The Right Way to Eat Ramen

Some people aren't very good at eating noodles, but I've figured out what the problem is. It's simple. It's so obvious that it's easy to miss.

People Who Eat Ramen Messily on TV

I once saw a guy on TV who was terrible at eating ramen, and it was pretty unpleasant to watch. To give you an idea of how bad it was, he was trying so hard to slurp, but with each slurp, only about a centimeter of noodles made it into his mouth: "Zzz-zzz-zzz, zzz-zzz-zzz, zzz-zzz-zzz" forever... Like, when are you actually going to eat?! He probably doesn't normally slurp, but since he was on TV and stuck on the general idea that "ramen is meant to be slurped," he tried doing something he wasn't used to and failed miserably. On top of that, he was eating like a dog, bringing his mouth as close to the ramen bowl as physically possible... and that's when it hit me!

He didn't have the concept of—or couldn't execute—"slurping in coordination with your chopsticks," not just slurping alone. He was missing the single point that most people do without even thinking about it.

First: "Lift the Noodles High with Your Chopsticks"

If you just do this, you'll be fine.

Even when you slurp, the noodles don't go in.The reason is that the noodles get tangled with the restand caught, so they won't come out. It's simple. First, you just have to untangle them. You do this after picking up a suitable amount of noodles with your chopsticks (adjust to your preference),by lifting them all the way up so they come completely out of the bowl. Depending on table and chair height and noodle length, raise them slightly higher than eye level. Take a moment to visually enjoy the noodles.

What you do next depends on your preference. If you slurp them straight up with a big slurp, you can inhale them all at once without any hassle. Personally, I lower my chopsticks to mouth level, let the bottom of the noodles bounce once back into the soup or remaining noodles, put the portion held by the chopsticks into my mouth to anchor it, and then pick up the lower part of the noodles with my chopsticks, lightly slurping while pushing them in as I lift.

Lifting the noodles first exposes them to the air and cools them down, so it's great for people who can't handle hot food. You can even blow on them a bit more.

When I went to a ramen shop the other day, everyone was doing this naturally. People just do it without even thinking.

Let's Breakdown the Whole Step-by-Step Eating Process

• Grasp the ends of the noodles with chopsticks and lift them high out of the bowl. → Important
• Lower the chopsticks to mouth level.
• At this point, if you can't handle hot food, have sensitive front teeth, or are a child, blow on them to cool them down.
• Put the noodles into your mouth with chopsticks and hold them with your teeth.
• Feed the rest of the noodles into your mouth.
• Munch and chew.
• Scoop up soup with a spoon and drink.

Let's Walk Through the Process with an Example

1. The noodles are tangled inside

This is my top-recommended ramen that I love. I add plenty of ground sesame seeds.

2. Grasp the ends of the noodles with chopsticks and lift them high out of the bowl → Most Important

This is the primary and only key point.

3. Lower chopsticks to mouth level and bounce once in the soup

4. Bring to your mouth, supporting the bottom part with your chopsticks

I wrote a pretty good article, if I say so myself. It might be great for people from countries without a ramen culture. I should make an English version too. Come to think of it, pasta works the same way—you twirl it to pull it out of the tangle.