How to Eat Ramen in Japan
In Japan, eating ramen is almost a hell of a religious experience.
You sit, taste the taste, and suddenly you are talking to God Himself.
I’ve loved ramen all my life. I grew up on all sorts of noodles: udon, soba, noodles. Ramen, however, remained my favorite dish until adulthood – why eat anything else when you can put a warm plate of broth, meat and noodles in front of you?
When I first visited Tokyo almost four years ago, yes, I fell in love with the public transportation system that makes the New York subway look even more like the bottom of a junkyard. I fell in love with people who are always kind and ready to play a trick on an annoying American tourist with little knowledge of the language. And, of course, I fell hard due to the sudden appearance of ramen around me.
During my trip to Tokyo for Lifehacker, I had the opportunity to spend the day with Frank Strigl of 5AM Ramen , a Japanese ramen expert. Born and raised in Tokyo, he has eaten thousands of plates of ramen in his life (!), And I wanted him to teach me the basics of eating ramen in a country where a simple order can seem delicate. dance. Sipping rough? How to place an order at the ticket machine? What is tonkotsu?
During lunch, I learned the ins and outs of ordering ramen in Japan – here are the answers to all of those questions, so your first trip to a ramen store in Tokyo will go smoothly.
What is ramen?
Well, this is a noodle soup dish imported from China . It is usually very inexpensive, widely available, and customizable, at least in Japan. Its key elements include wheat flour in the form of noodles, salt and kansui, or alkaline water – this water separates ramen from soba and udon.
There are four main types of ramen, which are categorized according to their container or mechanism of taste and the main seasoning agent in the ramen: miso (soybean broth), shoyu (soy sauce broth), shio (salt-based broth. ) and tonkotsu (pork bone broth).
Perhaps you are best familiar with miso as with miso soup, and this is a good place for a beginner, ”Strigl said. It is made from a fermented bean paste and has a brown, thick broth. During our lunch, I chose shio, which is lighter and saltier than your regular ramen. As you might have guessed, Shoyu tastes more like soy sauce. Tonkotsu, the thickest and mildest of all, is made by boiling pork and bones for several hours.
Yes, there are many other types. (This is far from an exhaustive list.) Tsukemen, for example, is a type of ramen in which the noodles are separated from the broth and you dip the noodles. Parts of Japan also have their own regional ramen style. But if you’re in a store and don’t know what to order, you can usually count on one or two types.
If you need a little more information when ordering, here’s a good tip : a thicker colorful broth (like tonkotsu) usually contains more calories, and if the broth is lighter, it usually has more sodium (like shio). Personally, I prefer tonkotsu as I prefer thick broth, although I really like salty shio.
Noodles also differ in at least a hundred different ways, depending on characteristics such as wavy or straight, round or square, thickness and water absorption. Strigl mentioned that many ramen shops in Tokyo don’t make noodles themselves. Instead, they outsource them to noodle companies who create them based on the wishes of a particular store. You can find a store that allows you to personalize your noodles, which we will refer to in a second. (Ichiran, a popular chain store in Japan making its way to New York, does this – I prefer thick crusty noodles or al dente.)
What about the filling?
The filling is very important for the ramen. There are many options, including chasu (fried or boiled pork), nori (seaweed), tamago (egg), kamaboko (steamed fish pie), menma (bamboo shoots), bean sprouts and green onions, to name a few. …
In Japan, some stores are also starting to experiment with fillings, Strigel said. At our lunch, ramen dumplings were a staple in the store we visited, which is unique to most modern ramen. (This used to be much more common – borrowing directly from Chinese noodle soups.)
Often times, your ramen has several of these toppings, and you don’t need to ask for it. You can add whatever you want. But with replacements it can be a little more difficult. You can try replacing an item, but this is generally not the best etiquette. (Another guest of ours couldn’t eat pork, and I believe that instead of having a conversation with the restaurant, he had to order a completely new dish.)
I will go to Tokyo soon. How do I find a good ramen store?
Great question. You can of course consult any Michelin-starred ramen guide and you can’t go wrong. But if you’re on the streets of Tokyo looking for something quick, Strigl laid out one useful basic rule: In some ramen stores, you’ll see tons of photos advertising their food on the street, which is usually a red flag, he said. … (Why advertise if it’s so good?) This does not in any way mean that you found a bad ramen store, it is just a useful indicator.
For other good recommendations, you can also check out 5AM Ramen’s blog for reviews. We ate at Koushu Ichiba , which is famous for its shio and shoyu ramen and was excellent from start to finish.
How to make an order?
If you’re in a ramen store without a ticket machine, you’ll sit down at a table just like any other restaurant. Assuming you don’t speak Japanese, you can ask for the English menu and most likely they will be provided for you.
However, unlike typical restaurants, the waiters in ramen shops are extremely limited (usually one waiter and one chef). In this case, you will not be treated the way you are used to in American restaurants. To place an order, you will need to get the waiter’s attention. A simple wave is normal, it is not rude, Strigl assured me.
You can point to any dish you like if the language barrier is an issue. And the pictures on the menu are very helpful. Again, if you notice a darker broth, you are likely heading in a denser direction. If you see a cleaner broth, it will be lighter and more likely to be shio ramen.
What about those ticket machines?
Yes, the experience with ticket machines is probably very foreign, but it’s also very simple. Usually, a ramen vending machine (which looks a bit like a photo vending machine) can be seen in a shop window or right at the entrance. While this may vary from store to store, you enter yen into the machine and the buttons with photos of the ramen light up.
Here’s where it gets tricky: there won’t be any English words on the car, so all you have to do is base your decision solely on photographs. If you are suddenly faced with an existential ramen crisis, the best place to choose is the ramen in the upper left corner, according to Strigel. Why? According to him, this is usually the most popular option, so you can’t go wrong.
As Live Japan put it, when all else fails, asking for help isn’t too bad either: “Osusume o oshiete kudasai” translates to “What do you recommend?”
You can also find side dishes like gueuze or even beer in the coffee maker. Then you give the ticket to the waiter or the chef and you’re done.
Can I customize my noodles?
If you can, you will usually be given a small receipt after presenting your ticket (or when ordering from a waiter). Sometimes they have options in English and sometimes in Japanese. From experience, using Google Translate on my phone has helped a lot in deciphering the words. Otherwise, Ramen Tokyo has some helpful tips for overcoming the language barrier and highlights:
katame (固 め) – hard noodles (“al dente”), pronounced kah-tah-mayfutsu (普通) – normal or normal (the word means “ordinary”) yavarakame (柔 か め) – soft, pronounced yah-wah-rah -kah -mayfutoi (太 い) – fat (noodles) hosoi (細 い) – thin (noodles) – in places that have both, you may be asked which one you prefer
Can I have a sip?
Yes! You can. This is good etiquette, according to Strigel. In fact, this is often a compliment to the chef. Plus, it’s practical – the ramen is likely to be very hot and cool. He added that taking a sip can also enhance the flavor of the ramen itself. (It’s true! We’ve written about this before. It helps aerate both the noodles and broth, allowing for better flavor development.)
What else do I need to know so that I’m not an asshole?
First, if you’re in a crowded restaurant, it’s good etiquette to eat and leave soon after, he said. You don’t want to delay the queue.
When you’re done with the ramen, if you’re sitting at the counter, you should place a bowl on top of it as a token of courtesy.
Two other interesting key tips: do not pass food to anyone with chopsticks, and never leave the chopsticks upright in the bowl. (You will want to place them horizontally on the surface.)
Why? Believe it or not, both have a pretty interesting context. Both acts are linked to Japanese funeral and cremation services, Strigel said. For example, during a Japanese memorial service, the bones of the deceased are passed to each other using chopsticks. For this reason, passing on food is also bad form. If you’re with a friend, just pass the bowl itself.
How can I say thank you?
When your bowl is on the counter, your chopsticks are positioned horizontally on the bowl or plate, a quick thank you is always polite. Before leaving, you can quickly shout “Gochiso-sama” or thank you! They’ll appreciate the gesture – and if you really enjoyed it, returning for another plate is probably the best gesture for the chef.