the ramen blog & other goodies!

I’m not even sure this is worth posting, but seeing how it hit 97 degrees today…

Basically this ramen “tip” says to cook your instant noodles, but don’t fill it up all the way. Leave about 5 cm of space for ice cubes. Ta-da!

via Japan Probe

All the cool (cough) people are wearing it, and now it’s available in Tonkotsu “flavor”…it’s the ramen lapel pin! Buy your favorite flavor or buy both. Heck, buy a dozen; they’re small! And now with a lower shipping charge if you buy 3 or more! It’s such a bargain, we’re weeping tears of joy…or something like that…

Click on the Ramen Lapel Pin link on the menu bar above or click here to buy!

Even the L.A. Times likes Ramen California

So why haven’t you tried Ramen California yet?

Stick a Fork In It reviews “the Ramen Girl”

Everyone is still wild about Ivan Ramen

SF Gate writes up Ramen House Ryowa

The Hour interviews Andy Raskin, author of the Ramen King and I

Ramen in a Box is much better than it sounds

Looking for the Best Japanese Ramen in Seoul, Korea?

I had no idea you could write a dissertation on ramen!

I am trying to eat at every ramen shop in the greater Takadanobaba / Waseda “ramen challenge zone.” Those are small cities in the Tokyo area. Guess how many ramenyas there are in those “small cities”? 80. Yes, 80.

I’ve been meaning to review this movie for months now, and noticing the Ramen Girl sign on a “dvd play” box at a local supermarket reminded me how behind I am on my posts. I’ve had mixed feelings about watching the Ramen Girl since first day I heard about it. When I finally had a chance to watch it, though, I was actually excited.

The movie started out poorly, with the introduction of a pretty damn annoying American boyfriend character. In a way, though, that, and my previous low expectations, probably helped me enjoy the movie that much more. The script was both random and predictable: even though you know how the story will pan out, “WTF just happened” moments abound, and you really have to wonder why they even bothered to introduce certain characters. Speaking of characters, don’t even get me started on every American character in the movie. Besides Brittany Murphy, all the American characters are barely even two-dimensional, which wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t just downright annoying.

But you know what? I liked the movie overall. The cinematography ranged from good to gorgeous, and most of the Japanese characters were more fully formed. Tampopo fans already know that Yamazaki Tsutomu (“Goro” from Tampopo) has a minor part (minor, yes, but he steals the show). Nishida Toshiyuki gives a solid performance as the “ramen chef with a secret.” But my favorite characters were the “two obaasan (old ladies) who never go home.” And Brittany Murphy? She wasn’t nearly as annoying as I thought she’d be. In fact, she even had a few good moments.

The Ramen Girl is worth watching if you’re looking for a fluffy way to spend two hours. If you’re looking for insight into the art of ramen-making a la Tampopo, forget it. If you’re looking for something light-hearted and maybe a fun, cheesy date-night movie, you could do worse. I realize that’s not exactly a strong endorsement…but hey, it’s got ramen!

Also available on netflix.

It’s another Mitsuwa food fair, this time featuring Kyushu and Okinawa cuisine. And yep, there’s a specialty ramen booth: Tatsunoya’s tonkotsu ramen, with splendidly rich and mild taste, which makes the soup just more than a “standard tonkotsu ramen”. Torrance and New Jersey ramen fans get a crack at this tonkotsu ramen over the next two weeks:
7/16 (Thu) – 7/19 (Sun) Torrance Store
7/23 (Thu) – 7/26 (Sun) New Jersey Store

And I’m not sure why the Mitsuwa web site didn’t mention it, but the Costa Mesa and Torrance stores get an Iron Chef Kenichi Sakai creation: a roll cake. Seriously? That’s all us OC residents get? Sorry, as much as I like Iron Chef Kenichi Sakai, I’d rather have the ramen…

via Go Ramen!

7/14/09: Oops, I’m a dummy. That’s Iron Chef Sakai, not Kenichi. Thanks to tipster Jason for setting me straight!

I’ve been too busy to catch up on my posts so I thought I’d share a few quick goodies before the 4th of July weekend. I’ve talked about how much fun nagashi soumen is to eat (“somen” to the search engines …it took me forever to find my own somen post) and now you can experience it at home! It’s been on sale in Japan since April, so if anyone knows where to get a hold of one here, let us know!

Thanks to Pete for the tip (from 2 months ago…yeah, I know, I know)! via Tokyo Mango

Gyoza and ramen go together like mom and apple pie! 4th of July and fireworks! Love and marriage! Beer and peanuts! Stop me before I keep going! Ahem…Bandai keeps coming out with such cool toys! Make your own gyoza with this Bandai Gyoza maker! Why oh why are all the cool toys available only in Japan?

via Akihabara News