Why Not?

When I was a college student the first time, at age 18, ramen wasn't nearly the thing it is now. When I was a college student the second time, at age 30-something, I was a wife and was cooking for a pretty discerning husband, so I missed ramen again. Now that I'm retired, I'm trying out all kinds of kooky things just for the heck of it.

And, recently, one of those was ramen. Now, I'm not talking about Top Ramen - I'm afraid I missed that boat altogether - but rather Annie Chun's ramen in a packet that I discovered in my supermarket while killing time waiting for the fresh bread guy to arrive and stock his shelves. 

I thought, "Why not?"

So, I bought two and brought them home to share with My Beloved on a blessedly rainy day. Is there a law that says you can only eat ramen when you're pulling a college all-nighter or on a rainy day?  No?  Well, in a perfect world, there would be.

It's a one-pot meal - first you warm the already-soft noodles in boiling water for just a minute, then drain those, rinse the pot, and add water to the packet of liquid flavor in the same pot. The packet suggested adding fresh veggies and any cooked protein, so I sliced some green onion diagonally and picked some leaves off the cilantro bunch and added them to the soup bowls with a slice or two of roasted chicken that I had in the fridge. When the squiggly noodles were added and the hot broth ladled over the whole shebang, we sat down to a very nice noodle soup.

We were both pleasantly surprised by the flavors - a very noticeable bite of ginger, the saltiness of the soy sauce, the fresh taste of cilantro and onion - they all were present and accounted for. In fact, My Beloved liked it so well that when I fly next month to a wedding shower in Michigan for my Fairy Goddaughter, I will leave the cupboard stocked with a few packets of ramen for him to enjoy while I'm gone.

Why not?