1st Post: Opening the Package

            Ramen is easy to make.  It’s a simple process, only requiring hot water and three minutes.  With this convenience and its inexpensive price, many people eat it just as a meal.  But there is so much potential to make it better.  As a college student myself, I keep a large stock of ramen in my room to eat at a moment’s notice.  With my hot water kettle, I can make ramen within three minutes. Frankly, it’s just too easy to make now.  Thus, I eat it frequently due to my constant hunger and its affordability.  Unfortunately, it’s not a good source of nutrients (unless you count the 64% of dietary needs in sodium) nor does it taste as good after eating it countless times.  There must be something that can be done to easily change its appeal. 

            My name is Matt, and I’m a student at Santa Clara University in California.  I enjoy eating, as I’m curious and am willing to try anything.  At the same time, I’m a bit of a critic when it comes to the food.   But ever since I came to college, to no surprise, I’ve had to lower my standards.  My cafeteria provides a variety of meals, specializing in a different dish most nights.  But it’s not as good as home cooked meals.  I was spoiled growing up.  My mother is Japanese and can cook authentic ramen among other delicious dishes, but she has spent enough time within the U.S. that she has incorporated different cultures into the food she cooks.  With this, I grew up eating a mixture of delicious meals, which would encourage me to go for seconds.  Now I continue to eat a significant amount of food, something that is just fairly common among young guys.   A drawback of the cafeteria at Santa Clara is we are limited to a certain number of dining points. I run out rather quickly.   I’ve turned to going to Costco and buying in bulk.  There are a few items that I can eat in between classes, and Top Ramen has become my number one snack.  Sadly, I’ve grown tired of it.  Five months into college, I’ve had enough. 

            I’m on a search for a solution: to make ramen a different way.  I have an abundant supply.  All I need is a new recipe, something to add to it.   It must be tasty, inexpensive, quick, and easy to make considering, I’m living in a college dorm.  Thus, when I say it must be “easy to make,” I really mean it cannot require too much preparation because I’m severely limited in what I can cook as I don’t have a fridge nor is the kitchen here equipped very well.  There is a kitchen on every floor in my building, with each not having much more than basic utensils, pots, and cookie sheets.  Working with that, I also am a full-time student with a part-time job, and along with playing rugby.  One of my jobs is a cashier in the cafeteria here on campus.  It’s only twice a week but the best part is I get to take some food home with me, which helps my vanishing meal points.  I also work in a lab as a research assistant to my biology professor, where we are observing the cellular components of plant growth. The rugby team here at school is technically a club sport, but has four-practices a week, games on the weekend, and an expectation that we go to the gym daily, making it seem far more serious.  Therefore, I don’t have much time in between classes nor my extra activities to make a meal that requires preparation.  So the recipes I make must be quick.  Most of all, I’m cheap.  I don’t have much money to splurge on fresh ingredients or food in general.  But at the same time, my food must taste delicious.  With all these factors, I’m searching the web for recipes as well as tweaking them to my liking.   In this blog, I will narrate my time spent looking for and cooking recipes involving ramen.  Over the next few weeks, I will make a couple different dinners, possibly a soup or stir-fry of sorts, a snack, and a dessert.  If I follow my criteria of making the food quick, cheap, and delicious, then in the future I will be able to freely make these meals.  Be sure to keep an open mind to the recipes, as we’ll find out for the next few weeks how much better ramen can get.