7 Types of Korean Ramyeon(라면)

ahhhh Ramyeon. How can you come to Korea and not sample this mainstay of the Korean diet. My students tear into packages of Ramyeon like hungry lions munching down on a hapless gazelle. During our trip to the States last year, Jaeyoun's sister in California supplied us with a suitcase of Korean food to take back to Mississippi. About 75% of said suitcase contained Ramyeon. If you look around closely at Incheon Airport, you will see boxes and boxes of Ramyeon accompanying a large percentage of the Korean travelers. They can't live without their "Dear Noodles". After living here for almost 3 years, I am falling into their ranks. I no longer look for a bag of chips or a hamburger when I need a snack. You can even create Ramyeon art. or you can check out the Ramyeon blog actually the ramen blog. It mostly covers Japanese Ramen. I also found this one. He has been blogging since 1997, so I haven't had time to look at the whole site, but it does look interesting.

I remember being broke in University and buying the stuff by the caseload and I hated it. There was no flavor to the Ramen in the States. I got to Korea and love the stuff. I tell people back home that I eat Ramyeon all the time and I they are generally worried that I don't have enough money and have reverted back to University mode. You just don't know what you are missing.



Here is a list of the Ramyeon that I normally eat. I have concentrated on Cup Ramyeon or the instant variety. I usually add Ddeok/ricecake (떡) or mandoo(만두)to my instant noodles. I sometimes even add a combination of Ddeok, mandoo, and Kimchi.

1. Shin Ramyeon-Spicy This is the one that I keep in stock. They have a version that I just saw with Shin Ramyeon plus kimchi. It was ok, but not as good as the original.

2. Jin Ramyeon-Very Spicy (First timers have water ready) This is the one that my students usually say is their favorite.

3. Kimchi Ramyeon- Usually not too spicy. This one contains the mainstay of Korean food. kimchi. The kimchi that comes with this variety is dried. I usually just add real kimchi to one of the other brands.

4. Raccoon Ramyeon-Spicy. Don't worry! It doesn't contain raccon, but the brand name is
너구리 which is Raccoon.

5. Bibim Myeon-served cold. Usually pretty spicy. I used to hate this, but it has grown on me like all Korean food.

6. Jajang Myeon- This is Koreanized Chinese food. You usually eat the real version with sweet and sour pork/chicken. I like the real version better than the cup version. The cup variety taste like tires, not that I go around eating tires, but you get the picture.

7. Seafood Ramyeon- I stay away from this one too, but others love it. A little too shrimpy for me.

I couldn't talk about Ramyeon without mentioning Busha-Busha. Busha-Busha is Ramyeon that is eaten uncooked. Just sprinkle the spicy powder on top and eat from the bag. My students eat it like potato chips and it is usually super spicy. I have had more than one student, get the stuff in their eyes after they have eaten this. I have never seen a child cry that much. I thought we were going to have to call 119.

Not only are there tons of brands out there they are incredible cheap and for those of us who can't cook they make an easy meal.

I got the water boiling now!

Next Week's Topic: 7 Things I don't miss about America