Cold Brewing Fish and Kelp.
My most memorable bowl of ramen on this trip was consumed in a food court.
Judge me, I don’t care.
Did I know the shop Gyoku was originally from Kanagawa?
About their sardines, saury, and bonito flakes?
No.
After weeks of Kurume, Nagahama, Kumamoto style tonkotsu ramen, and after a long day of following my daughter in the magical world of Kidzania, the sight of tsukemen was too inviting. I just wanted a break.
Back in the day, you don’t just walk into any tsukemen store. It was something you had to verify and hunt for.
For example, Nagi in Golden Gai was legit, Rokurinsha was legit, Fuunji was ok, and any other place where your local friend took to was legit.
To think that it has become something available in a half-empty food court in Lalaport on a Monday, I couldn’t believe how far tsukemen has progressed.
You do know what tsukemen is, don’t you?
The typical ramen was borrowed heavily from China (you say ramen I say la mian) and they are almost too passive-aggressive about it. But run as you may, shoyu ramen can never escape the shadow of chuuka soba 中華そば (Chinese noodles).
Take the soup away and call it aburamen 油麺 or mazemen 混ぜ麺 ?
Taiwan has done it.
China has so many types of ban mian 拌面.
The Italians would like to have a word too.
So, boo. Do not pass go, no $200 for you.
But by boiling down and thickening the stock and marrying it with the concept of dipping noodles like soba, this deconstructed way of eating noodles is, for me, the ‘true’ Japanese breakthrough of ramen.
Pop quiz hot sh- you know what, I’ll just tell you why tsukemen is truly Japanese:
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