Cup noodles. They’re fast to cook, good to eat, and these guys might just make a career out of it. The Ramen Noodlist, on its fragrant, brothy surface, is a website that reviews ramen.
To date, the website has reviewed over 200 cups of noodles of diverse types originating from different parts of the world, predominantly Southeast Asia.
While cup noodles are general perceived to be lacking in taste or quality- stemming from the need for a longer shelf life, The Ramen Noodlist has a meaty prospect at making you think otherwise.
Friends Pho-Eva
The Ramen Noodlist is run by a collective consisting of Simon, Didi, Sue, and JK, who are very much like you and your friends.
Didi tells me that their jobs range from “full-time housewife, processes manager, consultant to HR manager”.
Due to the nature of their professions, Didi shares that the members of the group travel quite frequently – perhaps explaining how The Ramen Noodlist has access to such an endless variety of cup noodles
“We always ask the person traveling to bring back noodles as a souvenir.” I envision this to be a more fervent extension of the usual souvenir requests for customised cup noodles from cup noodle museums.
Didi and her noodlist friends converge on weekends, when they hobnob over movies and dinner – also engaging in what is possibly the best social activity: trying 10-12 different types of cup noodles at a go, a habit built on the foundations of their friendship that dates back to the good ol’ school days.
A Penne For Your Thoughts
The proposition of the Ramen Noodlist was born upon a suggestion from one of them, given the group’s evident experience with cup noodles over the years. The website has come a long way since its weekend of creation, and the flying spaghetti monster most definitely approves. They now share their ethereal adventures on most leading social media platforms.
Here with have some duck flavored noodles from Uni-President in Taiwan. Uni-President has a good track record of…
Posted by Ramen Noodlist on Monday, 5 February 2018
When Didi tells me that the website reviews “many types of noodles”, she really means it.
The Ramen Noodlist has managed the task of reviewing things that you’d not typically fathom could belong in a cup, including beef spaghetti and a self-heating cup of mala.
“Some are absolutely horrid (the 0 or 0.5 Star ones) but the 4.5 & 5 Star ones are really amazing.”
The Noodlists take immense joy in trying out the noodles, though it’s also a task that’s very gruelling. The site categorises its reviews with .5 increments of stars, and there’s a noteworthy amount of reviews that give noodles less than two stars.
One of them is the Sau Tao Non-Fried Instant Lobster Soup which, superficially, could sound appetising enough to justify a higher market cost from the eyes of its prey (us, market-goers).
However, at only 1.5 stars, the Noodlist have labelled it “off-putting” and even “bland” with the only positive remark being the “generous serving of dried vegetable garnish.”
“It’s quite impressive how some companies can pack so much flavor into a few sachets of seasoning.”
Knowing Your Ingredients
If you’re looking to follow The Ramen Noodlist, you can expect a steady stream of reviews on cup noodles.
According to Didi, the noodlist team works toward publishing one a review a day, though their work schedules sometime prove a hindrance. She assures me cheekily that they’ve “been maybe about 85% disciplined in keeping to that schedule.”
Their review process is simple and succinct.
“We’ll prepare, take a few sips/bites to rate, tally our scores and then garnish the noodles for a nice photo.”
As you can imagine, their social media streams sit well with current visual trends as an aesthetic feast for the eyes. Though, I must admit I can’t help thinking that some of those noodles wouldn’t look half as appetising without the team’s stellar garnishing skills.
If you’re in pursuit of informational content that doesn’t crowd your feed, The Ramen Noodlist will be your cup of tea (or soup). Their reviews divulge all that is needed without excessive embellishment, so they’re perfect for a quick scroll through your social media feeds.
Clearly, these are not rank amateurs easily swayed by the delicacy-coated words of the packaging.
A good thing, given that over 4,000 people follow their social media, awaiting their opinions on what could be considered every desk-jockey’s favourite supper… and breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Deal Or Noodle
Most impressively, these noodle connoisseurs have a grand plan behind their noodle madness.
Didnt know vermicelli came in cups? Well… neither did I.
With their extensive and explorative knowledge of instant noodles, they are working towards what they call a “grand theory of culinary cultures.”
While this theory is still a work in progress with no real consensus within them as of yet, it is still a good idea of what their long-term goals would include. An “epiphany,” that they hope to receive by their 1,000th review.
Until their grand theory comes along, however, their current focus is somewhat more modest: hoping to hit 500 reviews while they continue to do what they’re happy doing on their weekends… eating instant noodles and making the world a better place by reviewing them for the unenlightened public.
Click here to find out more.
