the associated noodle press

Posted by rameniac at 11:43 AM | 15 Jul 2008

A few weeks back, journalist Adam Goldman interviewed me for an Associated Press article about the increasing popularity of ramen in the U.S. As I no longer work for a newspaper and don't have access to the AP database, I wasn't sure how I'd find the resultant article. Thankfully, site member tampopo put it up in the rameniac forums! Here's a link, courtesy of the Times and Democrat of Orangeburg, South Carolina. Hopefully, the day will come when every small town in America has a ramen shop (or two, or eight) to call its own!

tasty things two

Posted by rameniac at 02:31 PM | 11 May 2008

The Umaimono Gourmet Fair is back, and Mitsuwa is spreading the love coast to coast! This year's "tasty things" food fest will spotlight shinasoba (Chinese noodles) from Yokohama's Kujiraken and feature a return appearance by Chibaki-ya, which should most definitely wow with a rare take on "shark's fin ramen." Beef Tongue from Tsukasa in Sendai and takoyaki octopus balls from festival stalwart Kukuru round out the lineup. The fun starts this Thursday. Pretend you're in Japan by burning up a few $5/gallon tanks of gas! Here's your travel itinerary:

Chibaki-ya	5/15(Thu) - 5/18(Sun) 5/22(Thu) - 5/25(Sun)	Torrance New Jersey
Kujiraken	5/15(Thu) - 5/18(Sun) 5/22(Thu) - 5/25(Sun)	Costa Mesa San Jose
Tsukasa	5/15(Thu) - 5/18(Sun)	Costa Mesa
Kukuru	5/15(Thu) - 5/18(Sun) 5/22(Thu) - 5/25(Sun)	Torrance, Costa Mesa San Jose, New Jersey

click here for pictures from last year's event

maid in culver city

Posted by rameniac at 02:12 PM | 16 Apr 2008

Okay, this isn’t precisely ramen-related, but I figured it would appeal to a fair segment of the rameniac readership. After all, ramen, anime, and cosplay go together like beans, eggs, and blood pudding in an English breakfast. So last Saturday, I had the good fortune to attend the opening of Royal T in Culver City, Los Angeles. Touted as America’s first-ever “maid cafe,” Royal T featured an exhibit of superflat artwork from the likes of Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara and cosplay French maids making like it was Akihabara Electric Town during a Yodobashi Camera fire sale. 

canal city raumen stadium: battle bowl royale

Posted by rameniac at 01:10 PM | 26 Mar 2008

When it comes to tonkotsu ramen, Kyushu is truly king. And a rameniac in southern Japan would do well to visit Canal City, a gloriously overwrought, crescent-shaped shopping mall designed by architect Jon Jerde to invoke the American west. I couldn’t even begin to imagine why. But though ramen lovers are not necessarily modernist architecture freaks, this Fukuoka landmark houses the Canal City Raumen Stadium, also known as “Raumen Stadium 2,” kid sibling to Yokohama’s famed Raumen Museum and home to an ever-rotating assortment of top-tier ramen shops.

southern all stars: the yatai of tenjin and nakasu, hakata

Posted by rameniac at 05:32 PM | 03 Mar 2008

It should come as no surprise, to any close reader of this site, that I am completely enamored with not just Japan, but more specifically, southern Japan. Yes, the rameniac does play favorites, but it’d be pretty hard not to, not when historically speaking, the world’s best tonkotsu ramen is served at literally thousands of yatai food carts scattered across Fukuoka city’s Hakata district. What the taco truck is to Los Angeles, the yatai is to Hakata, and I wear my heart proudly on my sleeve when I say that I root for the Softbank Hawks and count among my favorite people on earth my tomodachi in Northern Kyushu, whose residents are often friendly to a fault and exude the warmth of oden simmering past two am on a wintry morning.