To most Americans, ramen is the college students most economical sustenance — cheap starchy noodles and MSG packest which could could be made in a simple hotpot and sell as cheaply at 10 for a dollar (at least back in the 80’s when I was in school).

But on the other side of the world in Japan, Ramen is as passionate as any western form of simplely purveyed foods such as pizza, burgers, and tacos can be.  Probably even more so.  The recipes are fairly similar — noodles with various meat/vegetables served in a choice of broths (salt, miso, soy) — but the differences while subtle create the passion for the best.  The broths cook in huge pots over the days and are the most heavily guarded secrets — even the staff aren’t told for fear they might go renegade with the recipes.

Today we went to Chika’s local shop, Kazuki.  There are 100’s ramen shops, and probably just as many blogs just about Ramen, so I won’t go into the details of my novice experience, but this piece from the New York Times was quite good.