For men only
Ramen noodles consist of wheat noodles, a broth usually made from pork, chicken or fish bones, and are served with side dishes such as thinly sliced pork (char siu), dried seaweed (nori), pickled bamboo shoots (menma) and green onions.
Ramen Girls Festival participants enjoy noodles at the opening event in 2015. Photo: Nikkei
However, in Japan, ramen has traditionally been a male-dominated dish. Traditionally, men have been seen patronizing ramen restaurants, not women.
In the 1960s, when ramen was a cog in the engine of Japan's rapid economic growth, the popular dish was seen as a privilege reserved for men, mostly men. Most men went to ramen shops alone and did not talk to anyone.
However, that is now changing as a new trend emerges called “ramen girls”.
One of the global trends of 2023 is the rise of "girls' ramen dinners". It has been a trend since 2015, when the first Ramen Festival was held, when Japanese girls started enjoying ramen at restaurants.
Hosted by Satoko Morimoto, a popular blogger who writes about her love of ramen and admits to eating 600 bowls a year, Morimoto urged young Japanese women to brave the best ramen restaurants amid the mostly male clientele to enjoy hot bowls of noodles.
At the Ramen Girls Festival (RGF), male and female chefs serve delicious bowls of noodles to ramen-loving women. RGF was merged into the annual Ramen Expo during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the festival will be revived as a separate event in 2024.
"Ramen Girls" in Japan
What makes women’s ramen different from traditional men’s ramen? First, ramen restaurants must understand and cater to women’s needs. Specifically, the restaurant must be airy, hygienic, with clean restrooms, wooden tables, and a jazz sound system.
Chefs also have to tailor the flavors of their dishes to suit. For example, broths should be gentler on women’s digestive systems than the traditional ones for men, and there should be a gluten-free option for noodles. Meats and vegetables should also be sourced from organic farms and portions should be smaller than traditional ones to help women avoid overeating.
By doing so, the female customer base will feel welcome. In traditional ramen culture, men can slurp the broth and make any noise they want, but women have different, more subdued rules that go beyond paying attention to taste.
For decades, every aspect of ramen has been geared towards men, from the broth, which often includes lard, pork organs and a little MSG, to the bowl size, which is designed to fit a man’s hand. The soup tends to be very hot, as Japanese men like it that way, ensuring that the steam rises from the bowl and feels rich and hot. However, serving such a bowl of ramen to women would affect their makeup.
Or spices for noodles like garlic cloves, very suitable for men who love this herb but women do not like the smell of garlic because they have to return to the office after eating and do not want to smell.
So back in the day, when women craved ramen, they could stop by the supermarket and buy Cup Noodle -- one of the greatest inventions Japan has ever created, courtesy of Nissin Foods Corporation in 1971.
Thanks to Cup Noodle and its myriad of homemade instant noodles in different flavors, generations of Japanese women have been able to slurp and devour in the privacy of their own homes without the distraction of others in restaurants.
Another noodle variety, Cup Noodle Light, launched in 2008, is aimed at health-conscious urban women looking for a way to eat noodles without the stigma of calories and weight gain. The original Cup Noodle has 335 calories, while Light has just 198 calories.
Seven years later, Nissin upgraded the dish with Cup Noodle Light Plus, which also offers 198 calories but includes deluxe versions like Ratatouille, Bagna Cauda, and Lobster Bisque.
Today, Japanese women have developed a relationship with ramen. Whether it is eating noodles at a restaurant or hunting for their favorite instant noodles at home, all of these are tailored to the needs of today's Japanese women to provide them with the opportunity to enjoy them comfortably.
And "ramen girls" have emerged as a trend in today's ramen culture in Japan./.
Source
Comment (0)