Oodles of palatable choices add to instant noodles' allure

The distance is great, I admit, between true poverty and the choices we make from a less precarious position.

Still, I have marveled recently at the leaps and bounds made by way of instant noodles in the decades since, as a relatively impoverished college student, I often ate such noodles less by choice than through weight of circumstance.

In those days, distant now in memory, there was but one choice when buying what passed at that time for instant noodles－really just an inexpensive, belly-fooling food substitute, since to actually call it food would be a gross exaggeration.

Instant noodles back then came in a small Styrofoam cup, as if it had never occurred to the makers of this mundane snack (who weren't very imaginative to begin with) that such a paltry amount was little better than going completely hungry.

Once hot water had performed its unimpressive alchemy on the ho-hum contents, we dipped our spoons into a "broth" that tasted, truth be told, no different from the water just added. An impossibly green pea or two and a few freeze-dried carrot cubes would float to the top of this dreary concoction, giving a smidgen of color but not much more.

In the intervening years, instant noodles gradually improved.

Shortly after my arrival in China some seven years ago, I discovered that among the shelf after shelf of such noodles then available, some were very good soup starters, though not yet able to stand on their own. I would prepare the noodles per instructions, and then add ingredients according to taste, whether corn or other vegetables or chunks of hot dog or fried Spam or chicken, and let it simmer.

Fast-forward to the mostly awful year of 2020, when apparently through divine inspiration I decided one afternoon to buy, in an attempt to economize after overspending, a pot-sized portion of instant noodles whose label, in English, said it was "pork bone" flavored. (Now, in fairness to other good brands, I will note only that my favorite noodles feature bright yellowish-green packaging and a cartoon image of a boy holding a large bowl of noodles.)

Let me tell you, I was in for a surprise.

The "pork bone" (whatever that means) delicacy was astounding due to the fact that no additional ingredients were needed to make a meal so satisfying that I actually have chosen to consume it several times a week.

The first couple of times I followed my instincts and added some fried egg. Then I tried the noodles and scrumptious broth just as they were, and I kid you not, these quick noodles provide instant bliss, as is.

Much to my inner pig's squealing delight, I've also discovered that a generous portion in a medium-sized cup that needs just hot water, and no microwave, is available for those on the go.

And things keep getting better. There's now make-it-yourself hotpot using a water-activated heating packet, so that even in a tent in the wilderness without a fire, you can sup on spicy seafood or beef cooked piping hot with lotus root, sliced bamboo shoots and all the other fixings.

So it's true that the options nowadays for fighting hunger on a meager budget have come a long way.

I had occasion recently to recommend these noodles to two Chinese friends who I know are living on a shoestring budget. When it occurred to me they might think I was merely being charitable, I pointed out, with a touch of solidarity and satisfaction, that I eat them myself－and often.

Perhaps these options might not seem so inviting when you are forced to eat thusly. But if you can find a certain Zen-like joy in life's simpler delights, as I do in this case, you'll probably agree that the culinary "powers that be" pretty much work wonders these days with hot water. I'd even say it's nothing short of a miracle.

Contact the writer at jameshealy@chinadaily.com.cn