logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2022
33m 30s

Instant Noodles Changed The World, Part ...

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

As Momofuku Ando's instant noodles take Japan by storm, he sets his sights on the global horizon. In part two of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the expansion of instant noodles into the United States, the rest of the planet -- and, eventually, space.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Yesterday
CLASSIC: That Time Ohio and Michigan Almost Went To War
In this week's Classic episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore how a misunderstanding of the geography of the Great Lakes started a feud, known as the Toledo War, between the state of Ohio and a territory called Michigan. Tune in to Ridiculous History to hear how the conflict between ... Show More
34m 37s
Jul 16
The Ridiculously Inspiring Story of Free Public Restrooms, Part Two: The Rise of CEPTIA
In this week's Classic episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore how a misunderstanding of the geography of the Great Lakes started a feud, known as the Toledo War, between the state of Ohio and a territory called Michigan. Tune in to Ridiculous History to hear how the conflict between ... Show More
33m 15s
Jul 15
The Ridiculously Inspiring Story of Free Public Restrooms, Part One: Everyone Has To Poop
Today a great many people in the United States take free toilets for granted. Yet, as Ben, Noel and Max discover in the first part of this two-part episode, there was a long -- and ridiculous -- road from the origin of public toilets to the free facilities we enjoy today. Tune in ... Show More
36m 30s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2025
🍜 Instant Ramen: The Incredible, True Story of “Mr. Noodle” | 44
It’s postwar Japan, and entrepreneur Momofuku Ando has lost everything—his business, his home, and his savings. In fact, the whole country has been ravaged by air raids, and people are hungry. But when he stops at a black-market noodle stall and watches desperate people line up f ... Show More
41m 41s
Sep 2013
Noodle narratives; British men dancing Capoeira
Noodle narratives - Laurie Taylor talks to US anthropologist, Deborah Gewertz, about the invention, production and consumption of instant ramen noodles. From their origins in Japan to their worldwide spread to markets as diverse as the USA and Papua New Guinea. As popular with th ... Show More
28m 11s
Aug 2021
Fast Food Conspiracies, Part 2: A Frightening Combo of Money, Food and Scale
<p>Fast food restaurants have spread across the globe -- and this industry's effect goes far beyond convenient fries or refillable soda. In the second part of this two-part series,</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com">http ... Show More
48m 43s
Feb 2023
Instant Noodles
In the year 2000 Japan was asked what its greatest invention of the twentieth century was. They had a LOT to choose from. The Walkman. The bullet train. Digital Cameras. Pokemon. But the winner was Instant Noodles.Today Dallas learns about Momofuku Ando, the inventor-cum-tax-evad ... Show More
30m 3s
Aug 2023
Noodles: The World's Convenience Food
Nissin Chikin Ramen (日清チキンラーメン), the first marketed brand of instant noodles, launched in Japan on 25th August, 1958. The product was created by Momofuku Ando, who developed the production method of flash frying noodles after they had been made, thereby drying them and extending ... Show More
12m 3s
Dec 2022
Food
<p>Stories about the history of food, including the creation of ciabatta bread by a rally driver in Italy in 1982 and the Maltese bakers' strike in 1977.</p><p>Also, the invention of instant noodles in Japan, the start of the Slow Food Movement in Rome and the creation of Chicken ... Show More
49m 58s
Oct 2023
Japanese culinary soft power
We explore the world of Japanese cuisine and its role in boosting the nation’s profile around the globe. Monica Lillis sits down with London-based saké sommelier Erika Haigh and Monocle’s Copenhagen correspondent, Michael Booth, meets Mads Battefeld of Sushi Anaba. Plus: Gregory ... Show More
36m 33s
Sep 2025
MBA2680 Business Breakdowns: Cup Noodles - How One Man's Simple Idea Became a $40 Billion Empire
<p>How does a humble cup of noodles become a global icon and a multi-billion dollar brand? The story behind Cup Noodles is packed with unexpected lessons, and this episode uncovers the business brilliance that made it happen.<br /><br />This is a special Business Breakdown episod ... Show More
11m 38s
Sep 2023
We'd Like to Teach The World to Slurp: The Weird and Wonderful Story of Ramen's Rise to Glory
Savory, chewy, and, above all, slurp-able, a delicious bowl of ramen is one of the triumphs of Japanese cuisine. That's also a bit odd, because, for most of Japanese history, heavy, meaty, wheaty noodle soup would have had no place in the archipelago's otherwise bland and mostly ... Show More
48m 33s
Aug 2019
In a Metal Mood
Two seasons after its investigation of the decline of McDonalds french fries, Revisionist History returns to fast-food’s high-tech test kitchens. This time the subject is cultural appropriation. The case study is Taco Bell. Oh, and Pat Boone is involved. Learn more about your ad- ... Show More
38m 40s