There are two moments one can taste deliciousness. Former comes from feeling at ease with the familiarity of its taste, and latter with surprises and excitement from the unpredictable taste.
There is no doubt that these two types of sense of deliciousness were so exquisite to Japanese people that it spread the ramen culture quickly throughout Japan.
Needless to say the main components of ramen are noodles and the soup. Originally Japan had its noodle culture with soba (buckwheat noodle) and udon. Pasta being one of the popular Italian dishes in Japan could be explained from the noodle culture inherent in Japan. Umami-rich soup is also familiar to Japanese people with dashi culture. Also, pork bones and chicken ribs that were not mainstream back then, have been added in the soup to complete the familiar-meets-unpredictable taste of ramen. And because of this exquisite balance, ramen has then become one of the most popular food. Having the familiarity of the taste as the basis is the reason why it has become the staple of Japanese food.
The process during development of ramen in Japan was filled with surprises from unpredictable taste. Many kinds of ramen have originated in different parts of Japan which gradually spread to other areas. It must have been a shocking sensation when one who has been eating mild soy all life tried rich Tonkotsu ramen and flavor-filled miso ramen for the first time.
Not only the consumers were surprised but also ramen creators were moved from the possibility that can arise from unpredictability of taste which led to the creation of new types of ramen one after another. With only 100 years since it’s birth, ramen could be said that it has no tradition, yet this is the reason why creating new ramen was possible.
Modern day Japan is the powerhouse of innovative ramen. Michelin star ramen was made possible because ramen became a specialty dish in moving people and not just an ordinary meal.
But how is it within the US? Perhaps ramen plays a huge role in recognizing the concept of “umami.” With that being said, ramen must have been the food to initiate surprises and shocking sensations from unpredictability of its taste to start with.
In contrast to ramen in Japan, the preconceptions of ramen being an inexpensive meal is not too prevalent in the US. This creates a greater opportunity to develop ramen as a meal. A bowl of ramen in Japan typically costs $5-$9 which limits the ingredients that can be used. However in the states there should be no such limit, and creating a bowl of ramen with unpredictable methods and unimaginable ingredients is possible, needless to say resulting in a flavor full of surprises in its final product.
Beyond any doubt Ramen Hero continuously strives to research in creating a ramen that’s never seen in history. One of the goals of Ramen Hero is to create a ramen that impacts people all over the US and furthermore around the world.