Ramen Is Becoming More Popular Worldwide
2024-05-04
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1Ramen is a kind of Japanese noodle dish.
2It might be the world's favorite Japanese food.
3Ramen has increased in popularity in the U.S., South Korea and other countries.
4The dish is also growing in popularity with foreign visitors to Japan.
5NielsenIQ is a service that reports on product sales.
6It said sales of ramen in the United States have risen 72 percent since 2000.
7Technomic, a food service industry research company, said versions beyond the traditional soup are appearing in many restaurants.
8Del Taco, a Mexican chain, recently introduced Shredded Beef Birria Ramen, for example.
9Ramen remains very popular in Japan.
10Some Japanese go to ramen shops two or three times a week.
11In Tokyo, people sometimes wait for an hour to get ramen.
12Often cooked right before your eyes, the noodle dish starts at around $6.50.
13It comes in different flavors - and there are local versions, too.
14Flavors include salty, soybean-based "shoyu" or "miso" paste.
15Sometimes the dish is spicy.
16Sometimes there is no soup at all but a sauce to dip the noodles in.
17Foreign visitors are becoming increasingly interested in ramen, too.
18Frank Striegl guides visitors to ramen restaurants for a special food experience.
19"I'm probably a talking bowl of ramen," said Striegl as he led a group of American tourists through part of Tokyo's Shibuya neighborhood.
20The group's visit is what Striegl calls "the ultimate ramen experience."
21The tourists go to restaurants where ramen is served in very small bowls.
22These bowls are about one-fourth the size of a regular ramen bowl.
23The guests eat smaller amounts so that they can try six different kinds of ramen, two at each restaurant during the tour.
24"It's not just, of course, about eating delicious ramen, but also learning about it," said Striegl.
25He is a Filipino American who grew up in Tokyo. He calls ramen "people's food."
26"A lot of countries around the world have their version of ramen," he said.
27"So, I think because of that, it's a dish that's easy to understand. It's a dish that's easy to get behind."
28While the tourists were enjoying their noodles, Striegl gave a short history of ramen.
29He said its roots date back to the samurai period.
30Samurai were historical Japanese warriors.
31A Japanese military leader, a shogun, took a liking to Chinese noodles.
32That started a tradition of making local versions of ramen that continues today.
33Katie Sell was a student on Striegl's tour.
34She called ramen "a kind of comfort food, especially in the winter.
35Get a group of friends, go have some ramen and just enjoy it."
36Kavi Patel is an engineer from the U.S. state of New Jersey.
37He said he was happy that he included ramen on his tour of Japan along with visits to famous places like the ancient capital of Kyoto and the deer park in Nara.
38"I'm having good fun," he said.
39I'm John Russell.
1Ramen is a kind of Japanese noodle dish. It might be the world's favorite Japanese food. 2Ramen has increased in popularity in the U.S., South Korea and other countries. The dish is also growing in popularity with foreign visitors to Japan. 3NielsenIQ is a service that reports on product sales. It said sales of ramen in the United States have risen 72 percent since 2000. 4Technomic, a food service industry research company, said versions beyond the traditional soup are appearing in many restaurants. Del Taco, a Mexican chain, recently introduced Shredded Beef Birria Ramen, for example. 5Experiencing ramen 6Ramen remains very popular in Japan. 7Some Japanese go to ramen shops two or three times a week. 8In Tokyo, people sometimes wait for an hour to get ramen. Often cooked right before your eyes, the noodle dish starts at around $6.50. 9It comes in different flavors - and there are local versions, too. Flavors include salty, soybean-based "shoyu" or "miso" paste. Sometimes the dish is spicy. Sometimes there is no soup at all but a sauce to dip the noodles in. 10Foreign visitors are becoming increasingly interested in ramen, too. 11Frank Striegl guides visitors to ramen restaurants for a special food experience. "I'm probably a talking bowl of ramen," said Striegl as he led a group of American tourists through part of Tokyo's Shibuya neighborhood. The group's visit is what Striegl calls "the ultimate ramen experience." 12The tourists go to restaurants where ramen is served in very small bowls. These bowls are about one-fourth the size of a regular ramen bowl. The guests eat smaller amounts so that they can try six different kinds of ramen, two at each restaurant during the tour. 13"It's not just, of course, about eating delicious ramen, but also learning about it," said Striegl. He is a Filipino American who grew up in Tokyo. He calls ramen "people's food." 14"A lot of countries around the world have their version of ramen," he said. "So, I think because of that, it's a dish that's easy to understand. It's a dish that's easy to get behind." 15While the tourists were enjoying their noodles, Striegl gave a short history of ramen. He said its roots date back to the samurai period. Samurai were historical Japanese warriors. A Japanese military leader, a shogun, took a liking to Chinese noodles. That started a tradition of making local versions of ramen that continues today. 16Katie Sell was a student on Striegl's tour. She called ramen "a kind of comfort food, especially in the winter. Get a group of friends, go have some ramen and just enjoy it." 17Kavi Patel is an engineer from the U.S. state of New Jersey. He said he was happy that he included ramen on his tour of Japan along with visits to famous places like the ancient capital of Kyoto and the deer park in Nara. 18"I'm having good fun," he said. 19I'm John Russell. 20Yuri Kageyama reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 21___________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23noodle -n. a long thin food made from flour that is boiled 24chain -n. a series of restaurants that are mostly the same and operated or licensed by the same company 25flavor -n. the taste of a food or ingredient 26paste -n. a soft, wet mixture 27tourist -n. a traveler who goes to places for enjoyment 28shogun - n. one of a line of military leaders ruling Japan until the revolution of 1867-68 29comfort food -n. a favorite food that is satisfying and often linked to good memories