Midtown Manhattan’s Menchanko-tei (say that three times fast!) serves up a sumo-style stew of traditional Japanese hot pot and ramen noodles. They’re also from Hakata, so expect an attempt at tonkotsu ramen. But does it fall flat like a teetering yokozuna? That thundering sound you hear 
Curry is a staple, if relatively underrated dish in the pantheon of Japanese cuisine, and Nissin Cup Noodle’s variation on the theme is right up there in terms of popularity as an quick instant ramen fix. It’s not the sort of thing that rameniac eats every day, but when you’re hungry, it’s best not to ask too many questions and just 
tin men
by rameniac | 05 Feb 2008
So I recently managed to hijack a shipment of Japan's hottest product since Riyo Mori, canned ramen! Actually, I received them as gifts from abroad, but the whole hijacking thing sounds much sexier. Campbell's has been canning soup noodles since chimney sweeps first got the black lung, so what took Japan so long? The noodles would get too mushy, a problem which has only recently been overcome with the use of konyaku instead of wheat flour. Imagine my surprise when I opened my gift bag to find not only canned ramen, but also, canned oden (which is now available at Japanese grocery stores in the States) and a can of... yakitori skewers?! Apparently these are self-heating; once you pop the top, the can heats up automatically. Should I crack one open yet?
