I cannot live without Ramen.
Family and friends who know me always say I am the biggest Ramen junkie they ever met. Others snack on regular tidbits such as chips or cookies. I snack on Ramen. Despite my mom's zealous efforts to make me stop consuming such "garbage food," I just can't stop. In fact, there is huge box of Ramen tucked safely in the dingy darkness under my bed. I will probably reach for a packet later.
My Ramen addiction did not stop after coming to college. I initially thought the trouble of cooking my own noodles ? trudging to the kitchen at the far end of the floor and boiling a pot of water over there ? would deter me from eating it.
However, my obsession with Ramen intensified.
This means that my roommate always finds me alone in the room, gorging on a gigantic bowl of noodles, my glasses sliding slowly down the bridge of my nose while staring at the laptop screen, laughing obnoxiously at the comedic genius of some Korean variety shows. During the brief period of peaceful time when the video is buffering, I marvel at how I never seem to get tired of eating Ramen.
But I actually don't enjoy Ramen that much.
I used to eat Ramen as a food of convenience. I can't cook, and I hate munching on dry snacks like crackers to get by because my tongue feels like sandpaper afterward. I have a huge appetite, so it doesn't make sense for me to nibble on a few carrot sticks that will never fill me up.
In my opinion, Ramen is the best option for me. There is a wide selection of Ramen flavors, mostly trying to imitate popular Southeast Asian dishes like curry. This means I can easily concoct "gourmet cuisine," despite minimal and often hazardous cooking experience.I relish the feeling of hot, savory soup settling in my empty stomach. No other snacks fight hunger as easily as Ramen.
However, my motivation for eating Ramen has since changed.
Nowadays, I see Ramen as less of a food of convenience and more of a substitute for home cooking. As a college student trapped in a place far from home, I compensate for the lack of gratification from campus dining by eating Ramen, a magical product that reminds me a little of the taste of home.
As an international student from Singapore, I have a hard time adjusting to the food here. Transitioning from what I used to eat back in Singapore to what I eat now in school is a wickedly difficult process. In comparison, reconciling other differences seems a lot easier. For one, I have gotten used to the cold, harsh winter. For another, I am becoming more adept at deciphering the American accent. Trying to subsist on campus food that is a far cry from home cooking is another thing altogether.
Sometimes, spending my meal exchanges can be a struggle. I cannot decide what to eat because none of the options are actually what I want to eat.
Don't get me wrong ? I don't find campus food thatdreadful. I love the pastries from Au Bon Pain and frequent the shop almost every day. I also like to get eel rolls from Soma Sushi, although traveling to the Student Union in this horrendous weather is such a pain.
However, there are days when the aroma of chocolate croissants is not delightfully tantalizing. The generous dollops of sweet sauce on chewy eel meat taste flavorless. These are the days when I miss home cooking the most.
The air is always thick with something in Singapore. Sometimes, it is the sharp smell of rain and grass on a cool October day. On others, it is the blistering, equatorial heat. However, no matter how erratic the weather can be, one thing always remains constant: the fragrance of food that lingers in the air.
There is the zesty, spicy smell of simmering Tom Yum soup, a popular seafood soup that originated in Thailand; the light sweetness of milk tea, a mixture made from condensed milk and green tea; the refreshing scent of coconut water, poured out from young coconuts that have just been opened. The list goes on and on.
I know there is Asian cuisine on campus. I have eaten Korean Express a couple of times and have also tried Dancing Chopsticks, Bollywood Bistro and Young Chow. Some dishes are pretty good, such as Japchae - glass noodles served with marinated strips of beef - from Korean Express. However, nothing really gives me the taste of home.
Sometimes, the Crossroads Culinary Center surprises me with unexpected food. For instance, it served Thai dishes such as Tom Yum soup and Pad Thai. I like it when such dishes appear on the menu because they are a departure from the typical, trite Asian fare of fried rice and lo mein. Furthermore, they are closer to the signature taste of many Southeast Asian dishes ? piquant and flavorful.
Still, such dishes do not show up as often as I want.
So I go back to eating Ramen in the dorm room. The springy, deep-fried noodles cannot replace the scrumptiousness of home cooking. But they'll do for now.
Email: mtong3@buffalo.edu
