When you say 'ramen' in Korea, you usually mean instant ramen. Korea is one of the countries that consume a lot of instant ramen. It is said that they ate an average of 73 ramen per person in 2022. This is equivalent to eating ramen once every five days. Even in Korean dramas, you can often see scenes of eating ramen.
So, why do Koreans often eat ramen?
One of the reasons ramen is so popular is probably because it is so easy to make. Anyone can easily eat ramen simply by boiling water. There are many other foods, but ramen is loved as a menu that can be easily prepared.
A scene that can often be seen in dramas comes out when the wife leaves the house and the husband, who cannot cook, has to eat only ramen for several days. To him, ramen is regarded as a food that takes the place of his wife, and it has a special meaning in their story.
At that time, rice was scarce and many people were starving. Jeon Yong-woon, who established the first ramen factory in Korea, said he did not raise the price so that people without money could easily eat it. As a result, ramen has become a food that people who are suffering are grateful for.
These days, ramen is also used in a slightly different sense. In a drama, when a young man and a woman say "Do you want to go eat ramen?" in front of their house, it means they want to spend time together. Of course, there are people who just eat ramen, such as Miso Kim and Youngjun Lee in What's Wrong With Secretary Kim.
As Korean society has changed rapidly, the meaning of ramen has also changed. Grandma and grandpa will remember the days when they used to fill their stomachs with instant noodles. Some people will recall times when they were busy working without even having time to eat. There is also a story about a father whose child goes abroad to study and who is lonely eating ramen alone. And some will remember the moment when their heart raced while eating ramen with their loved ones. In this way, ramen is not just a food, but a food that fills the stomach and soothes loneliness. Ramen is not just ramen, it has a special meaning.
