Book Review :: The Untold History of Ramen: How Political Crisis in Japan Spawned a Food Craze

Ramen at a few places in Toronto, and yes, the Kinton Mega bowl pictured top left is a result of North American influences and as the author would say, do not follow "Japanese sensibilities"

The Untold History of Ramen:  How Political Crisis in Japan Spawned a Food Craze
Author:  George Solt

I'm not sure how I came across this book when I was searching books online but I'm glad I did.  This book is actually a result of Solt's doctoral dissertation and some parts definitely read like one.  But, don't be turned off by that notion, most of it flows well and you'll learn quite a bit about the history of ramen, fresh and instant.

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I enjoy eating ramen, but each time I ate it I questioned how much I really knew about ramen.  I knew the origins were from Chinese "laimein" but didn't know much else.  Aside from different broth based versions of ramen, I couldn't tell you much.  Some might say, as long as it tastes good, everything else is not too important...but sometimes I think info is good.

Just before reading this book, we had gone to Hakata Ramen Sho Ryu and felt the noodles were lacking in spring/chewiness as we like noodles with a bite to it.  But, the beginning of this book highlights chewiness is less or non-existent in ramen made in the south and western parts of Japan like Hakata ramen.  So that made sense and made me re-think what is "ramen"?

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The book traces the transformation of ramen from working class meal that fills you up at the side of the street to instant ramen to national food and to artisanal ramen.  By the end of the book, you'll have a good sense of the origins of ramen and how it's changed, but the multitude of different kinds is still up to you to learn more about it elsewhere.  The subtitle of the book refers to the US occupation of Japan after WWII and the instability at that time.  The political parts of the book were interesting but a little lengthy in some sections.  I'm not much of a political or history buff but when it comes to food, I become a little more interested.  I guess that's the case with anything...you only want to learn about something that interests you so even history I'll read for the sake of food knowledge.  (I can remember junior high history and always talking about the fur trade which to this day I still don't know anything!)

So, if you just wanted to know about ramen, you might skip parts, but the history of the introduction of American wheat was important and the reasons behind it were interesting.  I don't want to give away too much info but school lunch programs as a political tool was quite interesting to read!  The increase in imported American wheat also correlated with the increase of bread consumption, but the reason for ramen taking off was a mixture of other factors.

Rise of instant ramen was quite lengthy and it was interesting to note Ando Momofuku the founder of Nissen Foods (and often credited with inventing instant ramen) was born in Taiwan during the Japanese occupation and Momofuku is the Japanese pronounciation of his given Chinese name.  Instant ramen and ramen as we know it now are two very different things but it was very popular in Japan and subsequently made it's way to North America (the brand Cup Noodles ring a bell?).

Ramen in movies and media is also mentioned and of course the movie Tampopo is also discussed.  The book finishes off with some info about ramen in North America and names like David Chang and Ivan Orkin (who's autobiography I've recently finished reading as well) are mentioned.  It's only in the last 3-4 years that there has been a boom in ramen restaurants in Toronto; a little late to the show but I'm glad there are more ramen places.


What I particularly liked....
I can't really say what particular parts were great because in general, there were a lot of interesting facts about ramen and how it has changed in Japan.  The, "hmmm, interesting..." moments came while reading about the import of American wheat and how that was also linked to the rise of instant ramen.  Some interesting info about instant ramen as "healthy" in the beginning was quite funny given their unhealthy image now.

Ramen as a tourism strategy was also interesting as this led the way for each area to develop their own ramen and infuse monies to smaller cities/towns.

I think Solt did a really good job on the last section, the conclusion.  The conclusion really tied things together and summarized the main points.   There was also a bit of additional info, such as the current ramen philosophy amongst independent ramen chefs in Japan.


What I wasn't too fond of...
There were some parts that had a bit too much info that it made it sound like filler.  Maybe in a phD paper it's necessary, but examples of telegrams that were being sent back to the US from Japan during the US occupation were a bit much.

Also, the numerous articles quoted about instant ramen (pros and cons) seemed a little excessive but I gather there must have been strong opinions to warrant so many.


Overall
For someone looking for information about the rise in popularity of ramen, this book is a great resource.  It wasn't too dry (but of course that's my opinion) and gives you an opinion about ramen's current popularity.  I'm not sure if it's truly an "untold history" but it pulls together the origins, the import of American wheat as the driving force to increased ramen consumption, and how each decade/era has consumed and viewed ramen.  Definitely recommend!!