Apologies for being MIA. A lot has happened in the past few months. So much so, that I’m not quite ready to put those happenings and their corresponding thoughts to written words just yet. Amidst all the excitement and whirlwind change between last year and where I am now, there was food.
2024 was my year of ramen, a dish I discovered after a desperate search for quick meals and watching one too many YouTube videos and shorts. I love cooking and baking and learning all there is to know about food, but ramen was new to me. Where had this been my whole life?
A cheap Japanese meal of noodles and broth (although not always) with limitless combinations, ramen was my source of comfort on weeknights when I needed a simple one-person meal. I explored with different brands and packages, meats, levels of noodle thickness, styles of egg, broths, heat and spices, and so much more. I even documented my year with photos of some of my favorite ramen creations, wonderful bowls swirling in color and texture and actually dripping with flavor. I have a few chili oil carpet stains in my apartment to prove it.
I’ve come to see ramen as a representation of a specific point in my life, a single, unbothered, comfortable and quiet life on the cusp of a great change. But I will get to that. Ramen for me signifies those uncomplicated nights with myself, making a meal for one. Ramen will be those cozy kitchen memories, experimenting with a variety of flavors and enjoying whatever unique bowl I’ve come up with for dinner.