Raging bowls
Tips
- Ignore all the pretty toppings for a moment and rescue your noodles, which are still cooking in that piping-hot broth. Use your spoon and chopsticks to lift them over the other add-ins. If they’re still too al dente for you (the Japanese call this ha gotai), dunk ’em back in.
- There’s no “right” way to eat ramen; some prefer to get their face right over the bowl to minimize splashing, some swirl the toppings around, whereas others keep them separate. Bear in mind is that in Japan, susuru (slurping your noodles noisily out of the broth) isn’t rude—it’s a compliment.
- Lovers of udon (thick wheat pasta) and soba (thin buckwheat) noodles, please note: You’ll only find ramen noodles in ramen soup.
Time Out New York / Issue 620 : Aug 16–22, 2007