03-12, Reminiscing on Ramen

My grown up Ramen, a lovely twist I call “Spring Green.”

I’m almost positively sure that I ate Ramen for the vast majority of my life at home, from toddler to twenties. I imagined later, it was most likely due to its most affordable price, having a large family (grew up with eight in the house), its wide range of flavor choices, an ease of quick cooking and inherent yumminess. Nevertheless, I vowed never to eat it when I got married. After all, I had more to choose from. That was until I noticed how significantly placed noodles were in one of my recent, favorite past times (introduced to me by my then 70 year old mom – Asian dramas on Netflix).

While teaching – and since the age of two – I distinctly remember my affection for fare. There’s something quite remarkable about how it links us within and beyond our cultures. It can serve as comfort, and yet, if not appropriately managed, can cause our demise. It can represent both beauty and pain, abundance and poverty, pride and prowess and ultimately for me – love.

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I think I started with Korean dramas. I’d visit Houston back home, prop up in my mom’s bed and promptly prepare for some serious binging. It was amazing! We later ran the gamut of Japanese series, Chinese and all were complete with captions, as I’d try to repeat some of the phrases that seemed to be common in between.

Along these journeys, I couldn’t help but notice that there was always a rather splendid attention given to food. I’ve never watched a series where I didn’t salivate! It was so wonderfully featured, focused and elevated – and it made me want to try so many of the things I’d seen (which still significantly represents a portion of my bucket list. Specifically, I need to find a tea shop and some hot pot)!

Clearly, noodles are a staple – and as I watched many of my beloved characters soothed by the simple, yet complex dish – I decided it was time to spice up my own. Hence, the creation of my “Spring Green” Ramen. It was inspired by a blend of my favorite Asian profiles and some ideas I borrowed from a local Pho place I visit quite often.

For this selection (which made me fall in love with noodles all over again), I added basil I grew at home (which was so cool!), peas, bean sprouts, asparagus, Vidalia onions, white button mushrooms, fresh sliced jalapeños, scallions, fresh cilantro, hoisin sauce and my beloved siracha! It…was…heavenly!

I enjoyed the familiar transport to my childhood and the wonderful expedition to my new Asian inspired experience. It reminded me of the connectivity that is inherent in our culinary escapes and brought with it an appreciation for the riches of cultural diversity. To some, Ramen noodles are a thing of the past and something seldom to be treasured. For me, it is a vehicle for unforgettable rendezvous between persons and their palates – past, present and future.

Signed with Love, Bon Appetit!

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