Remembering the Ramen King
Momofuku Ando’s invention of the instant noodle had a classic discovery-by-accident moment. Just after World War II, Ando was a failed businessman experimenting at home with a newfangled idea for packaged ramen noodles.
He remained an unsuccessful tinkerer until August, 1958, when he made a breakthrough while watching his wife deep-fry vegetables. Fried noodles, he realized, would turn hard yet be porous enough to soften quickly when dunked in boiling water.
That epiphany transformed Ando, who died on Jan. 5 from a heart attack at age 96, into the noodle king. More than anyone else, Ando deserves credit for creating the multibillion-dollar market for instant noodles.
“A lot of people say it was a late start, but in life there’s no such thing,” Ando wrote in his memoir.
Photo by Associated Press.
cassy on December 15th, 2008 12:51 am
Great story of the noodle king, he really deserves all the credit, for bringing us his noodles, without him there will be no noddles to buy in the market! thanks Ando for the noodles i eat every day.
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