OSAKA (Kyodo) Momofuku Ando, the founder of Nissin Food Products Co. and inventor of instant ramen, died of heart failure Friday evening at a hospital
in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, his family said. He was 96.
Born on March 5, 1910, in Taiwan, Ando initially ran clothing companies in Taipei and Osaka while he was a student at Ritsumeikan University. In 1948,
he founded the precursor to Nissin and in 1958 unveiled Chicken Ramen, the world's first instant noodle product.
Ando was inspired to develop the instant noodle after coming upon a long line of people on a cold night shortly after World War II. They were waiting
to buy freshly made ramen at a black market food stall.
The experience convinced him that "peace will come to the world when the people have enough to eat," according to Nissin.
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I'm really saddened by this. I've eaten quite a bit of instant ramen and enjoyed it all. I know I'm an enigma in that I actually like the stuff,
but then again, I pretty much like most noodles. That's not even mentioning how cheap the stuff is.
So, RIP Momofuku. Thank you for your wonderful invention.
I also like Ramen noodles, but I always throw away the seasoning packet and add my own flavorings without monosodium glutamate.
Many a quickie meal eaten by me thanks to Momofuku.