chinese onion flavor!

i will now take this time to make a non-recipe post (suggestion post?)

how do people feel about ramen in general in the western world? i grew up with ramen so sometimes i feel like it is truly a legitimate cuisine or a valid culinary adventure anyhow. in the grocery stores here in chicago and i imagine in much of the united states, you get a bunch of nissin cup of noodle type ramens which are FINE. not great, not super good, but fine if you are hungry and looking to eat on the cheap. i have seen those thai kitchen instant noodles or the korean shin ramyun stuff around and i like those. but other than that, not much of a selection. in asia, however, (taiwan, japan, korea etc) the ramen isle is almost daunting. almost too many brands and flavors to choose from. potato noodles? yakisoba? udon? curry? seafood? dehydrated fried tofu and fish cakes? other mysterious flavors in explicable asian writing? yum! (maybe its just me?).


but my favorite and my favorite for a very long time now is CHINESE ONION FlAVOR! it is a thin rice vermicelli in an onion soup. it comes with flavor packet and another packet with oil and brown (caramelized?) chinese onions. the flavor is really authentic taiwanese. it smells a little funny but the taste is really simple. rich and all around quite satisfying. kind of like stinky tofu? i got these in chinatown for only about 50 cents each! i like it with some baby bok choy, fish cakes, fish balls, dumplings, and really just about anything you can think of putting in there (that is edible of course). the packaging is modest, just like the food and its price. grassroots and of the people!

look for this and other ramens next time you are in an asian grocery store (or asia). time for adventure and friendly hugs!




love,
debbie carlos

p.s. i use a lot of parenthesis. (bad habit?)