For three days in January 2007, the most-emailed article in The New York Times was Appreciations: Mr. Noodle, an editorial noting the passing, at age 96, of billionaire Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant ramen. The very existence of the noodle inventor came as a shock to many, but not to Andy Raskin, who had spent nearly three years trying to meet Ando. Why? To fix the problems that plagued his love life.
The Ramen King and I is Raskin's memoir about how despair - and a series of bizarre adventures at Japanese restaurants - led him to confront the truth of his romantic past, and how Ando became his unlikely spiritual guide. Through letters ostensibly penned to the culinary sage, Raskin reveals a relationship history plagued by infidelity, jealousy, and betrayal. After devouring Ando's essays (with titles such as Peace Follows from a Full Stomach and Mankind is Noodlekind), he sets out to meet the food pioneer - and to discover the secret to a committed relationship.
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"This is surely the most poignant and least prurient memoir of a sex addict in print. The cadence of the prose is very NPRish--no surprise, since Raskin is a longtime contributor. But there is also a nice Japanese-in-poetic-translation sound to much of the book. I'm not sure I would really like Andy, but I wouldn't mind having a bowl of ramen with the guy (though it might be difficult)." — Samantha (4 out of 5 stars)
"This is surely the most poignant and least prurient memoir of a sex addict in print. The cadence of the prose is very NPRish--no surprise, since Raskin is a longtime contributor. But there is also a nice Japanese-in-poetic-translation sound to much of the book. I'm not sure I would really like Andy, but I wouldn't mind having a bowl of ramen with the guy (though it might be difficult)."
" Interesting book...def worth the read! "
" I love books that explore random facets of contemporary culture (e.g., Word Freak). And I mistakenly thought that Raskin's book would be a fun memoir about how he immersed himself in the lore of Ando Momofuku and the development/rise in popularity of instant noodles. It wasn't. It was self-indulgent tripe. That said, I realize that I have a bias against the memoirs (and faux memoirs) of the whole [Addiction:] Anonymous crowd. "
" surprisingly touching. "
" Good read - written by a guy Alex knows. "
" I am the author, so this rating is totally unreliable! "
" I often find it interesting to hear how people make journeys of transformation - and looking to the inventor of instant ramen for guidance provides this book with a unique perspective, for sure. "
" The food parts were entertaining and informative. Not so much the personal behavior of the author. I suppose his path to personal growth and redemption are commendable. Could have had less infidelity and more eating in my opinion. Easy read on the bus. "
" I loved this book. I appreciated the raw honesty of the author's perspective. It was touching. "
" This book was very entertaining. Thanks, Moira, for the recommendation :) I'm impressed by how forthcoming Raskin is about some of the more distasteful/embarrassing aspects of himself. The book is also a reminder of why so much of Japanese culture seems so foreign and bizarre to me.... "
" I seriously think this is one of the top five books I've ever read. I LOVE IT. Getting to the final pages has actually made me sad, and I've been pacing myself over the past few days. LOVE IT! "
" Loved it! Part sex/love addiction memoir and part obsessive look at the quirkiness of Japanese pop/food culture, this book ruled. Funny, heartfelt, inspiring, and wince-inducing. "
" Not what i thought it was about. the parts about the ramen stuff were fun, worthy of an article in a magazine, the rest was about of selfish guy with low self esteem who decides he is a sex addict. The connection is barely tenuous. "
" Hated hated hated this. "
" This was really a good book, surprisingly. There were a lot of parts where it was hard to read or I couldn't get into, but something kept me going to find out what would happen in the end. Very interesting with all of the rules for sushi and ramen houses. "
" I confess I borrowed this book based on the marketing on its book cover (good job, copy writers!). How could you resist the unlikely premise of a personal memoir which revolves around Momofuku Ando, inventor of instant noodles? "
" I like the stuff about Top Ramen and Japan, but Raskin pretty much wrote himself off as a whiny person. "
" This was different than I expected. I thought it would be a funny account of history and travel with ramen as the unifying theme. Instead it was a funny and terrifying account of one man's sense of his own failures. "
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