Today’s mug celebrates my deep devotion to that most delicious variety of noodle soup – the one and only ramen! When I saw this adorably punny mug at my local Chapters, I just couldn’t resist it, and it is the most recent addition to my collection.
My partner and I have been to Japan three times, and we’ve explored and eaten our way pretty much from tip to tail. Ramen is a national passion, and each region in the country has its own take on the dish. My personal favourite ramen styles are the Sapporo and
Hakata ramen styles, which just happen to originate in the northernmost (Hokkaido) and southernmost (Kyushu) of Japan’s main islands. Sapporo style ramen uses a miso-based broth that’s flavoured with robust red miso paste, or akamiso. Hakata style ramen, on the other hand, uses a rich, intensely flavorful pork-based tonkatsu broth. I’m drooling just thinking about that salty goodness!
One of my favourite memories from my time spent in Japan is being crammed cheek by jowl in a tiny plastic tent, sitting on a wobbly chair leaned against a well-worn counter top, slurping up steaming hot bowls of ramen by the river in Fukuoka. The other diners in the makeshift eatery were fascinated by the foreigners in their midst (it was the middle of winter, after all, and there weren’t a lot of tourists around), and our rudimentary Japanese was the source of much merriment, most of it at our expense! The ramen was incredible, the scenery was lovely, the company was delightful, and it all made for an evening I will never forget. I’ve actually written about my love of Fukuoka before on the blog, if you’d like to read more about my experience exploring this lovely city.
So while I did not purchase this mug in Japan (though I do have a couple from Japan that I will be sharing later on in this series), I can’t help but smile every time I pull it out of the cupboard.
Do you have a favourite kind of noodle soup?