NOODLES - HISTORY AND SELECTION

The Selection Criteria for the Four Brands

The following makes an effort to explain the selection criteria for the four brands. On the basis of their country of origin, the four items can be split into two groups: the first two share a Korean origin, while the remaining two have a Japanese origin. As a result of the instant noodles' historical association with the Japanese and later adoption by the Koreans, these two nations are now significant players in the global instant noodle market. (Bin Xiao, pg893).

Link between Noodles and Chinese immigrants in Japan

Second, I selected these foods because of the cultural perception that noodles were linked with Chinese immigrants to Japan. The market had identified a need to provide the immigrants with some food that they used to enjoy at home. This has resulted in Japan growing to be the largest manufacturer of instant noodles. They were chosen for this for their great variety or accompaniments at could go along with the noodles (Park et al, 447)

Other brands from Korea and their relationship with Japan

The other brands from Korea were chosen because of the relationship of the country with Japan. Japan had colonized Korea thereby had considerable impact of some of the ways of life of these people. This meant that the Korean people learnt the art of making noodles. These two brands too, come with different flavors and can also accommodate a variety of accompaniments.

Description of the Four Instant Noodles

Description of the four instant noodles I chose.

Jin Ramen

The first item is called Jin Ramen and is produced by a company named Ottogi. It is sold for a retail price of 1.29 USD. It is packaged in colourful packages containing bright colours like yellow and red.The packaging also contains pictures of some cooked noodles. They can be prepared in three different ways which are cooking them, preparing them in cups or serving them dry by just mixing with some flavours (Happy Family with Ottogi). They are available in two flavours which areeither mild or spicy. Itcan be served along with onions or eggs.

Chapagetti

The next item is Chapagetti which is a product of Nongshim (Global Nongshim). It goes for 1.37 dollars per product although they are sold as a pack of four. The packaging of this item is relatively dull as compared to the first one. This is because it makes use of a green hue in combination with brown. This too, contains a serving of the noodles together with some other accompaniments. It doesn’t have any particular flavours and can be served with cucumber rings.

Tonkotsu Ramen

The third item is the Tonkotsu Ramen from Sapporo Ichiban Company. The price for a package of five is USD 5.49. The product gas both natural and artificialflavourssuch as the white chicken broth. The packaging it uses has made use of several colors with the main one being light shade of brown alongside black and red for the fonts. One can add either chicken slices or boiled eggs. The company operates as a brand name of Sanyo Foods (Sapporo Ichiban Original).

Chow Mein

The last item is also from Sapporo Ichiban by the name Chow Mein. It costs 4.49 dollars for a fivepack. They come with some seasoning to ad flavours. One can also sprinkle some see weed or add some sliced ginger. The packaging consists of yellow and white fonts of different colors. The packaging too consists of a picture of the cooked noodles on one side and the preparation directions on the other. All the four items provide a break down of all the nutrients they provide as well as ingredients.

Customer Reactions

Reactions from customer

The customer enjoyed the spicy flavours of the Jin Ramen as compared to its other mildflavours which he explained to be contributed by the fact he enjoyed something that has a strong taste for spices. The customer didn’t like the combination of noodles with raw eggs. He went for the noodles with chicken slices and a sprinkle of ginger which enhance the taste. The customer also commented that the sea weed was effective vin changing the colour of the dish and enhancing the taste

Works Cited

"Global Nongshim.” eng.nongshim.com/main/index.

"Happy Family with Ottogi." www.ottogi.co.kr/otgr/english/company/Company.jsp.

"Sapporo Ichiban Original | products.” Sanyo foods, sanyofoods.us/products/original.html.

Fu, Bin Xiao. "Asian noodles: History, classification, raw materials, and processing." Food Research International 41.9 (2008): 888-902.

Park, Juyeon, et al. "A comparison of food and nutrient intake between instant noodle consumers and non-instant noodle consumers in Korean adults." Nutrition research and practice 5.5 (2011): 443-449.