If you're gonna eat instant ramen noodles...

While indulging in one of my favorite pastimes - shopping at Costco - I walked by one of the food demos.  They were cooking up a Hot & Spicy noodle bowl; just add hot water, and you're ready to go.  Not one to pass up on free food, I took a sample.  

Now, I am a it of a connoisseur of instant ramen noodles.  Ever since I was introduced to the Maruchan brand of 10-cent instant noodles during my college years, and thought, my goodness gracious, is this awful stuff.  I've made my way through the entire aisle at an Asian grocery store, trying a lot of different brands, just sure there was something better.

So as I took my first taste of the Hot & Spicy, I was NOT impressed.  It was rather bland, the noodles without any remarkable texture to note, and yet, I saw shoppers all around me loading up their oversized carts with their new noodle purchase.  What?!?  Did they think this was actually good?  

Here's my favorite instant noodle.  It's made by Nong Shim, a Korean conglomerate, so it's got that spicy Korean kick to it.  But the noodles, as long as they aren't overcooked, have a good bite to it, and the soup is spicy and flavorful.  Often, I'll add in broccoli and some tilapia fillets, which complement the spicy broth very well, in an attempt to make it a little bit of a more well-rounded meal.

Certainly, I realize that none of these noodles-in-a-flash are good for you.  They're fried, packed with sodium, and I can't pronounce 75% of the ingredient list.  And it's not exactly gourmet.  But there is something strangely alluring about instant ramen noodles.  They're fast, and if you eat certain brands, like the one to the left, dare I say, I actually like the taste of it!  

So that's why I say - if you're going to eat instant ramen noodles, at least pick something that actually tastes good!