In Taiwan, there was Ke-shi-men (雞絲麵), in which the noodles were fried in oil and then returned to hot water.
Before the introduction of Chicken Ramen, Choju-men (長寿麺) was introduced by Cho Kokubun (張國文) and was widely known.
Momofuku Ando is a businessman who exploits these things, crushes his opponents with lawsuits, and simply advertises that he invented them.
Reference:
東明商行の張国文と「長寿麺」の立志伝: https://nobunaga-oda.com/tyou-kokubun/
NHK『まんぷく』チキンラーメンは本当に「発明」なのか | ハフポスト PROJECT: https://www.huffingtonpost.jp/entry/nhkmanpukuchikinramenwah...
『まんぷく』安藤百福の即席麺「発明は嘘」と異論噴出 | Smart FLASH/スマフラ[光文社週刊誌]: https://smart-flash.jp/lifemoney/63928/1/1/
Immigrants are 60-80% more likely to start businesses. This is due to various factors. While discrimination and lack of opportunity might be a factor, it’s more likely because immigrants tend to be less risk averse as a group. Why? There’s no definitive answer. What we do know is that historically, even in times of famine or war, only 20% or less of a country’s population leave which is seen as risky behavior.
https://hbr.org/2021/08/research-why-immigrants-are-more-lik...
https://www.immigration.ca/study-explains-why-immigrants-are...
I'd argue act of immigrating itself is risky behavior, so naturally that would be a less risk averse group.
Cup noodle factory: no reservations, draw on your cup, specify what toppings to put in
Chicken ramen factory: make ramen noodles from SCRATCH, send them off to be fried in front of you, draw the packaging
It's really worth the price of admission (1000 yen, maybe $6 USD) for the experience of making ramen noodles from scratch
Note: Whether or not it's a true story, it was the movie playing at the cup noodle museum in Yokohama
Maybe you meant to say Umeda Station (Osaka)?
My favorite part is that near the end, there's an American newspaper article on the wall that says Ando was once imprisoned for tax evasion before inventing instant noodles. This is mentioned exactly nowhere else in the museum.
Edit: title is Momofuku Ando Speaks: Human beings are Noodle Beings. https://books.google.com/books/about/Momofuku_Ando_Speaks.ht...
"Momo" can also mean "thigh", but then again that is a different character (腿/股). The most confusing part about languages influenced by Chinese, and the reason/excuse to keep using Chinese characters, is the high amount of homophones. Example for "momo": https://jisho.org/search/%E3%82%82%E3%82%82
It's cheap, it's nutritious, it stores well (and easily), it ships easily (read: cheaply), and it prepares simply and quickly. Most importantly, it's delicious.
I know of no other food that checks all these boxes and then some.
As spike said "man cannot live on carbohydrates alone" :)
Also I personally feel like shit after eating cup o noodles even if they are good tasty and cheap.
Nissan makes cars.
Nissin makes cup noodles.
Nisshin makes flour.
Also nut butter does looks similar on micro nutrients, about an oz is very similar to a cup of noodles. maybe not as filling. I don't find cup o noodles all that filling though.
To add a kind of oddball one, fried instant noodles are a great item to have a few of when camping -- not because you can eat them, but because in a pinch the noodles are pretty good firestarters, especially when you're having a hard time finding small pieces of dry wood. And you can use the seasoning packets as a source of at least some electrolytes in a pinch.
(Turn on the subtitles)
I went to the "Top of Europe", a tourist trap at the Swiss glacier saddle of Jungfraujoch. There's a cafetaria up there, and by the cashier there's an empty ramen package (bowl-shape with its lid cellotaped on). I added 2 and 2 and laughed: it's for the Chinese tourists with the language barrier to point at and make the cashier understand, they want ramen...
I bring my own otherwise.
Nissin's Yakisoba U.F.O. (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=UFO+Nissin one of my favorites) have since have been certified for space.
Not clear if Soichi Noguchi took it with him on his recent 2020 mission - https://humans-in-space.jaxa.jp/en/life/food-in-space/japane...
You can't buy them :( Instructions on how they are made - https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/30167/how-was-spac...
ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), PALM OIL, SALT, DRIED CARROT FLAKE, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, CITRIC ACID, CONCENTRATED GREEN CABBAGE JUICE, DEXTROSE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM SUCCINATE, DRIED CORN, DRIED PARSLEY, EGG WHITE, GARLIC POWDER, HYDROLYZED CORN PROTEIN, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, LACTOSE, MALTODEXTRIN, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, ONION POWDER, POTASSIUM CARBONATE, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, POWDERED CHICKEN, RENDERED CHICKEN FAT, SILICON DIOXIDE, SODIUM ALGINATE, SODIUM CARBONATE, SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE, SOYBEAN, SPICE AND COLOR, SUGAR, TBHQ (PRESERVATIVE), WHEAT.
yum!