Ramen Omen

“Society is a joint-stock company, in which the members agree, for the better security of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater.”
Emerson, 1841

Artificial, Synthetic, Man made…
When did consumer goods move from the real thing to the imitation? Leather to pleather or cotton to polyester: Is the new product ever better than the original? The need to recreate materials, makes sense from a business perspective… why not use plastic to recreate the sensation of cotton if it saves time and money? Though there is always the question of what really is at stake… by creating a capitalist solution, what problem is traded for instead?

When it comes to food, the very nourishment we need to keep us running smoothly, you would think this is one area of playing god that humans would leave alone. Other than genetically altering plants and animals to maximize production, much of our food is filled with artificial flavorings, colorings, and preservatives. In class we had a lovely little test called “Know Your Ingredients.” Surprisingly I did quite well … remember that saying: What you don’t know won’t kill you! Is that so? Ignore disodium insoinate, disodium guanylate, tripolyphosphate and hey chives and garlic, ingredients I know!

So with the knowledge of unknown ingredients, the whole class was presented with the challenge of consuming a cup of ramen. For me it began as a challenge, but my stomach grumbled and it was all over; I consumed every last inch of noodle and sipped the broth down to its last neon yellow drip! The taste was salty and I felt that the more slurps I took of the broth, the more I wanted, also a sense of numbing on my tongue which sublimely sent messages that I had to try more to get to the “true” taste. Afterwards, my stomach felt bloated, my head dizzy from MSG sensitivity and my mouth felt coated with something foreign.

I have had ramen and numerous variants of the instant noodle throughout my years, but for some reason every time I eat this tasty treat, I succumb as if having it for the first time and seem to forget the uncomfortable after affects. This makes me think that the illegible ingredients are ones in which addictive qualities lie. Perhaps the MSG? However, as we talked in class, there are possible other factors that contribute to the allure of commodified taste: possibly created by advertising, convenience and history all wrapped up with taste.