Why eat ramen noodles?

Everyone eat ramen noodles! But what makes them so popular? Well, there have to be at least 1001 reasons why you should eat ramen:
(965 more reasons to find!) (We found the first 9, you find the rest!)


1. It's delicious!
Well, ramen taste great, that's a fact!

2. Low cost  
One of the most important reason why ramen are so popular: instant noodles are really cheap, really. Even if we all agree that ramen taste great, let's be honest, 85.7 billion ramen meals would not be consumed every year if the product was 4 or 5 times more expensive. But good news, you can get them for as low as 0.10$ a pack in North America (cheapest ones we found right now are at costco) and for a pretty low cost too anywhere around the globe. If you don’t want to buy a 36 packs box, you can go to your local supermarket and get 4-8 for a dollar. To buy authentic ramen noodles, if you do not live in Asia, it should not be a problem in any large city.

3. Ready in five minutes
Like you can see in our “How to cook” section, instant noodles are ready in 5 minutes, on the oven, in the microwave or even with the coffee maker!

4. Healthy meal
As we all know, fruits and vegetables taste great! But, we’ll eat some tomorrow, just not today. Well with ramen, as with any kind of pasta, you can add some healthy food with a great sauce to have a good and tasty meal!

5. Easy to cook
Basically, if you know how to heat up water, you know how to cook instant noodles. As long as you don’t overcook, it should always be a great meal.

6. You are in college
Well if you are in college, you have to eat ramen. Why eat noodles? Well, you probably now have to purchase your own food, wondering how come that fridge is not auto fulling itself every week. Good news, instant noodles are ready fast, cost a lot less than pizza and you won’t need a fine cuisine 2 years class to learn how to cook them to perfection.

7 Add anything you want
As seen in our recipes section, ramen are good with everything. If you feel like eating a light summer meal or a great seafood feast, ramen can be an excellent basis for almost every recipe.

8. Texture
With the texture instant noodle get once cooked, it becomes perfect to keep any flavor you might want to add. Unlike larger pasta, instant noodles are perfect to mix with anything and keep the flavor of any sauce.

9. Good for almost a year
According to tests conducted by the Japan Convenience Foods Industry Association, measuring acid and peroxide values, instant ramen are safe to eat for up 8 to 9 months, and often for over a year. It makes instant ramen perfect food to store for those days you don’t feel like making that long and perilous trip to the supermarket.
How to keep fresh:
-Don’t open the package
-Store at room temperature
-Keep away from light
-Store in a dry place

10. It might just be the perfect food to survive a zombie attack!
What would you eat if zombies invaded the earth? The dangerous creatures would try to eat you, but you would probably end up eating some noodles! Ramen packages are not heavy to carry (unlike canned food), they last almost forever, they don't need to be cooked, they are a great source of energy and you can find them in almost all abandoned supermarkets. I don't say they are perfect, but they could be part of an invasion healthy diet!
Thanks to: Charles Anderson (Seattle, United-States)
(Charles, we wish you the best of luck if we ever get invaded!)

11. Ramen don't need to be cooked to be enjoyed*
That's right! "Raw" ramen make a delicious snack! You can eat them straight out of the package or on top of your favorite meal. As confirmed on Nissin Food website, it's totally safe to eat them "raw" since in fact, instant noodles are already cooked.
Thanks to: Jared Rogers (New-York, United-States)
*Eat ramen uncooked at your own risk, we are not responsible if you explode!

12. Enough with onions and garlic!
Unlike onions and garlic, i guarantee you that ramen noodles won't give you bad breath! They are perfectly safe for romantic diner. Ok i may be pushing it a bit too far, please order something else if you ever go on a blind date!
Thanks to: Maria Brenz (Berlin, Germany)

13. Unlike chick peas or All Bran, ramen don't have any "bad side effects"
Let's face the truth, some food is a bit "too strong" on the digestive system, but be happy, noodles are not one of them! You could eat them all day long and you won't have to be that careful in public :)
Thanks to: Jennifer Wilson (Pittsburgh, United-States)

14. Vegetarians love them!
No animals are hurt when you eat ramen. Yay!
Thanks to: Patricia "the veggie" Roberts (Toronto, Canada)

15. You don't need to refrigerate
Meat, cheese and juice are annoying, you always need to keep them in the fridge. Uncooked ramen can be stored and carried everywhere!
Thanks to: Ashley Thompson (New-York, United-States)

16. It's fun to eat with chopsticks!
If you master chopsticks (and even if you don't) it's like eating noodle soup at an oriental restaurant!
Thanks to: Jennifer Benedict (Casa Grande, Arizona, United-States)

17. If you eat noodles, you look like Naruto.. and Naruto is cool!
Naruto's favorite food is ramen noodles, you can now look as cool as he do by eating them too!
Thanks to: Bob Johnson (Manhattan, United-States)

18. Great for kids!
Kids usually want something quick and painless to make. Once they get old enough to do basic cooking, they can make it themselves without too much worry, as long as an adult can supervise them.
Thanks to: Rachael Compton (Nashville, Tennessee, United-States)

19. Because who doesn't like "slurping down" noodles!
This has to be the coolest way to eat noodles and ramen are perfect to slurp down!
Thanks to: James Raddatz (Orem, Utah, United-States)

20. Because it hits the spot at two in the morning!
When you wake up in the middle of the night and just feel famished.. ramen is there for you like a best friend with insomnia. A full warm belly means easier sleep!
Thanks to: Kara Olivieri (Huntington, United-States)

21. School lunchtime is too short?
Lunchtime at school or at work can be short. We all know that. So if you want to enjoy it and eat something that is ready quick, not expensive, ramen noodles are there for you. You won't be hungry after eating them, they are delicious and good thing, they don't smell bad like what some people heat up in the microwave!
Thanks to: A ramen lover (United-States)

22. Once cooked, it's great hot or cold!
Instead of beating the maitenance guys with a broom to get to the microwave at work, just pull it straight from the fridge! YUM!
Thanks to: Equidna Warden (North-Platte, Nebraska, United-States)

23. They have Magical Properties!
Recent scientific findings state that eating noodles decrease chances of spontaneous combustion of the brain. (Not confirmed, but 99.99% true, *cough* *cough* :) )
Thanks to: Saif Al-Silwadi (Halifax, Canada)

24. Don't have to chew them for 20 seconds!
Well eating ramen noodles is way easier than eating a steak, you don't have to chew for an hour!
Thanks to: Mary Robertson (Chicago, United-States)

25. Perfect for the diet!
Even if you are on a diet, ramen is perfect... Lose the soup-powder that come with the instant ramen and add your own homemade from the fine recipes on this page and then add a load of veggies, some low fat meat and even more veggies... And BOOM! A healty super fast meal... And frozen veggies are just as good as raw, so there is NO reason why you shouldn't be able to fight of a few extra pound and not be able eat a tasty, quick meal!
Thanks to: Birgit Thoren (Herning, Denmark)

26. Eat them while rock crawling!
So easy to cook i was able to have them while out rock crawling, during lunch put pot of water on exhaust manifold to boil 3 min later had a great lunch while everybody else was eating cold left overs from the night before.
*Please note: Thanks a lot to Jake for sharing this! At ramenlicious, we don't know much about cars (we had to google "exhaust manifold"!) so for everyone else who want to do this, only do it if you know it's safe, we can't confirm :)
Thanks to: Jake Swearingen (United-States)

27. When you run out of popcorn!
When you run out of popcorn, Crumble 1 or two packs of ramen noodles and saute in butter untill lightly brown. Save season packets for soup stock,chili or warm broth during cold time. Put sauteed broken noodles into bag and toss with chili powder, or lemon pepper, parmesean cheese,Garlic salt or any combination. Depending on you taste a hit of Spike multi seasoning is good as well as natural brewers yeast. I've made many believers out of this.
Thanks to: Duke (LosAngeles, United-States)

28. If you are in a rush!
It can be really helpful in a rush - when you wake up in the morning and realize that you are late for classes/work, or at anytime of the day when you are hungry but late to some appointment. For short, its the perfect meal for latecomers...
Thanks to: Maria Wong (Panama)

29. Separated Union!
Ramen have this special unique property, wich makes every ingredient keep it's identity in the whole, while blending in the totality of the soup. Ramen noodles are THE perfect example of harmony, a multitude of microscosms in a whole macrocosm.
Thanks to: Raphaël Cadoret (Quebec city, Quebec)

30. Ramen is Art!
Ramen is unique, there is no definit way of making them, and only imagination and creativity are the limit. Accessible to the first primary school student as well to the top notch chef. Ramen truly, are work of arts.
Thanks to: Raphaël Cadoret (Quebec city, Quebec)

31. Unlimitidness!
There is no boundary to the creation of Ramen noodles, every aspect can be changed be changed for the better. Even the noodles themselve can be tranformed. Thus, being without limit and so, infinite.
Thanks to: Raphaël Cadoret (Quebec city, Quebec)

32. Great for food fights!
Being cheap, grossy and easy to cook in great amounts. Ramen are perfect for foods fights, they don't leave stains, esay to wash and clean. Can be adapted to several way of fighting and throwing. Enjoy your battle royale!
Thanks to: Raphaël Cadoret (Quebec city, Quebec)

33. Ramen are prestigious!
People generally laugh at you, when you say your culinary speciality is ramen. But when you say you can take up to 3-4 hours to prepare and cook them (without talking about maceration). That there is a museum of ramen, and that in Japan, it is a 3-4 year cooking class to become a ramen chef. Ready up your bow tie.
Thanks to: Raphaël Cadoret (Quebec city, Quebec)

34. Fine cuisine as well as a snack!
Quick to eat. It can be eaten in any situation and context. You want to make a fancy evening? Impress you lady (or man), with a fancy plate of exquisite  high quality ramen noodles, meat and vegetables, finely cut and placed with style with a bottle of sake or white wine.
Thanks to: Raphaël Cadoret (Quebec city, Quebec)

35. Ramen noodles is NINJA FOOD!
Because ramen are so light and easy to cook, they make perfect ninja food.
Thanks to: Jessi Pallester (Sitka, United-States)
(This information has been confirmed by ramenlicious.com ninja squad)

36. There is a mystery!
Is a pack of ramen one long noodle wrapped over itself, or are there more? who knows! but you can eat them while you think about it.
Thanks to: Markus Novak (Dublin, OH, United-States)

37. Great to share with the loved ones!
Ramen is great food to share. I can't make a bowl without my fiance stealing it away. But that's a great thing, i can always make another one! :)
Thanks to: Garrett Brewster (Redding, Ca., United-States)

38. Ramen + Baby = No problem!
I eat ramen because i can cook it while holding/feeding the baby!
Thanks to: Christina Wammack (Las Vegas, Ca., United-States)

39. It's a complete meal!
A soup with veggies and pork, you're body gets everything it needs! (And you also look cool while eating it (Love naruto!)).
Thanks to: Chanel Kiser (Makati City, Philippines)

40. Ramen in a sandwich?!
You can put raw crushed up noodles in a sandwich and pretend they are shoestring potatoes! Noodles taste kind of different than potatoes but.. they're still crunchy! :D
Thanks to: Jaclyn Ciezadlo (Port Orchard, Washington, United-States)

41. Because they are available worldwide!
Virtually every country has there own version of ramen noodles, so if your planning to go on a holiday and dont like the food there, just go out and buy some instant ramen noodles!
Thanks to: Jasper Kirton (Jasper Kirton, Stroud, United-Kingdom)

42. It comes in a festive plastic wrapper!
Every time you open up a package of ramen, it's like a present!
Thanks to: Lanza Ray (Warrior; United States)

43. It brings people together!
Everyone loves a good meal of ramen, so why not invite your friends over and create your own ramen recipes? Everyone will have a great time together, and you can learn some great new recipes in the process. After all, the one thing people agree on is the tastiness of ramen.
Thanks to: Brittany Camota (Philadelphia, United States)

44. There're great to eat out of coffee mugs!
If there is no bowl or plate available to eat your ramen, use a coffee mug or any type of cup that holds food to enjoy your ramen.
Thanks to: Christina Calloway (United States)

45. There is a healthy alternative available for all ramen lovers!
If you're are tired of eating the same ol' ramen noodles that are usually fried, diet conscious, or watching your sodium level, then try Choice Ramen from Nissin Foods. Choice Ramen is 80% fat free and has 25% less sodium.
Thanks to: Christina Calloway (United States)

46. Ramen comes in different shapes!
Regular ramen shapes like a square, Choice Ramen shapes like a circle!
Thanks to: Christina Calloway (United States)

47. Ramenfest
Because Ramen is the only thing you can eat when doing a Ramenfest!
Thanks to: Eliot "The Ramenlord" Hamel Blanchet (Victoriaville,Qc, Canada)

48. Ramen is manly!
Just saying Ramen is manly sounding, but getting it stuck in your beard says: "Ramen tastes so great, even my beard wants some!" You could even break up a "Raw brick" of Ramen in any manly way you choose! Smash it with your face, fists, a roundhouse kick (Chuck Norris would be proud.), or even a gun! (Please, do NOT try!) Now, isn't Ramen manly?
Thanks to: Dominic Pietro (Sterling Heights - United States)

Do you have an other good reason of why to eat ramen? Send it to us! If we feature it in this section we will be happy to put your name as submitter!