Anti-Loneliness Ramen Bowl: Exclusive Interview With MisoSoupDesign

I saw a lot of posts lately about the fantastic new ‘Anti Loneliness Ramen Bowl’ lately – a product designed by Miso Soup Design. I thought people would really like to know more about it – straight from the source. I was fortunate to be able to contact the makers of this neat new product and did an interview via email. In the future, I’ll be receiving a sample and put it through its paces with a video review! For now, here’s the interview:

THE RAMEN RATER> Can you tell me a little about how Miso Soup Design came to be?

MISO SOUP DESIGN> Founded by Daisuke Nagatomo and Minnie Jan, MisoSoupDesign is an architectural design studio that concentrates on the process of making.
After graduating from Columbia University GSAPP (Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation) and worked in New York for many years, they decided to achieve the dream of making a project come true, by joining Solar Decathlon Europe 2010, and dedicate in the research of sustainability. After that, they began to apply the systematic way of thinking in both architecture and product design, and discover the surprising moment when form meets function. Currently, MisoSoupDesign has offices in Tokyo and Taiwan, and they are both Assistant Professor at the National Chiao Tung University. Received awards include A’Design Award Golden award, 7th Far Eastern International Digital Architectural Design Award, and ACADIA architectural competition 1st prize.

TRR> How did you get the idea to transcend your architecture design skills to the ramen noodle bowl?

MSD> When designing a building, we want to achieve both esthetic and efficiency. We believe it is the same for product design, so form and function can be combined.

TRR> How did testing the bowl go?

MSD> To achieve the slick shape of the bowl, we have done many tests with ceramic. It challenges both the designer and the maker how to perfect the curvature, and we have finally came to the ideal form.

TRR> What material is the bowl made of? How did you decide what material to use?

MSD> Traditional noodle (bowls) are mostly made with ceramics. Noodles can be extremely hot, so we chose double layer ceramic skin to prevent people from getting burned.  It also keeps the soup warm longer.

TRR> Will the bowl hold only the iPhone?

MSD> It holds iPhone and all similar size devices.

TRR>  What colors are available?

MSD> Black and white.

TRR> Where can people go to purchase one?

MSD> Our latest model is being made at the moment and it will go to the US in a couple of months.

TRR> Are there other products that you’ve designed?

MSD> We also designed furniture, planter and jewelry. (Please see attached images)

S_Cube
S-CUBE has inherited the cardboard box shape and material to create multifunction: stool, seating and steps. The sheet of cardboard is precisely cut by CNC machine and folded to create polygon blocks, and turn S-CUBE into a strong yet light-weight structure. To upgrade the cardboard box, we have added different color leather at the child’s seating area. At this moment, the cardboard box still keeps its original material and form, but the function has completely changed.

iLight
The flashlight on iPhone has been given a new task. While charging, the phone is placed strategically in between the slot of the acrylic, which acts as the lamp itself. With a nice wooden base and just one piece of acrylic on top, this phone charger can turn into a charming night light.

Invisible Garden
Taken from the hexagon shape of a snow flake, the units let user to create their own wall. The units can be combined for planting purpose and turn into vertical farming. Even if the resident does not own a roof garden, one can still grow plants with the little space next to the window. It is also a useful container for everyday items.

MoNTUE Bracelet (MoNTUE Museum Limited Edition)
With a little more imagination, the bracelet is an abstraction of MoNTUE museum’s logo with triangular tessellation with Delaunay algorithm. We have applied mathematical terms and turn each corner into a point, which then creates triangles. The geometry is precisely cut by CNC and bent into a bracelet.

MoNTUE Necklace (MoNTUE Museum Limited Edition)
MoNTUE can be mysteriously coded. If we add the length of each letter in the same direction, it becomes a bar that reflects the original text. It may appear to be simple straight bars, but they are actually special surprising text.

TRR> Thank you for this opportunity to find out more about the Anti-Loneliness Ramen Bowl and Miso Soup Design!

There you go! Keep your eyes peeled for an in-depth review of the bowl itself soon!

 

#717: Nissin Ramen Bowl Spicy Chicken Flavor

Here’s another one of the samples Nissin Foods USA were kind enough to send me. Thanks! Spicy chicken today huh? soiunds good to me.

Here’s the info on the side of the bowl…

Details from the top as well.

The round block of noodles.

Powder seasoning.

A good amount of this stuff.

A good sized packet of vegetables.

Looks like a nice little crowd of small veggies.

Finished. I added an egg that I fried in a star-shaped cookie cutter (my second attempt to date), added some Huy Fong Sriracha hot sauce and some Krazy Mixed Up Salt on top of everything and also added some store brand stir fry veggies and turkey breast. The noodles are pretty good – exactly;y what you’d expect in a bowl like this. What I like is the flavor has a nice vegetable taste to it – don’t know that I detect a lot of chicken flavor but it’s got a lot of heat (on a scale of 1 to 10 I’d give it a 7 or 8 as far as heat goes) and the veggies which hydrated pretty well. All in all, not bad. 3.25 out of 5.0 stars.

Hey a ramen eating contest… Hey if your event needs an emcee for a ramen eating contest, hit me up!

This guy made a video of himself eaiting some noodles – Keep up the good work!

Meet The Manufacturer: Interview with Nissin Foods USA – Makers of Top Ramen, Cup Noodles & More

Welcome to the second installment in the ‘Meet The Manufacturer’ series! This one’s with Nissin, makers of the ever-popular Top Ramen, Cup Noodles and the like. They sent a nice package of different instant varieties to sample – most of them new to me. The following interview is with Senior Marketing Manager, Linda Chung, facilitated by Senior Marketing Coordinator Scott Akazaki.

TRR: Nissin was the first instant noodles I had ever tried in my life – I am thrilled and thoroughly appreciate the chance to do this interview with you – thank you!

To start, can you give a little background on how the company was founded and a little about its history in Japan?

NISSIN: Mr. Ando began the company as part of a humble family operation back in 1948. Faced with sparse food sources after World War II, Mr. Ando realized that a quality, convenient ramen product would help to feed the masses. His goal was to create a satisfying ramen that could be eaten anywhere, anytime. In 1958, Nissin introduced “Chicken Ramen”, the first instant ramen. Ironically, it was considered a luxury item, since Japanese grocery stores sold fresh Japanese noodles (udon) at one-sixth the cost of Mr. Ando’s new food concept.
Still, Mr. Ando was convinced that his revolutionary new method of preparation would sell. The concept seemed simple enough. All users would have to do is simply remove the ramen from its package, place it in a bowl, add boiling water, cover the bowl, and wait three minutes. The conservative Japanese food industry, however, rejected the product as a novelty with no future. They had never been so wrong.
Soon, Chicken Ramen was selling beyond even Mr. Ando’s wildest expectations. Before you could say “instant”, more than ten companies were rushing to put their own versions out on the market. By the end of 1958, grocery shelves were crowded with this new staple for the Japanese kitchen. From this point on, Nissin Foods began introduction of a long list of successful and innovative ramen products.

TRR: For those who might not be familiar with all of them, what lines of instant noodle products to you offer in the United States?

NISSIN: We are constantly pushing the boundaries of instant ramen as it should be with our new products – the latest is Big Cup Noodles (It features shorter, wider noodles in a paper cup). Other products include:

Cup Noodles
Top Ramen
Souper Meal
Chow Mein
Chow Noodles
Bowl Noodles Rich & Savory
Bowl Noodles Hot & Spicy
Ramen Bowl (just launched)
Spoon it (just launched)

TRR: When and why was there a need for Nissin Foods in the United States?

NISSIN: Nissin Foods introduced Top Ramen into the U.S. in 1970. Mr. Ando saw an opportunity to introduce a new type of noodle soup product to the states. As he showed his products to grocery store buyers, he realized that no one in the US had ramen sized bowls. This insight, combined with getting served coffee in a Styrofoam cup on a business trip flight, was the genesis of Cup Noodles.

TRR: I know that the varieties available in Japan and the product line in the United States differ quite a bit. Why is that?

NISSIN: This is based on developing tastes that are suitable for a specific region of the globe. This was especially true in the 1970’s when the concept of instant ramen was foreign, we didn’t want to compound this with Asian flavors.

TRR: How do you determine when it is time to retire a flavor of Top Ramen and how do you go about determining a new one to offer?

NISSIN: This decision is based primarily on what the customer wants. We tend to let them “vote” with their wallets.

TRR: I commonly am asked if I am worried about sodium levels in all the different instant noodles from around the world I review. How would you recommend people balance their enjoyment of instant noodles and keeping them as part of a healthy meal?

NISSIN: You’ve already answered the question. It’s all about balance. Our products are ideal when you are looking for something fast, convenient and portable (and tastes good).

TRR: Often, I hear about people microwaving Cup Noodles. Is this the correct method of their preparation? Is it recommended to do so?

NISSIN: Cup Noodles was designed for optimum eating experience with boiling water.

TRR: When I was very young, my mother introduced me to Nissin Roasted Ramen, which was a close resemblance to Nissin Chikin Ramen, the first product produced in Japan in 1958 by Nissin. After Roasted Ramen was discontinued, I found an Asian grocery in Seattle and found Chikin Ramen – but it’s been decades since I’ve seen Chikin Ramen available anywhere. Any chance you’ll bring Roasted Ramen or something like it back?

NISSIN: That is up to our parent company in Japan. There are some government regulations about importing items that contain a certain amount of meat/chicken. This is especially true after the Mad Cow scare a few years back.

TRR: I recently discovered you new line of Ramen Bowls. With flavors like Kimchi and Hot & Spicy, are these meant to compete with similar Korean products?

NISSIN: We are trying to offer our consumers an authentic Asian experience.

TRR: I’ve noticed many instant noodle manufacturers are located in Southern California. Aside from the fact that it never rains there, why was this the spot you picked for your factory?

NISSIN: I’ll have to get back to you on that one. It may be because of the established Asian population that was here in the 1970’s. This was the natural first consumer base for our products – first/second generation Japanese who missed this type of ramen noodles.

TRR: How many packs and cups of Top Ramen and Cup Noodles are made every year?

NISSIN: 3.9 billion instant ramen products (including Nissin) have been consumed in the US in 2010. See the link below for more information.

http://instantnoodles.org/noodles/expanding-market.html

TRR: Can you tell my readers about any new and exciting products to look for in the near future?

NISSIN: We are launching new flavors for our Big Cup Noodles line: Roast Chicken and Spicy Chicken.

TRR: Finally, when you enjoy instant noodles, what kind do you like and what do you add (if anything) to them to make them your own?

NISSIN: What’s my favorite Nissin product? It’s like asking someone to pick their favorite child! Chow Mein is my favorite Nissin product. Stir fried noodles without the hassle of cooking or getting takeout. If I am eating instant ramen, it’s primarily due to time constraint so, I enjoy it as-is.

TRR: Again, thank you very much for this opportunity to do this interview! Thank you for making such a great product so many enjoy and have a great day!

Well, there you have it! Thanks again to the folks at Nissin USA for the samples and the interview! This was a lot of fun and I’m sure folks will be interested in seeing the new products I’ll be reviewing in the next week or so!

Big Donation: Nissin USA

This big box was at the office today for me to pick up after work – it’s samples from Nissin USA! I’ve been talking with one of the people in their marketing department lately and we’re going to do a Meet The Manufacturer week pretty soon – just waiting for the answers to the interview questions to come back from the Sr. Marketing guy! Well, let’s open it up and see what’s inside!

So I open the box and under a sheet of bubble wrap are some nice t-shirts and tote bags! There was also a little Nissin noodle guy action figure – my wife realized it comes apart and it actually a USB drive! Wow!

A very nice selection of instant noodles – surprisingly, most of them ones I’ve not reviewed yet! I thought I’d reviewed most of the US Nissin stuff but definitely not! Sweet! Also, notice that box that says Spoon it on it? Never even heard of it before – you’ll be seeing those during the Meet The Manufacturer week for Nissin soon! Thanks go to Scott at Nissin USA – much appreciate all your time and help!

 

#667: Nissin Ramen Bowl Kimchi Flavor

Today seemed like a good day to have some Kimchi noodle bowl action. Here we are and here we go!

Here’s the side of the bowl…

Here’s a close-up of the ingredients and directions.

Dry powder seasoning on the left and vegetable mix on the right.

Here’s the packet contents atop the noodle block.

Finished. I added a fried egg and put a little Lindberg-Snider Porterhouse and Roast seasoning and a little Chef Paul’s deArbol chili powder. I had a spare packet of crushed seaweed I thought would be nice to sprinkle on top too. The noodles wre about what you’d expect – not bad but nothing amazing. The broth was good and spicy, but nowhere near the quality of most Korean varieties by Ottogi or Nong Shim that I’ve tried; they offer a little more depth of flavor. The veggie were plentiful though, which was very nice. Not bad, not great. 3.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC barcode 070662066027 .

How to make real kimchi

Kimchi quesadillas?