The history of instant noodles 方便面的前世今生

方便面是世界上最成功的工业化食品之一。这种食品为什么如此受人欢迎？它是如何被发明的？又是什么让它火遍全球，成为了既省时又省钱的首选方便食品？本期节目讨论方便面的前世今生。

词汇：food 食物

What do a student in China, an office worker in the UK and an astronaut in space all have in common? They all eat instant noodles. And they're not alone – over 100 billion servings of instant noodles are consumed globally each year, making them one of the world's most successful industrial foods. But how did this happen?

Put simply, they're cheap to produce and cheap to buy, which was exactly what their creator intended. Momofuku Ando, a Japanese entrepreneur¹, spent a year perfecting the recipe just after the Second World War. He wanted to make something similar to traditional Japanese ramen noodles, while using the wheat flour given to Japan as food aid by the US government. His creation was instantly popular, playing a part in Japan's post-war economic rise. Even in the year 2000 – according to a poll² by the Fuji Research Institute – instant noodles were voted Japan's most successful invention, ahead of high-speed trains, laptops and karaoke.

But Japanese people are not alone in their devotion to instant noodles. According to the World's Instant Noodles Association, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and India – in that order – all consumed more instant noodles than Japan in 2021. Instant noodles' popularity³ abroad is in part due to how easy they are to adapt to local tastes. In Thailand, for example, you can get green curry⁴ flavour, while in Mexico the noodles are garnished with lime and salsa. And it seems that consumers have grown to expect innovation. Nissin, the food company founded by Ando, launches over 300 products yearly, just in Japan, according to employee Kasura Suzuki.

Instant noodles have their critics, too. Their rise in popularity has come at an environmental cost – they're made with palm oil, contributing to deforestation, and their packaging is plastic. And while they are a hot, tasty and filling meal, instant noodles don't have much nutritional value, and include high levels of salt and fat. Nevertheless, instant noodles are undoubtedly lifesavers in emergency or extreme situations.

More than 60 years after their invention, instant noodles have become the default food for anyone short on money, time, or even a kitchen.

词汇表

serving （供一人食用的）一份
consume （大量地）吃，吃掉
industrial foods 工业化食品，经大规模生产和加工制成的食品
creator 发明者
wheat flour 小麦粉
food aid 食品援助
creation 创造物
economic rise 经济增长
invention 发明
devotion to 对…的热爱、热衷
adapt 改变以适应
taste (n) 口味
green curry flavour 青咖喱口味
garnish with 在（食物）上加（饰菜）
salsa 萨尔萨辣酱（洋葱、番茄和辣椒制成的辣味调汁）
consumer 消费者
innovation 创新
launch 推出
come at a cost 有代价的
palm oil 棕榈油
filling 容易填饱肚子的
nutritional value 营养价值
lifesaver 救星，能救急的事物
default 首选，默认的选择