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The Ramen King and I: How the Inventor of Instant Noodles Fixed My Love Life
 
 
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The Ramen King and I: How the Inventor of Instant Noodles Fixed My Love Life [Hardcover]

Andy Raskin (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 7, 2009
For three days in January 2007, the most-emailed article in The New York Times was “Appreciations: Mr. Noodle,” an editorial noting the passing, at age 96, of billionaire Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant ramen. The very existence of the noodle inventor came as a shock to many, but not to Andy Raskin, who had spent nearly three years trying to meet Ando. Why?

To fix the problems that plagued his love life.

The Ramen King and I is Raskin’s memoir about how despair—and a series of bizarre adventures at Japanese restaurants—led him to confront the truth of his romantic past, and how Ando became his unlikely spiritual guide. Through letters ostensibly penned to the culinary sage, Raskin reveals a relationship history plagued by infidelity, jealousy, and betrayal. After devouring Ando’s essays (with titles such as “Peace Follows from a Full Stomach” and “Mankind is Noodlekind”), he sets out to meet the food pioneer—and to discover the secret to a committed relationship.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This funny and idiosyncratic Japanese-fast-food memoir and quasi-spiritual autobiography from NPR commentator Raskin contains at its core, despite its oddball title, a deeply human story. The author grew up on Long Island and attended Wharton business school after college, which led to an internship in Japan and a life-long connection with the country. Over the years, Raskin also got involved with a number of women, without maintaining fidelity or forming a permanent attachment. Relocation to the West Coast and numerous Internet hookups eventually led to therapy and a fellowship, where he began to accept his sexual compulsivity and met the mentor who recommended finding some form of Higher Power. Raskin's unorthodox choice of Momofuku Ando, the nonagenarian inventor of instant ramen and Nissin Food Products chairman, led to several futile attempts to contact and meet him. The result is a painfully humane and hilariously candid journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance. At first, the book's intentions aren't explicit, the structure is near confusing, and the narrator's crisis feels shallow. But the various strands eventually weave together into a satisfying whole that becomes a quirky, unique memoir. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Approaching 40 and still single, Raskin decides he needs help to figure out why he is incapable of being faithful in romantic relationships. He joins a self-help group and, guided by his mentor, begins to write a series of letters exploring his past failures. The man he chooses to address the letters to is Momofuku Ando, the creator of instant ramen noodles, who built an extremely successful empire after losing everything. Raskin’s personal journey takes him to Japan several times, as he tries to cut through endless red tape in order to meet his idol. Along the way, Raskin’s passion for Japanese food takes him to exclusive sushi restaurants with forbidding owners and a ramen restaurant that is known for the perilous nature of its cuisine. Raskin finds his answer in Ando’s philosophy and realizes that in order to quell his demons he is going to have to face them and reassess how he looks at his life. Mixing humor and raw honesty, Raskin’s introspective journey is inspiring and entertaining. --Kristine Huntley

Product Details

  • Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Gotham; First Edition edition (May 7, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1592404448
  • ISBN-13: 978-1592404445
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #984,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
A Great Literary Snack May 21, 2009
By Kat
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
The Ramen King and I is a fun, engaging read, a highly personal memoir about love, sex, and one man's relationship to...Momofuku Ando. In The Ramen King and I, American journalist Andy Raskin recounts how he made instant-ramen inventor Momofuku Ando his spiritual guide - despite never actually having met the man -- while attempting to discover why he sabotages relationships with women. Thoughout the book, Raskin is unable to maintain healthy long-term relationships with the women in his life. He juggles girlfriends on multiple continents and falls in and out of love in the time it takes to boil water for a serving of Nissin Chikin ramen.

Raskin travels to Osaka to visit the Instant Ramen Museum and hopefully meet his hero/quasi-god. Part travelogue, part mystery as he begins to uncover the secrets of Ando's life, part Japanese food porn, and part self-help, The Ramen King and I is an engaging book that made me laugh and cry at the same time. I especially enjoyed Raskin's accounts of his travels in Japan, description of Japanese Culture, and his visits to many restaurants.

I would highly recommend this book as a "fun read" for anyone who loves a little soap opera-esque drama, Japanese Culture, and food porn.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
Raskin, for me, wasn't a particularly likeable companion as he goes on a journey of self-discovery that weaves skillfully back and forth in time. What Raskin tries to discover is why he's so habitually unfaithful to his many girlfriends. The sayings and life of Momofuku Ando, the world renowned (ok, Asian renowned) inventor of instant ramen, become Raskin's higher power on his road to recovery.

But a funny thing happened in the final part of the book. Oh, I consistently enjoyed reading about Ando, and I found the asides on Japanese matters (business etiquette, food-themed manga, puns, sushi, museums devoted to ramen or gyoza, and samurai movies) fascinating and often funny. Surprisingly a revelation about Ando's life proves relevant to Raskin's plight. And Ando's Zen like sayings go from seemingly silly business platitudes or personal eccentricities to something profound and useful. They become another example of the transforming wisdom sometimes found in the unlikely places of popular culture or the lives of the eccentric.

Raskin has started an advice column using the sayings and life of Ando. That may be worth a look, and I definitely would like to see him do more Japanese related material.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
A book about a man's past relationship woes--in particular, his inability to remain faithful to women--hardly seemed like the kind of book that would interest me. Similarly, before I tried them, blocks of instant noodles w/ foil packets of spices hardly seemed like delicious--or even edible--cuisine. To my surprise, my initial judgment of both was wrong and both are quite appealing.

Raskin turns out to be a charming and skilled narrator. He draws the reader into his story quite skillfully. Before we know much about him, we are reading strangely intimate letters written to Momofuku Ando, the inventor of Instant Ramen. At first, there is no explanation, other than an apparent fascination with Japanese culture, why these letters are being written or why in the world they are addressed to Ando. Discovering the answer to this question is part of the appeal of this book. So, I will not reveal it here.

Raskin goes beyond letter-writing and begins a quest to meet Ando that involves trips to Japan and visits to the Ramen Museum. He achieves just the right balance between his personal memoir, biography of Ando, and fascinating insights into Japanese culture. What the reader is left with is a mixture of ingredients that form an entertaining and appealing whole. As with Ramen, initial impressions may generate misgivings and doubts. But, don't let these misgivings stop you from enjoying this delightful and strangely appealing read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Weird and wonderful
I really didn't know what to expect when I bought this book, and honestly, the beginning was a little disjointed, but then it all started to come together, and the end satisfyingly... Read more
Published 7 days ago by George
i would rather sit and watch ramen noodles boil
This is the most boring book I have ever read. This Andy Raskin guy is totally preoccupied with sex. The only thing that is on this guys mind is sex and sushi... Read more
Published 23 days ago by bfox
Absolutely amazing
I loved this book. I too was intrigued to find out about ando's life & I was sad to have missed it. Andy's misunderstanding of humanity is poignant & a worthy read.
Published 4 months ago by Madelynn
Foodies and Fans of Japanese Culture Will Really Enjoy This Book.
If you're Chowhound reader/contributor,a Manga fan, fascinated by Japanese culture, or all three of these things, you'll probably love this book. Read more
Published 13 months ago by T. Boone
One of a Kind ....
Believe me, this memoir is unique. In the beginning it starts out rather obliquely, Raskin, an NPR commentator, is a skillful storyteller with a penchant for Japanese food and... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Barbara Badham
Why such vitriol? A very enjoyable book by a talented author.
I was almost put off buying this book by some reviewers, who seem to consider Raskin to be pond scum. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Ma-Humorless
Andy Raskin: The Otaku King
Although being full Japanese myself, Andy Raskin probably knows more about Japanese culture than I do. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Kiyo M.
Funny and perceptive
Basically a coming-of-age story, but the author's young life is interesting if not bizarre and he writes well in a straightforward style. Read more
Published 19 months ago by John C. Campbell
Third time's the charm...
It took me three tries to get through this book, because at the beginning the author was such a lying piece of work that I couldn't stand to hear him go on. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Gen of North Coast Gardening
Meh...
I suppose I had too high expectations starting this book since I had heard good things about it, but it was tough for me to stay interested long enough to finish. Read more
Published on September 24, 2009 by DynomiteWins
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