CUSP Magazine : Fall Edition 2014

FOOD//RAMEN CRAZE
It’s reliable. It’s cheap. And it’s gaining
popularity in Chicago. It may not be
the most gourmet dish, but ramen
noodles have satisfied college students
everywhere for decades. Its simple
cooking (literally heating up water,
noodles and seasonings in a disposable
cup) combined with inexpensive price
(got a dollar lying around Dinner for
the night!) have made ramen noodles
a hit among college students as they
act as a satisfying meal that provides
the necessary sustenance for studying
(and maybe drinking a few beers). The
latest food craze, however, debunks this
college staple stereotype as critically
acclaimed (and self-proclaimed) foodies
across America rave about ramen.
Yes, ramen noodles are experiencing
a surge in popularity, but not because
of their typical cheap and simple
characteristics for which they have
become known and loved. Renowned
chefs have refined ramen dishes with
fresh in-house noodles, real Japanese
spices, and flavorful, hot broths made
from authentic family recipes.
Even though ramen noodle
consumers today associate the popular
dish with Japanese culture, it actually
began in China. Ramen noodles did
not become popular in Japan until
after World War II when the United
States began sending its excess wheat
to Japan in response to Japan’s food
shortage. Even though ramen had been
introduced by Chinese migrants years
earlier, wheat still remained a very small
part of the Japanese diet. With the
copious numbers of American wheat
noodles, however, Japan began eating
ramen more and more until it became
known as the “workingman’s comfort
food.” Today, Japan is home to over 35,000 ramen
noodle shops that offer every type of ramen dish
from the very basic noodles, broth, and pork to the
complex dishes featuring different broths, vegetables,
and meats.
While Japan has been enjoying ramen for
decades, the United States only recently jumped on
the ramen craze as New York City began opening
ramen-centered restaurants just two years ago.
With Chicago seeing the opening of more ramen
restaurants and more ramen items being added to
menus, Chicago has expanded on the popularity
of the Japanese dish. Strings Ramen Noodles was
the first restaurant in Chicago to take on the ramen
craze completely. After witnessing ramen’s rise to
popularity in New York, Kee Chan, owner and
Photography by DLM Photography & Design
executive chef of the noodle house,
decided to open his own ramen
restaurant that would focus only on
noodles.
“We want to focus on ramen; we want
to make a good noodle for everybody,”
Strings manager Katie Dong said. “In
this house everything is about noodle.”
Strings manager Katie Dong said.
Strings Ramen became the first ramencentered
restaurant in Chicago after
opening up in February 2014.
Since then, the noodle house has
served over 50,000 bowls of ramen to
Chicagoans.
For Chan, Strings’ first location in
Chicago was ideal as the Chicago’s
weather complements the hearty
ramen soup. “For our [Chicago’s]
weather, eighty percent of the year we
are covered with snow,” Dong said. “A
bowl of hot ramen [fits] perfectly with
Chicago weather.”
Even though Strings provides a warm
meal during winter months, Strings also
opened up its own patio recently. As the
only patio in Chinatown, patrons can
enjoy their authentic ramen noodles
while enjoying what little summer
Chicago has.
While Chan and his team hope to feed
and satisfy customers, they also hope to
educate customers about the noodle
itself. Many people, Dong says, know
that ramen is an instant noodle but
they do not actually know the history,
culture, or even the ingredients of the
ramen noodle. With its own in-house
noodle machine, the only Japaneseimported
noodle machine in Chicago,
Strings hopes to teach a little bit about
the history of the popular noodle.
“In this
house,
everything
is about
noodle.”
Photography by DLM Photography & Design
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CUSP MAGAZINE FALL ’14 ISSUE
CUSP MAGAZINE FALL ’14 ISSUE
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