It’s not ramen, it’s soumen. And not just any soumen, it’s nagashi soumen ???? (“flowing” soumen)! Only distantly related to ramen, soumen is thin white noodles usually served cold (sometimes in a bowl of ice) with a light dipping broth. Watching this video brought back a very fond memory of the funnest meal I’ve ever had (well, besides the live, still-moving whole-fish sushi I had once with my Japanese host pointing excitedly and repeating in English “fresh! fresh!”, but then again, that probably belongs more in the “most terrifying” meal category).
I lived in a tiny Japanese town with an incredibly friendly host family during a study abroad program, and my host parents made it their purpose to expose me to Japanese culture. One night, my host father took me out and led me to a dark alley. At first, I thought maybe the price for their hospitality was my left kidney, but as we walked deeper into the alley, I noticed an interesting sight near a street lamp: there was a small group of people huddled excitedly around a long, slanted bamboo sluice about 6-7 feet long or so. The top of the bamboo rested on top of a scooter while the bottom of the bamboo was propped up on top of a red bucket. As we got closer, I noticed that everyone had a small bowl in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other. I could hear water flowing down the sluice and I saw…something white…shooting down the sluice…noodles??? Noodles!!! Clumps of white noodles were sliding down the sluice, and the object was to “catch” the soumen, dip your prize in your bowl of tsuyu (noodle broth) and slurp to your heart’s content. It’s not just a meal, it’s a game! I was naturally delighted, and will always remember that happy meal in that dark alley on a warm summer’s night. Sometimes the simplest meals are the best.
The video features Pan-kun, a celebrity chimpanzee (yes, I think that’s an odd phrase too) in Japan, who has his first experience with nagashi somen. His sluice is much bigger than mine was (ahem), but I bet I had more fun.
thanks to Japan Probe
Loved this! And really love your memory of your first taste of nagashi soumen! It sounds (and looks) like fun.
Thanks, Muse in the Kitchen! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I certainly had fun writing it.
Comment about Sanma time:The fish markets are once again full of this fish (called Pacific saury or mackerel pike in English), a delicious and beautiful fish that is at is best in autumn. Here is my first sanma of the season:Sanma no shioyaki (salt-grilled saury) with daikon oroshi (grated daikon radish) and sudachi citrus; shiitake and shimeji mushrooms sauteed with butter and soy sauce; kombu to daikon no itame-ni (soy sauce braised kelp and daikon); steamed rice; shake no furikake (flaked salmon); miso soup with okra, myouga (ginger buds) and atsu-age (fried tofu); mizuna greens dressed with katsuobushi (bonito flakes).I’ll probably be sick of sanma by the time winter rolls around but for now I’m thrilled to be eating my favourite fish again.
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joycelorenza
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Ken Shimura gets to hang out with Pan-kun AND bikini babes (he plays a horny old doctor)
http://japansugoi.com/wordpress/ken-shimuras-gravure-idol-examination-room-1
@ray: not that I’m complaining, but what does this have to do with ramen? lol