Big In Japan

Eating In

Many of you have asked me, "Hey Erin, isn't it expensive to be eating out all the time?" Well, although the meals themselves aren't much more expensive than what you get in LA, it does add up. So, every once in a while, I'll have to eat in. But after a long day of work, who wants to cook? What do I do?



The solution: instant noodles. "But Erin", you say. "You can have instant noodles in the States. Why waste your time and appetite on that?". Well, these instant noodles are different. They aren't like the cup o'noodles or top ramen you find at Ralph's. Oh no. These are, uh.. well I don't know what they are. But I bet it's tasty.



Let's open the package.



Uh oh.. the instructions seem to suffer from the same malaise as everything else around here - it's all in Japanese.



No matter, because there are pictures. And really, if I can't figure out how to make instant noodles on my own then I shouldn't be here - I should be at home eating the dinner that my mommy cooked with fork that has a cork on the end of it to protect me so that I don't accidentally poke my eye out.



Ooh! Look at all the surprises I found inside! There are four packets of goodness in here. The one on the left looks like bonito flakes, that brown package is probably the sauce, that yellow one next to it is I don't know, and that small tiny package seems to contain some sort of green herb-y stuff. This is going to be fun. I can't wait.

Ok, now we add water and play the waiting game.



Three minutes later: Sweet, the noodles are done! Wait, this isn't supposed to be soup, though. I need to strain the water out somehow, but how? Hold on.. what's this over here in this corner?



Oh my gosh..



It's a strainer!! And it's built into the package!! What a wonderful surprise! And ridiculously convenient too!



Brown package first - sauce. I was right. Let's mix that up.



Holy cow, is that cabbage in here? You mean I get my daily serving of vegetables too? This day just gets better and better..



Second package: green stuff. Ok, I don't know what that is, but it sure makes things more colorful.



Third package: bonito flakes. Wow, this is nuts! The heat from the noodles is making the dry flakes move around like they're alive! You can check out the video here. Am I going to eat my dinner, or it going to eat me? I don't know! I just don't know!!



Fourth package: some kind of mayonnaise-y stuff. Whatever it is, it tastes deeeelicious.



And there you have it! Instant noodles, Japanese style. Stuff I picked up on the way home from work at the Family Mart (the local convenient store, aka 'konbini') by the train station. Now here I am, sitting on my couch, all showered all ready to eat my noodles and watch a bit of Japanese television before I hit the sack. Life doesn't get much better than this.

posted by ramos @ 08:14