Momofuku Ando, the man who invented instant ramen and founded Nissin Foods, died Friday of heart failure at 96 years of age. As any hungry cosmonaut or broke college student knows, his creation truly is a miracle food:
Ando was inspired to develop the instant noodle after coming upon a long line of people on a cold night shortly after World War II waiting to buy freshly made ramen at a black market food stall, according to Nissin. The experience convinced him that "Peace will come to the world when the people have enough to eat," it said.'
(…) In July 2005, Nissin introduced a vacuum packed instant noodle specially designed for Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi to eat during a mission aboard the U.S. space shuttle Discovery. Showcasing his Space Ram noodles, Ando said, "I'm happy I've realized my dream that noodles can go into space."
Link to Sydney Morning Herald, Link to The Age (Australia), Link to AP. See also the "Instant Ramen Invention Story" animation Todd Lappin points to on his blog: Link.
(Thanks, Vorn, Mr. Lim, John Parres)
Previously on BB:
