       | 
       | Immigrants are 60-80% more likely to start businesses. This is
       | due to various factors. While discrimination and lack of
       | opportunity might be a factor, it's more likely because
       | immigrants tend to be less risk averse as a group. Why? There's
       | no definitive answer. What we do know is that historically, even
       | in times of famine or war, only 20% or less of a country's
       | population leave which is seen as risky behavior.
       | 
       | https://hbr.org/2021/08/research-why-immigrants-are-more-lik...
       | 
       | https://www.immigration.ca/study-explains-why-immigrants-are...
        
         | brandall10 wrote:
         | "Why? There's no definitive answer."
         | 
         | I'd argue act of immigrating itself is risky behavior, so
         | naturally that would be a less risk averse group.
        
           | steve1977 wrote:
           | I wonder how much of that is reflected in the differences
           | between the USA and for example Europe (where the USA for a
           | long time was mostly European immigrants)
        
       | whyenot wrote:
       | Both this biography and his page on Wikipedia skip over the war
       | years. I wish there were more information about this time. He
       | grew up under Japanese rule. Was he conscripted into their armed
       | forces? How were the people of Taiwan treated by the Japanese
       | during WWII?
        
         | CodeArtisan wrote:
         | The Japanese wikipedia page talks about it: He was imprisoned
         | and tortured. The main source material is the book _Magic
         | Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando_ (ISBN-10: 1499807031).
        
       | maxglute wrote:
       | I'm a big fan of JP fare, but I am consistently underwhelmed by
       | popular JP ramen brands vs SKR/PRC/TW ramen. They clearly put a
       | lot of effort in their instant noodles, but apart from their more
       | korean/chinese/thai leaning flavours, most I've tried have been
       | very mid.
        
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