Good for him. For some reason I really like this guy. gorgeous/goofy is a rare combination.

Such a gorgeous man! Those dimples are just lethal...I bet he has a lot more lucrative offers to look forward to.

Nong Shim = soothes the soul, hurts the body. hehe.

I like Ichiban ramen myself. Ichiban = #1 in my heart and wallet.

However, I use only 1/2 of the powder packet, to reduce the sodium. 1 bag or bowl of ramen is usually rated as being 2 servings worth (incredibly sneaky, since nobody shares a bowl of ramen after age 6), and each serving has around 1,000 mg of sodium. So, a single bowl of nong shim (2,000+ mg of sodium) is going to be over a day's worth of sodium. If, on some day, you have 2 bowls of nong shim, you might be looking at almost 3 days worth of sodium in two meals.

Hence, use 1/2 a packet - the taste is not watered down that much anyway. Mrs. Samsooki doesn't listen to me though and goes 100% packet every time (but, she doesn't drink all of the liquid), so that's the other way of doing it... not drinking all of the ramen broth.

@samsookie

I think we are going to have another bout of "white vine vs red wine/Almond Joy vs Reese's" debate.

Nong Shim Shin Ramen is the best dude. My family ate Ichiban in the 70s only because there were no other alternative and we heavily added kimchi and additional stuff to spice it up. When Neoguri and Shin Ramen came out we never looked back.

(I don't drink the liquid either since I always get sick from the MSG overload.)

Nong Shim's my go-to brand. There's some other good ones, but I like Nong Shim. I don't really think of ramen as being affected by star recognition, but I guess I could be wrong.
Maruchan makes "macaroni and cheese yakisoba" which is enough to banish them permanently from my diet.

"2. The Shin ramen also tends to be extremely spicy and makes you sweat while you eat."

I actually wish it was spicier to tell you the truth. I'm not sure if I'm making this up but I feel it has lost some heat over time. Cup ramen is no go for me. You have to eat the one you prepare in a pot.

If I want real japanese ramen I got to Misuwa in edgewater or Ippudo in NYC.

wow with $175,000 I can pay down my mortgage by more than half.. I want that money!

Anyone likes soya bean sprouts? Shin or Samyang Ramyun with soya bean sprouts with red pepper powders/crashed garlic/onions tossed in: yum...

Nong Shim is most definitely the best brand, imho.

I wonder if they really need to spend that much money on promotions since they're such a food staple. Oh well, fun ad for us soon to come, I'm sure.

yay for oh jiho!
yay for oh-ssis!!

Oh Jiho is so handsome! what a hottie! Yes, i'm happy he's getting more attention....handsome handsome man..

Good for Oh Ji-HOT. :)

Ichiban (original flavor) - classic ramen

Nong Shim - that's the spicy stuff, right?
We only use half the packet for that one. :(

I always like these debates :)

I use to get Shin, but JB's right the taste has changed over time. I didn't like Samyung ramyun originally, but now I like it a lot (I wonder if their soup base changed?). It's not as spicy, but the taste is pretty good imho. Haven't had Ichiban in awhile, but have to say I'm not a big fan of Maruchan.

Don't know what's happening on Oh Ji-ho news thread... Ramen noodles debates???

@10 momosan

>Maruchan makes “macaroni and cheese yakisoba”

You are just kidding us, right? It can't be true.

@16 hjkomo

Ichiban (original flavor) – classic ramen

Like you and JB, I grew up on this one and some other Japanese brands since I was there. I suspect they must have added some sort of something in them as they were so good(back then) and addictive. Now that I've been vegetarian, I get this organic ramen noodles in Sydney's Chinatown and make broth myself with seaweeds, soy source and other condiments. I noticed when arriving in Japan, Lots of Koreans are carrying a big box of Korean instant noodles, I guess they are asked to bring them by their relatives or friends? They must be the super spicy ones?

@celestialorigin: My guess is that the Koreans brought it for themselves. Almost like how when my family goes on a trip, my mom has to bring something Korean to eat by the end of the day.

When it comes to Ramen, I think of a Japanese family that owned a small Japanese restaurant for years. They made the best bowls of Ramen, although I never liked having pork slices added. Around two years ago there was a sudden boom of Japanese restaurants in that area, but were all "Americanized". It's a pity that the "real" Japanese restaurant had to close, as more people went to the more bigger, advertised "Japanese" restaurants.

For regular Ramen, I just use Maruchan and dump in Kimchi to make Kimchi Ramen :/
If not that, I just add green onions, squash slices, and small slices of green jalapenos to the Maruchan Ramen packages.

The cup Ramens have lost their taste and Neoguri noodles are becoming too thin.

--

That aside, that picture is awkward o.o
Handsome face, but look below and there's an arrow and he's smiling... heh.

OJH is yum and he goes well with anything... with ramen... yumyum!

I grew up on the Japanese nissin original flavor ramen, that tiny sesame oil packet is <3

I loved Shin in college... but I agree the flavor (and the texture) is not the same anymore. But when I eat Shin, I use very little of the cooking liquid, pour in half a packet of the soupbase, I need a fried egg and I put gojujang in and mix it into a gooey mess. I know it's not authentic, but I can't get enough of it.

For the best texture in instant noodles, Myojo Chukazanimai hands down ...but I don't care for the soup base that much, had to add my own flavorings...and I love sesame oil in ramen. it's the closest to noodles at authentic ramen places.

Oh, ye of little faith, I present to you: The Horror Of Cheddar Yakisoba. So it's not officially macaroni and cheese flavor, but let's face it - it's macaroni and cheese flavor. *shudder* There's also tomato-basil yakisoba, which is better theoretically but so very, very wrong.

The sodium's not a big deal unless you have high blood pressure. Most people can handle well over the daily "recommended" amount with no problems. (And not all blood pressures can be reduced with reducing the sodium.)

Samsooki, you must live somewhere where spicy food is on the menu more of the time than it is in my hometown. Bland but tasty is practically the culinary slogan here, so I eat spicy where I can get it.

Love ramen noodles. LOVE OJH even more!!! :)

@ 23 Dav

'The sodium’s not a big deal unless you have high blood pressure. Most people can handle well over the daily “recommended” amount with no problems.'

It depends on how u regard as 'no problems' it's still taxing your heart to work extra loads (it has to work harder to expel the salt (with the fluid it's retaining in the blood along the way) and your kidney has to work harder as well.