The Instant Noodle Story.....
It was there, in 1958, that Momofuku Ando, a food industry executive who was appalled by the starvation he had witnessed in post-war Japan, boiled a batch of fresh noodles, fried them in palm oil and left them to dry into a solid brick: the cup noodle was born!

That year, his firm Nissin sold 13 million packets for 35 yen each at a time when the average monthly salary was 13,000 yen and fresh noodles were six times cheaper. But by 1970, annual sales had soared to 3.6 billion!!!!

The story of the Japan's "noodle king"
Momofuku Ando was born in Japanese-ruled Taiwan in 1910. He founded the predecessor to Nissin in 1948 and invented chicken ramen, the world's first instant noodles, at his home 10 years later. Noodles in a cup appeared in the early 12970s and now account for the bulk of Nissin's global sales.

NB: To the Japanese, the "cup noodle" isn't just a quick and easy snack - it is a cultural icon!

Mr. Ando, who retired as Nissin chairman last year, is the father of the instant noodle and is considered a national hero in Japan. WOW!

His quest to develop a quick and easy snack was inspired by the poverty he witnessed after Japan's defeat in the war, when people queued for hours outside ramen stalls.

"I invented instant noodles.... because I could imagine how happy people would be if I delivered ramen they could eat any time, anywhere, and safely. It was as simple as that," he said.

Wow! (*in awe*)