Saimin is to Hawai’i what a microwave pizza is to folks on the mainland—a quick and satisfying culinary fix.
Unsure about how to eat all those delectable noodles floating around in the broth? Use chopsticks (or a fork, if you’re hopelessly Westernized) to pick up the noodles and other foods, then lay them in the spoon, collect a little broth and sip. It’s also considered okay to drink the soup straight from the bowl, as long as you can do it neatly.
In Hawai’i, we eat our saimin quietly. When you’re in Japan, though, ask for ramen and just slurp that soup; eating it noisily is considered an expression of appreciation.
A few ambitious cooks start this traditional Japanese noodle soup from scratch, but most of us just rip open the ready-mix package, add hot water, stir in the contents of the seasonings packet, pull out the chopsticks and soup spoon, and dig in.
That’s the simple way, but it’s slothful. (We know of many bachelors who stand at their stovetop and eat right out of the pot. That’s a no-no.)
To raise yourself above the petty ranks, take just two more steps:
Add goodies. Cut carrots, tofu, fishcake, Spam, chives, the chopped up remains of last night’s salad, a little scrambled eggs, leftover fish, meat, chicken, seafood, etc. Just like your grandmother did with her stews, this soup provides a great opportunity to clear the fridge of leftovers.
Present the saimin attractively. Really, it only takes a moment to use (or wash) a pretty bowl or to position it nicely on an attractive placemat. Flowers will designate you as “world class.” You might find, as the Japanese did long ago, that how food is presented plays a large part in how it tastes.
