“We understand the noodle better than anyone,” is the promise of Nissin Foods, one of the makers of ramen noodles. While I’m sure they do understand the noodle, I personally believe no one understands ramen noodles better than college students.
The other day, I was talking to my older brother, John Foli, about ramen noodles. As a recently graduated ETSU student, he can recall many instances when these noodles were the meal of choice. As many college students know, eating ramen noodles can become a monotonous part of your daily routine. Sometimes it takes a little creativity to spice up this dish and make it more enjoyable. I asked my brother if there are any methods he learned on how to spice up these meals. “Sometimes I use the stray mac and cheese powder. Sometimes I use Lowery’s seasoning with a bit of pepper. Other times we used whatever we could find to mix in! Once we cooked about 10 packs, fried some beef, threw in some cheese, and crumbled Doritos on it! Dang that was good!” he said. It was basically Hamburger Helper on a college student’s budget.
This made me slightly curious, and I began asking different students around ETSU what they like to mix in with their ramen noodles. Josh Grooms likes “mixing two kinds together, like beef and shrimp. Or drain all the water out and mix shredded beef jerky in with them.” Eric Hickman said he likes to use “salt, seasoned salt, and a little bit of Texas Pete.” Austin Carter likes to eat his like soup by “adding the powder and then dishing the pot, leaving the juice just like its chicken noodle soup.” Other people have told me they like to mix in spaghetti sauce, making a cheaper spaghetti dinner.
Most people like to add cheese to their noodles and I’ve even heard people say that they add cayenne pepper. Chili is another alternative to simply adding the flavor packets that come with the noodles. For a somewhat healthier alternative, try adding a can of mixed vegetables. Get creative with your ramen! Don’t be afraid to try something new. For 14 cents a pack, if it tastes awful you can just discard it and start again.
What makes ramen noodles so popular? The price at most regular grocery stores is usually around 14 cents. In a world full of young adults who rarely ever have any substantial amount of money to their names, 14 cents for a meal is affordable.
This meal is also quick and easy to prepare. In five minutes you can have a meal ready to eat, which leaves more time to fulfill all of the other tasks college students are faced with on a daily basis. While I don’t recommend eating ramen noodles for every meal, many students come close to doing that. Convenience is probably the top reason why college students are the primary consumers of these noodles. What college student has time to cook a full, nutritionally balanced meal?
I’ve learned that with some creativity, eating ramen noodles can be less of a drag. In our spoiled society, we are used to having a wide array of options. ramen noodles may appear to be limited in tasty selections, but with a little ingenuity, it can become something you no longer dread to eat.

Author