Excited
Food seems to be an all important topic among Asians, so what better food to talk about than Asian Noodles. 8asians has of course written about instant yakisoba recently and even had a discussion about instant noodles in reference to Barack Obama. This week the Atlanta Journal-Constitution did a review of instant noodles and the Fort Worth Star Telegram reviewed soba noodles as the new hot (and cold) food of choice. There’s even a story this week discussing Yankee Stadium’s new fare which will include Asian noodle bowls.
All this talk of noodles, reminds me that when I was growing up, I wanted to live on instant ramen noodles. I even told my parents all I wanted to eat for every meal was a package of instant ramen. It was a brand called “Sun Lih Mien” (my spelling’s not quite correct), that we could only find in Chinatown. The packaging was red and orange and had a rooster on the front. I haven’t been able to find Sun Lih Mien anywhere for at least 10 or more years. It’s unfortunate since, I liked the stuff so much I used to eat the stuff raw, right out of the package (admit it, you did too).
My parents of course would have none of this, and to convince me I had to eat something else besides instant noodles, my mom used to tell me this story of a man in Taiwan who ate nothing but Sun Lih Mien for a year and died from malnutrition. I never found out if that story was true, but I couldn’t disagree with her since she had read it in the Chinese newspaper. Did anyone else hear of this story? And are you familiar with this brand and have you found it recently?
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Wow, is "Sun Lih Mien" the "Kleenex" of instant noodles? I always thought that was the generic Chinese term for them growing up.
Wow, is "Sun Lih Mien" the "Kleenex" of instant noodles? I always thought that was the generic Chinese term for them growing up.
First day ever in China, on a back street in Nanjing, they guy throwing and separating noodles by hand. Could not believe how thin he could make them---thinner than ramen! What a showman, and he loved the attention we gave him. Inside, his wife put some finished noodles into boiling chicken stock for about two minutes---that was it, nothing else---homemade fast food. Man was that good, and my first inkling that I was going to love China.
First day ever in China, on a back street in Nanjing, they guy throwing and separating noodles by hand. Could not believe how thin he could make them---thinner than ramen! What a showman, and he loved the attention we gave him. Inside, his wife put some finished noodles into boiling chicken stock for about two minutes---that was it, nothing else---homemade fast food. Man was that good, and my first inkling that I was going to love China.
Just looking at that picture makes me hungry. :)
Just looking at that picture makes me hungry. :)
Yeah! My mom did tell me that story - and it's the mummified version because of all the preservatives in dry ramen noodles, in Taiwan. Not sure if it's true but if there are 3 mothers out there telling their kids the same story, it's gotta come from somewhere.
Yeah! My mom did tell me that story - and it's the mummified version because of all the preservatives in dry ramen noodles, in Taiwan. Not sure if it's true but if there are 3 mothers out there telling their kids the same story, it's gotta come from somewhere.
Eating only one type of food (any food) can lead to malnutrition.
Eating only one type of food (any food) can lead to malnutrition.
My kids like to eat uncooked instant ramen, but I never caught that craving.
My kids like to eat uncooked instant ramen, but I never caught that craving.
I always trust what the rameniac says:
I always trust what the rameniac says:
Having never had "fresh" ramen noodles until I moved to California, I think "instant" noodles does fresh ramen noodles an injustice! But I am still a fan of instant noodles - but there need to be more ramen noodle restaurants to let Americans know what the real thing tastes like!
Having never had "fresh" ramen noodles until I moved to California, I think "instant" noodles does fresh ramen noodles an injustice! But I am still a fan of instant noodles - but there need to be more ramen noodle restaurants to let Americans know what the real thing tastes like!
I totally know that brand! I'll have to ask my mom if it's still around though.
I totally know that brand! I'll have to ask my mom if it's still around though.
I heard a similar story, but it wasn't of malnutrition but that the preservatives had "mummified" or "preserved" certain organs to the extent that they failed and could no longer serve their much needed purpose. I thought that was kind of scary, and have been superstitious ever since. Still, I enjoy a package of instant noodles now and then, especially when I, as a college student, can't afford anything else.
I heard a similar story, but it wasn't of malnutrition but that the preservatives had "mummified" or "preserved" certain organs to the extent that they failed and could no longer serve their much needed purpose. I thought that was kind of scary, and have been superstitious ever since. Still, I enjoy a package of instant noodles now and then, especially when I, as a college student, can't afford anything else.
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