The Pros and Cons of Ramen Noodles

Anybody who has ever needed to purchase an entire meal with only 70 cents in his pocket is probably familiar with one of the most inexpensive foods ever produced: Ramen Noodles. Depending on the store, a single packet of Ramen noodles will cost between 20 and 45 cents. If purchased in bulk, the price of a single packet can go as low as 15 cents. It can, quite literally, be purchased with money found beneath the couch cushions. Or, if you've already cleaned out the cushions, in the store parking lot.

Although Ramen Noodles are cheaper than the propane it takes to cook them on your stove, they are also quite remarkable, as they can be quite tasty. The method Maruchan, the company which produces this wonderful bargain-basement item, employs to make them palatable is quite simple. It takes a food which couldn't possibly be offensive to the taste buds­­-plain noodles-and accompanies them with a packet of seasoning containing a maximum dose of the two elements that American consumers always crave: Sodium and MSG. After the noodles are boiled, the seasoning added in and stirred, the result is a noodle and broth soup that even the most refined food connoisseur would be unable to deny as being flavorful. Not good perhaps, but flavorful.