Although ramen had become relatively mainstream to American food-lovers, its details may still be mysterious to some. You might wonder, what is the best “method” to eat ramen? In this guide, we will walk you through some tips and tricks to eat ramen like a pro!
General Methods
In its essence, ramen is simply a bowl of broth and noodles with some extra toppings. The noodles are meant to be eaten as a combination with soup and toppings. There are a few ways to do this.
One method is to simply grab both noodles and some toppings all at once. Carry the whole package into your mouth to experience different textures. Another method is to first start by eating the noodles. As you enjoy the texture of ramen noodles, you can swiftly bring in a topping into your mouth.
Furthermore, another fun method you can try out is making a mini ramen inside the spoon. Grab a ramen spoon with your non-dominant hand, and scoop up some broth. Use your chopsticks to then add a few strands of ramen, pork slice, and other toppings onto the spoon. Now you have a mini ramen on your spoon to enjoy all-together!
When it comes to finishing the broth, there is actually much debate within the ramen community. Because ramen broth contains an inordinate amount of sodium, most people will choose to not finish the broth out of health considerations. Despite this, some people choose to finish the entire bowl. Ultimately, it’s up to you! This is simply a note that there is nothing wrong with leaving out some of the broth.
4 Tips in Eating Ramen Like a Pro
1. Tie Your Hair
For those with long hair, it’s critical to tie back your hair. It prevents hair from falling over your soup when eating. You wouldn’t want it to ruin your experience!
2. How To Eat Without Splatter
There are a few ways to eat ramen without the soup splattering all over your clothing.
First, you can try and prevent the noodles from flinging around when you slurp it up. To do this, you grab just a few strands with chopsticks. As you slurp up the noodles, you can gently and swiftly slide your chopsticks down to prevent splatter!
Second, you can prevent noodle splatter by keeping the noodle ends on top of your ramen spoon. By keeping noodle ends submerged in soup for as long as possible, it prevents splattering soup bits when slurping the noodles. To do this, first grab a few strands. As the noodles are about to fully emerge from the soup, grab a ramen spoon with your other hand and lay the noodles on top of the spoon.
3. How to Slurp the Broth
There is a special spoon used for ramen, simply called “ramen spoon.” Compared to a regular spoon, the ramen spoon is deeper and has smoother edges. It is specifically used so that one can enjoy ramen broth without having to pick up the entire bowl.
To slurp the broth, first dip this spoon inside your bowl and gently let the broth flow in. You should lift it up when it’s not too full, to prevent spillage. Once you have the soup inside your spoon, softly slurp through the sides.
It should be noted here that a ramen spoon is held in your hand horizontally to you, just as you would a normal spoon. Additionally, slurping for ramen is not considered to be disrespectful. In fact, it is considered more polite to slurp relatively loudly. There is no need to worry about how loudly you are slurping when eating ramen!
4. How To Use Chopsticks
Chopsticks may seem intimidating at first, but once you learn it will be effortless! To hold chopsticks, first grab it as though holding a pencil. Place one chopstick in between your middle and ring finger. Place the other chopstick in between your index and middle finger. Grab the top chopstick firmly with your index finger and thumb to move it. Make sure you are holding somewhere around the middle of the chopsticks. This will take some practice at first, but over time you will be able to grab food with ease!
A Bonus Tip: How To Eat Tsukemen
Tsukemen is a variation of ramen, most commonly translated as “cold-dipping ramen.” A popular option for hot summer days, this type of ramen involves different steps in its consumption.
First, put a little bit of each topping inside your dipping broth. Then, grab a few noodles and dip it into your mixture. Try grabbing a few toppings along with your noodles. Eat it all together. The harmony between noodles, toppings, and dipping soup will surely satisfy your taste buds!
What Not to Do When Eating Ramen
Eating ramen is an exciting endeavor, but there are a few things you should avoid to properly consume it. As mentioned before, make sure that you have your hair tied. Having hair being exposed to the oils of ramen is no fun for both you and the people around you! Basic manners should be followed, such as eating with your mouth closed. One exception with ramen is that you are encouraged to slurp loudly. That being said, all other rules should be observed. Additionally, you should not let your ramen sit on the table for too long. Noodles continue to absorb the soup over time, and it will become too soggy if you leave it in for an extended period of time. Enjoy it immediately after it’s done cooking!
Conclusion
Ultimately, you can eat ramen how ever you’d like. These are merely suggestions, and you aren’t obligated to follow every step. Regardless of how you eat, our ramen will most definitely be delicious and bring happiness to your soul!
