“How can people eat ramen more deliciously? How can people enjoy it more? That’s something I’m always thinking of,” said Ippudo founder and Ramen King Shigemi Kawahara, who has devoted 30 years of his life to raising ramen standards.
There is a right way to make ramen and, you might be surprised, there is a right way to eat ramen, too.
“Most people, when they get their first bowl of ramen, they mix the noodles. This is a normal thing for Asians, but the Japanese don’t eat ramen that way,” Kawahara said.
This is how you should enjoy your ramen, according to the Ramen King:
1. Look and appreciate your bowl of ramen.
2. Take one sip of the broth. Savor the rich soup—it took 10 to 15 hours to make.
3. Start eating the noodles. At Ippudo, you can choose how soft or hard you want your noodles to be.
4. If you want to mix your ramen, do it when you’re halfway through your bowl, not in the beginning.
5. Ippudo provides you with the following condiments: black pepper, sesame seeds and fresh garlic cloves. But, Kawahara said, you shouldn’t use the condiments in the beginning. Wait until you’ve eaten half your ramen. “After that, you can add crushed garlic, two cloves. Black pepper, four turns of the grinder. For the sesame seeds, five turns. But if you want more, you can add more to your liking.”
He added, “Remember what I said, in the beginning, you have to look, appreciate, sip and eat. I think we owe that to the ramen. That’s how the Japanese find the essence in the ramen.”