Instant Noodle Moments
February 5th, 2007
there is something delightful and warm in the familiarity of getting up and going to the kitchen to fix myself a nice steaming hot cup of instant noodles in the middle of the night. which flavour to have, i wonder as i open the cabinets and stare at the colourful variety. i always allow myself a little bit of indecisiveness when choosing the flavour du jour. and i always savour the anticipation as i fill the little yellow cup with water, and carry it into my room, fingertips warm from the heat.
i like to have instant noodles when i’m pulling an all-nighter to finish up assignments i procrastinated too much on. the aroma of the soup, as it permeates the air, keeps me company and the sounds of slurping are comforting. setting the cup down in the northeastern regions of my desk after each bite fills me with a sense of purpose, and i can go about my procrastinated-upon work in a businesslike manner. that is, until my reserves run dry, and i need more comfort … and so i will return to my little yellow cup of noodles, and partake once again in its delicious, warm love.
sometimes when i’m lonely, i make myself some instant noodles and sit in a corner of my room to think. actually, most of the time i dont think. i just stare into space and absently eat chicken flavoured instant noodles. and when i’m done i always feel better. it’s like magic.. instant noodles are like magic.
that first forkful from the cup, as you lift it to your lips and blow the steam away, and then push it delicately into your mouth - how do you describe the fulfillment as you chew slowly and allow the flavour to disperse all over your tongue? it’s a little bit like that first kiss. i relive my first kiss with Martian everytime i have instant noodles. then i miss him so much, and i start wishing that he was here beside me to share this lovely instant noodle moment with me. if he were here, i’d sit on the kitchen counter and wrap my legs around his waist, and i’d feed him noodles from the cup. and then i’ll tell him how much i love him.
i remember so many instant noodle moments from camping trips or holidays abroad. a significant one was during that trip to corea. some of the boys had run down to the grocery store down the street in the middle of the night, and returned bearing seafood, mushroom and kimchi flavoured instant noodles. then we all sat around the vending machines, eating noodles and playing card games. another time was at melaka a few months ago - darren and i couldnt sleep, so he fixed me a cup of tomyam flavoured noodles. he was going to fix himself the same, but i yelled at him to pick a different flavour. coz 2 flavours are better than one. heehee. he eventually chose the curry-flavoured. thank you darren, for that instant noodle moment. tomyam never tasted so good.
instant noodles have got to be the most intimate food on earth. it’s more than just a 2 minute thing, or something you scarf down to keep hunger pangs at bay. it’s about running into a 7-11 in the middle of the night to buy a cup, and eating it while leaning against the counter and talking to the cashier. it’s about truth or dare games and loud laughter during slumber parties. it’s about tenderness and sharing and countertop kisses. it’s about self discovery, companionship, longing and purpose.
i love instant noodles.
52 Comments Add your own
1. calvintay | February 5th, 2007 at 7:51 am
They say that eating too much of ‘em causes your hair to fall off.
But who cares anyway. Wigs aren’t THAT expensive. =)
2. Waifon | February 5th, 2007 at 8:10 am
… =__= |||
only ah pau can come up with such a long entry about instant noodles. *kow tow*
That would be such a great publicity stunt for Maggi! You may get an ambassador contract and enjoy a lifetime supply of tom yummmm flavoured instant noodles woi!
Eh but then right, don’t la eat so much. The wax on the noodles are is pretty harmful. :D
3. songjun | February 5th, 2007 at 8:51 am
… omg u food whore.
Only u can think of these things about a cup noodle :P ahahah
4. Dr. Tan | February 5th, 2007 at 11:56 am
Its not really healthy to use the cups as a holding vessel. The heat will leech the plastic chemicals off it and you’ll eat it and die slowly.
But, what the hell, just eat lah!
5. reallybites | February 5th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
err its just a cup of instant noodle! haha :P
6. smashpOp | February 5th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
i prefer those original ones in packets
7. MichelleSY | February 5th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
That’s some food porn-esque shots you’ve got there =)
But yes, instant noodles may not be that great for your health, but that begs the question: WHY THE HECK DO THEY TASTE SO GOOOOOODDDDDD?
Damn Maggi (or Indomie). Heh.
8. miss susan | February 5th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
omg.. i totally agree, the best instant cup noodles are maggi or the korean ones.. mmmmmmm
9. bulat | February 5th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
they should have you as spokesperson LOL
10. michelle | February 5th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
have u ever tried eating maggi at ur balcony then lift up the yellow cup, shouting “maggi tor cheh!!!!!!” ala the advert?
11. vvens | February 5th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
hahaha you should be in the new tvc for maggie mee. ;p
anyway i think the Mamee instant mee is nicer :)
12. Ven | February 5th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
if u showed the brand of da cup, i’d thought this is a sponsored post :P
13. kiasu andrew | February 5th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
su ann oooo su ann.
aku di sini pun dah miss maggi mee banyak2 oi.
ey your article dah publish dah?
14. martian | February 5th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
yum yum. i love instant noodles.
15. lishun | February 5th, 2007 at 11:27 pm
as long as it’s not curry flavour, i’ll wolf it down. yum.
i have instant noodles for brekkie sometimes. hehe.
16. pinkpau | February 5th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
calvintay : it’s a risk im willing to take :P
waifon : oooh how i wish. i would gladly accept the ambassadorship!
songjun : hey u student in england, dont make so much noise.. u depend on instant noodles oso rite!
dr tan : gasp plastic fork too!
reallybites : blasphemy!! how can u say that!!! it’s like saying.. oh the fray is just another band, or oh grey’s anatomy is just another tv show. gasp how could u!
smashpop : but so mafan must put in pot, put egg and everything! then must wash the pot (the part i hate most)!
michellesy : yah indomie also. addictive stuff
miss susan : totally concur :D i wonder if there is a instant noodle fan club out there i could join. during our meetings, we’d just sit in a circle and eat instant noodles. what fun!
bulat : yah u pitch the idea to them lah :P
michelle : no! i havent even seen the advert @_@ it sounds pretty cool!
vvens : i would do their tvc for free! they wouldnt even have to pay me.. thats how much i love instant noodles, haha
ven : hehe i made sure not to show brand
kiasu andrew : alamaks yaa i forgot to mail to u. havent scanned it actually, will send to u when i’ve scanned it!
martian : then why is the peckers count higher than the instant noodle count in your pantry???
lishun : really? then u must like the green one.. chicken flavour! yes?
17. TheRealAnnonymous | February 6th, 2007 at 3:39 am
SAWADEEKHAP!
Awe man… I could really use some instant noodles wif me here right now…. =( But den again, I just had some McD! haha… here McNuggets set comes in 10 pcs also weih! And they have double-bigmac! They HAD pork burger… but for some reason its no longer in their menu =(
I went to Swenson’s earlier today… they had this offer thing going on, had 4 scoops ice cream served with fresh strawberries, kiwi and melted choc… all for 99 baht man. Thats like, RM9.90 liddat oni weih! =p wonder whuts the price in KL leh? I seldom go swenson’s… always end up in baskin robins or haagen dazs only.
18. george | February 6th, 2007 at 3:54 am
i bet you take the most vile, foulest, horrible food on earth and describe it in a way to make it seem heavenly :)
19. songjun | February 6th, 2007 at 6:36 am
haha no not really :P for example.. i just made claypot chicken rice and ABC soup for dinner
muahahah
20. alea | February 6th, 2007 at 7:30 am
anakin skywalker t-shirt! whoo. rock on!
you made maggi sounds like the most heavenly food ever. IM AN ALL CARB DIET!!! and im about to break it in 0.5 seconds from now.
T.T
21. violet | February 6th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
i love Nissin cup noodles! the spicy tom yam one! =)
22. pinkpau | February 6th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
therealanon : you go to thailand and ur eating mcd and swenson’s?? whats wrong with u!!! go and eat their street food! their banana pancakes! their meat on skewers! their mandarin orange juice! their mango sticky rice!
george : hehe ive yet to try anything vile and disgusting and feel inspired to write abt it :P
alea : wait, u mean ur on an all-carb diet, or a non-carb diet? cos if ur on all-carb, ur gonna be packing on the pounds like crazy..
violet : yeaaaa i like that one too :D
23. darkhello | February 6th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Oh, evil pinkpau, you made me go straight down to the kitchen to wolf down a cup of maggi noodles right after reading this post!!! That’s how powerful your depictions of food are…mmm
You write so sensually and descriptively. I heart heart heart your blog!!!
24. Cat-chan | February 6th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
Ah, cup noodles your comfort food, eh? I can’t eat them anymore because I’ve just discovered that I’m gluten-intolerant, so no more instant noodles for me. -.-” And not a word about all the yummy food here (like tim tams and squiggles and pods…) cause I can’t eat them now. >.
25. Boss Stewie | February 6th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
I just had a cup noodles craving last night
26. Carmen. | February 6th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
I am hungry watching you eating hot cup of instant noodle. -_-
27. alea | February 6th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
eh. i meant, non carb diet. what the chicken was i thinking. i think you brainwashed me. =(
i enjoyed my maggi, i think im fat now. hahahahahaah. hurray.
28. percy | February 6th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
aiks free advertisement for maggi….hmm anyways still prefer nissin than maggi… :P
29. TheRealAnnonymous | February 7th, 2007 at 12:57 am
Eh… thats not the only thing I ate lar okay! =P most of the stuff u mentioned i aledi makan-ed… cept i can’t find mango rice here =(
mandarin orange juice can get from my hotel b’fast buffet… so fresh, u’d have to squeeze it YOURSELF. haha… their bbq meat are all damn good laaar. I went to their market yesterday… gosh, so much food man! Think i go back confirm put on weight wan! =P Eating things that I myself don’t know what they’re called! haha…
Can’t find burnt coconut here though… been cravinig for that. Was easily attainable in Hatyai, but here i don’t see it anywhere man. Chang beer here can be bought at under 200 baht… thats like, just over 1 ringgit man! My hotel serves Singha drinking water… tot they oni made beer. haha… =P
30. wilzc | February 7th, 2007 at 1:43 am
hahahahahahah!!!
instant noodlums are not good for health mann..
packaged food arent!
especially not one that’s packed to last 10years in the cupboard!
and they taste pretty much okaaay for one your age =D
kiddo :P
but but.. once u live alone abroad, and instant noodlums are like your main food and source of heat (well ive got other ‘activities’ to keep myself warm) and energy.. u’d be dYING to have proper food for the next meal :D
ps: hullo hullo… im teh ‘I am god’ guy! :D
31. Albert Ng | February 7th, 2007 at 2:50 am
Indomee and cup noodle!
We can all afford to lose some hair anyway.
32. TheRealAnnonymous | February 7th, 2007 at 3:02 am
just noticed my mistaken… i meant Chang beer can be bought for under 20 baht.
33. Wingz | February 7th, 2007 at 4:05 am
I “heart” Maggi Mee too!!
34. Lalita | February 7th, 2007 at 7:38 am
I LUUUUUUUUUUUUURVE Maggi!!! Couldn’t have survived Uni without it - it was indeed our staple food (campus food pretty much sucked and only the guys were kind enough to go out on their motorbikes and buy us food!) - we even had an “activity” called memancing! (Getting all the last bits out at the end - aiyah, so hadduplah back then!!!)
35. Samantha | February 7th, 2007 at 9:29 am
that was beautiful. your writting is moving. I felt like you were taking the thoughts in your heart and offering them for me to listen and take hold of. you made instant noodles come alive. the way you connected your food to memories made me understand even greater why you love them.
I only wish we had as many flavors in the USA. curry-flavored sounds absolutely delicious.
36. Swee | February 7th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
nice photos! especially the first one :)
The varieties of instant noodle here in Sydney beat M’sia’s hands down. :P
37. reallybites | February 7th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
oh the fray is definitely NOT JUST ANOTHER BAND!
but a cup of instant noodle….it is just another cup of instant noodle…:P
38. KY | February 7th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
first pic looks rosak in firefox.
39. CHris | February 7th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
great photos Suann. I need to CUT down on those things. So bad for you but aiyoh soooo good!!!! Sigh…
40. wilzc | February 7th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
Albert got too much hair!
41. Flanegan | February 7th, 2007 at 8:25 pm
“Mee Maggi cepat d masak sedap d masak”
i miss eatin maggi….
42. Fadzrul | February 8th, 2007 at 12:06 am
A quiet time…just Maggi and me…
43. TheRealAnnonymous | February 8th, 2007 at 2:09 am
OMG MAN!
Lays here are damn cheap… 2 ringgit ++ oni !! =p
44. TheThinker | February 8th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
STAR WARS RULES !!!! hehehehehehe :) . . . Nice t-shirt hehehehe :)
45. Asyraf Lee | February 8th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
Instant noodles are one of the best innovations in life lah.
then again, once you already have it for more than a month because you cant afford any other food, it’s not that wonderful anymore.
46. i ling | February 9th, 2007 at 3:20 am
a post of instant noodles and you had 46 comments, RespecT!!! :) Anyways, getting back on the Cava dinner. How was it? Did you go? u’ve to tell mee! hehee
47. kristof | February 10th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
I think anything tastes good if you’re hungry. Unless you have been eating instant noodles almost everyday for 2 years
48. pinkpau | February 11th, 2007 at 4:29 am
darkhello : muahaha, eat more instant noodles! hey did calvin tell u abt lunch one of these days?
cat chan : no instant noodles?? no tim tams or pods?? OH NO u poor thing :O i eat more for u, ok? on ur behalf
boss stewie : i hope u satisfied that craving..
carmen : hehe good good :D go eat!
alea : nvm, small price to pay!
percy : i just had nissin yesterday, the last one left. maggi better =( altho nissin is more flavourful.
therealanon : oooooh their bbq meat. and their salads and crispy catfish! yumm
wilzc : for someone my age? i wonder what qualifies u to make that comment, haha. hey u dont complain so much, melbourne has nice food ok
albert ng : haha just u wait, later u get kidney stones then u know
wingz : good! kaki lang!
lalita : ah yes, instant noodles = the international student staple!
samantha : glad u like it :) it’s really a tribute to the inventor of instant noodles, who passed away recently. ooh yes the curry flavour is very good. am sure u can get it from asian supermarkets
swee : hah sure anot??
reallybites : DONT BE MEAN
ky : hmm? im using firefox and can see it fine
chris : siigh the best things in life are always unhealthy =( we should just stick to sex.
flanegan : why do u miss it? u cant have it anymore?
fadzrul : yea man perfect company
therealanon : id ask u to buy for me, but i dont like lays :P
thethinker : u noticed! haha!
asyraf : i hope the day that i get bored of instant noodles never comes :(
i ling : didnt go in the end :(
kristof : but u dont get sick of vodka do u :P
49. Albert Ng | February 12th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Haha just you wait, one day they’ll make you do a medical checkup before flying with whatever random flus have been going around.
*packs some seaweed and green tea for you*
50. maggi's fan | February 12th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Hey PinkPau,
SSince you are a big fan of Maggi mee, and with your talent i am sure you can win the RM5000 Maggi recent contest. Check it out and good luck ah :) http://www.maggi.com.my/salutesContest
51. slurp | February 15th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
yum yum…especially the 3rd pic
52. mush | February 27th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
check it check it!!! you really should upload a video on the Maggi site!!! 5k maannn…no kidding
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