Just because I'm buying ramen..

[fma_fanatic]

..does not mean I'm poor. Well, okay, I'm am watching my money, but who isn't these days?

I just happened to stop by the store by my house (why oh why do I still shop there if they're so shitty, I have no idea). I decided to pick up some stuff for cheap Chinese - basically ramen, cheap cut of beef, some baby corn and water chestnuts.

So I walked up and down the main area about 4 times before I finally asked an employee where the ramen is. Most people would assume that the ramen wold be in the Asian food aisle or where the pasta is.

Not this store. Apparently in this store, the place for ramen is near the mashed potatoes mix. I don't get the logic, but I also don't get why the guy had to assume I was poor, as evidenced by his repsonse - "Oh you mean the poor people's noodles?"

Yeah, so they're less than 20 cents a pack. I like ramen. I don't get it a lot since it's really salty, but for my cheap Chinese, I don't use the packets, so I don't have to worry about that.

[Whiskey]

Report him to his supervisor, thats ridiculously rude. I use ramen for my chinese cooking because they're cheap and easy. And ramen is always with the prepared foods, i've never seen it in the ethnic/chinese aisle.

[DeltaSierra]

I LOVE Ramen, and it doesn't have to be salty if you avoid using the flavor packets that come with them. My favorite (cheap!) soup is to take chicken backs/necks (get 'em at an Asian grocery store for less than a buck for 2 necks & 2 backs) and toss in some carrots, onions, celery, garlic, pepper, and let simmer for a couple hours. Strain the stock, then bring to boil and add the noodles. Its fantastic and very good for you.

[fma_fanatic]

Report him to his supervisor, thats ridiculously rude. I use ramen for my chinese cooking because they're cheap and easy. And ramen is always with the prepared foods, i've never seen it in the ethnic/chinese aisle.

I know DDD's store had it in the ethnic aisle for the longest time, but I think with the last reset, it moved elsewhere. I know with the other places I've shopped (like Aldi's and Save-A-Lot), I've found it in the pasta aisle. I think it depends on either the company or the manager of the store.

I got his name as I was checking out as he passed by the checkstand I was at and I heard someone holler out his name. I'm going to call the corporate office on Monday. I know they don't like complaints. My last complaint was several months ago when one of the deli workers ignored me after I made my order in favor of chatting with his co-worker for close to 5 minutes. I finally gave up and walked away and he never noticed.

[Red_Dazes]

On the ramen tangent... You should try fried ramen sometime....basically this.

Cook the noodles in plain water till they are just starting to get soft (you want to be able to pick them up in a square still), remove ramen and place into a wok or skillet with a little bit of peanut oil and your favorite veggies...I like zucchini, carrot and water chestnuts ((you can use regular oil but the peanut or sesame oil add a TON of yummy flavor)). Then in the pan you used to cook the ramen keep just enough water so you have about a cup or less (per flavor packetie goodness) and make a thick sauce. Add that to the wok and fry it all up till the juice is almost gone.


.....seriously yummy.... if you feel adventurous you can ditch the flavor packets and go for actual broth instead... but I normally stick with the packets cause it is cheaper.

^_^ Sorry, figured if we were talking about ramen and cheep food I'd throw it out there, because plain ramen gets old after a while. :D

[fma_fanatic]

Nah, it's good. I like trying new things and new ways of making everyday items. I started using ramen for my Chinese food a long time ago because it was there. I figured what the heck and it's been like that ever since.

[EvilEmpryss]

Lower your sodium intake (the main problem with the ramen packets) and preserve the flavor by getting some inexpensive broth (chicken, beef, whatever) and cooking the noodles in the broth instead of the water and packet. To add an interesting oriental flavor, add a teaspoon of sesame oil as it cooks, and to spice it up a little sprinkle of crushed red peppers. You can also add some diced carrots and/or some frozen peas.

Yeah, by the time you do the broth and the oil and the peppers it's no longer fast food... it's coming close to actual cooking... but it is still quick and easy and tastes good, too.

[Red_Dazes]

Yeah, by the time you do the broth and the oil and the peppers it's no longer fast food... it's coming close to actual cooking... but it is still quick and easy and tastes good, too.

O.O that sounds really yummy... .I may try it tonight....

[Brojekk]

I love ramen...and I'm not what you would call "poor". I like the way it tastes, and I often use it as a side dish.
I also wish there was an asian grocery store near me.:)

[Eisa]

Apparently if you use "better than bouillon" instead of the flavor packet, it's better for you AND tastes better. :D

If I called Ramen anything, it would be the college students' meal. :lol: I know waaay too many students here who subsist almost entirely on Ramen! :p

[EvilEmpryss]

Mix scrambled eggs into the drained noodles and you even have breakfast! :D

[Sapphire Silk]

There was a point in my life where I lived on Ramen noodles and PBJ.

So what? Peope shouldn't be made to feel ashamed of what they eat.

And like everyone else here, they're great as a side with Chinese food :D I make a home made sweet and sour chicken that I pour on top of the noodles.

[Pagan]

So I walked up and down the main area about 4 times before I finally asked an employee where the ramen is. Most people would assume that the ramen wold be in the Asian food aisle or where the pasta is.

I've always seen it with the soups.

On the ramen tangent... You should try fried ramen sometime....basically this.

Or try breaking it up, spreading it on a cookie sheet, stick it under the broiler, and toast it. Gives it a really nice, nutty flavor and makes it really crunchy. I usually toss it into a chef salad. Some of it on the bottom does soak up the dressing and softens, which is really tasty, too!

[lobo94]

Guy was a jerk. What is wrong with wanting to stretch one's money? Especially considering the economy is as smoked as Cheech and Chong's herb of choice?

And I like ramen. It's good, cheap, and no muss or fuss. I'm a bachelor cook, need I say more? :)

[teh_blumchenkinder]

There's more than a few cookbooks out there with ramen as a central point. In fact, my roomie has one. I might very well try some of these recipes at some point... 'specially the toasted noodles one.

[chainedbarista]

what you eat is your choice; he needs a lesson in keeping his yap shut, mabye a chat with the lead/manager might school him?

in art school, i lived on box mac and cheese and tuna...mmm. :(

[NorthernZel]

Hm, over here dried noodles are easy and cheap to buy (even cheaper than ramen). My store carries a sort where you either can cook them in broth if you like the ramen style (big pack of noodles + pack of broth cubes = meals half the price of ready-made ramen) or just pour some boiling water over them and let set for 5 minutes, and you have a great side for a stir-fry dish.

[Naaman]

There's more than a few cookbooks out there with ramen as a central point.

Personally I'd recommend the "Wagamama, Ways with Noodles (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=wagamama&x=0&y=0)" cookbook. Comprehensive and simple recipes :)

[Sarah Valentine]

That guy was an ass, he shouldn't have said what he did.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Heh heh, ramen was my dinner tonight. Bought a cup o' noodles at the hotel for a buck and heated it up.

Probably relatively healthy compared to some of the stuff I've been putting into my body on this vacation too.

[Whiskey]

Heh heh, ramen was my dinner tonight. Bought a cup o' noodles at the hotel for a buck and heated it up.

Probably relatively healthy compared to some of the stuff I've been putting into my body on this vacation too.

heh


heh


ill cup your noodles.


heh.

[PepperElf]

well i like ramen but... i like the real stuff vs the dried packages.
mmmm wish there was a ramen place around here. that'd be nice.

[Lachrymose]

heh


heh


ill cup your noodles.


heh.

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/5235/56b39236e5504593a1bd750.jpg

[Flying Grype]

Bastard! So he's never been poor (working in a supermarket?) and he's never experienced the joy of ramen. :cry:

Here's my student standby meal, a.k.a. white girl's hot pot:

1) Put the flavour packet in a pot with more water than the flavour packet suggests. Heat it with a lid on.

2) When it starts to boil, add veggies. Bok choi, kale, and rapini are nice green things that cook pretty fast.

3) After they've been in there a few minutes add the noodles.

4) When the noodles are almost done, either scramble an egg and stir it in so that you have something like egg flower soup, or just break a whole egg in on top of the noodles and let the white cook solid (and take it off the heat early enough that the yolk is still soft -- yum!).

[Sarah Valentine]

ill cup your noodles.

You mean he has more than one? :p

[BarbieGirl]

My SIL makes an awesome Asian Chicken Salad with ramen. She just breaks the noodles all up and toasts them on the stove, I'm not sure if she uses an oil or not. She also toasts some almonds and I think she uses cabbage, But boy is it yummy!! When I was preggo ramen soup was about the only thing I could keep down, so I was always stocking up on it.

[Amina516]

OP, i also vote for informing a supervisor. But it sounds like youve had issues with the store in the past, so IDK how effective that would be.

Seriously, I could be a millionaire and ID STILL buy Ramen.

[Magpie]

(get 'em at an Asian grocery store for less than a buck for 2 necks & 2 backs)

You're being overcharged. With Canadian chicken prices I can get them at the regular market for 2-3 entire carcasses for about $2.25. That's the organic, free-range place. If I go to the market in Toronto it's $1 for a bag, normally 3-4 carcasses (smaller ones) in it. ETA: nevermind, I just realised that you don't have as many chicken farms out west, so our poultry prices to you, are probably like the US poultry prices are to us. :p

4) When the noodles are almost done, either scramble an egg and stir it in so that you have something like egg flower soup, or just break a whole egg in on top of the noodles and let the white cook solid (and take it off the heat early enough that the yolk is still soft -- yum!).

Is egg flower soup like egg drop soup? Or is this some new sort of deliciousness that I need to learn about?

[lupo pazzesco]

I think they're the same, Magpie.

I've never been a huge fan of ramen, since I was practically raised on the stuff, and the flavor packets make me ill...but all these suggestions for what to do with the noodles other than the actual soup have me intrigued!

[Pagan]

Speaking of cooking with ramen. I was at a potluck yesterday and somebody brought a dish made with broken up ramen, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, and a little shredded cabbage with some sort of dressing. It was delicious!

That little boy don't know what he's missin'. Hell, I think I remember some of the big stars on Food Network cooking with 'em!

teh_blumchenkinder - Do you happen to know the name of the cookbook your roommate has?

[C. Cecil Ivanish]

Report him to his supervisor, thats ridiculously rude.Agreeing here.I use ramen for my chinese cooking because they're cheap and easy....and actually not bad at all.

[telecom_goddess]

My youngest daughter is a nut for Ramen....loves it. I like the creamy chicken flavor and usually add stuff to it to make it taste more interesting. Soy sauce, just a little, is good to add too.

[MoonCat]

I love Ramen noodles! Chicken mushroom flavor...yummm. They used to have a Tomato flavor that I can't find anymore. :( I tried to approximate it by throwing in some cup-a-soup tomato soup powder. It wasn't bad.

Ramen noodles are great as a side dish with roast chicken and peaches. I love fruit with chicken. :p

[zombiequeen]

I seriously lived off ramen for the longest time because it's soooo tasty.
I've used the noodles for making soups, and then used the flavoring packets when I make mashed potatoes, if there's no gravy around. :D

I'll buy and eat ramen until I die, no matter how rich or poor I might be. It's quick, easy to make, and not hard to digest.

[Cat]

I just stocked up on ramen.....right now I am having it with soy sauce and hot sauce (will give the soup packet to my bf) but thinking of making it with veggie broth :)


In college....I always stocked up....every trip to the store, bout a few bucks worth. My roomates laughed at me...until we got snowed in :)

[Pagan]

They used to have a Tomato flavor that I can't find anymore. :(

I had completely forgotten about that flavor. That was good!

And guess what I'm having for dinner tonight?! Easy salad to throw together and I don't (for once) really feel like cooking.

[Food Lady]

Everyone's recipes sound good, and cheap. Maybe I will try ramen again. I am afraid I may have issues with digesting it though--all that white flour.

[thansal]

On the ramen tangent... You should try fried ramen sometime....basically this.

Cook the noodles in plain water till they are just starting to get soft (you want to be able to pick them up in a square still), remove ramen and place into a wok or skillet with a little bit of peanut oil and your favorite veggies...I like zucchini, carrot and water chestnuts ((you can use regular oil but the peanut or sesame oil add a TON of yummy flavor)). Then in the pan you used to cook the ramen keep just enough water so you have about a cup or less (per flavor packetie goodness) and make a thick sauce. Add that to the wok and fry it all up till the juice is almost gone.


.....seriously yummy.... if you feel adventurous you can ditch the flavor packets and go for actual broth instead... but I normally stick with the packets cause it is cheaper.

^_^ Sorry, figured if we were talking about ramen and cheep food I'd throw it out there, because plain ramen gets old after a while. :D

That, except I'm lazy and go the cornstach path to thicken the 'broth' into your traditional Chinese takeout consistency :P.

My traditional additions to ramen are frozen peas and corn (only frozen veggies I eat, but I love them dearly). If I have it I toss in some bok choy (Chinese Cabbage).

As for where to get it? Well, I have it easy, in the store I get them in, it's in the instant noodle section. I <3 having a 24hr market run by Asians.

[TelephoneAngel]

I think this what we call "supernoodles" I love the barbecue beef flvour, makes a meal on its own.But I have heard that the flavouring packet has a lot of salt in it.I have also packets of chicken curry flavour, and prawn flavour in mycupboards - about a dozen packs, useful if there is nothing else to eat.

[Lachrymose]

This thread prompted me to buy a couple packs of Top Ramen this week. Mmmmm....:D