Man of the Century

Recently, the world lost visionary Momofuku Ando. You may not recognize his name, but you’ve given tens and maybe even hundreds of cents to his company. Ando was the inventor of Ramen noodles, and the founder of Nissin Foods.

We all come from different walks of life, but at some point everybody has to make a meal out of Ramen. With the possible exception of whoever invented bongs and John Belushi, nobody has contributed more to the college experience than Momofuku.

Today, we say goodbye to a great man. I have never met Momofuku, and most of the information about him online is in Japanese. Still, I imagine his life was as varied as the flavor packets that came with his noodles. Ando was probably complex, like the taste of Taiwan Roast Pork. He probably ran his business with an iron fist, but with his family still found time to be as sweet as the taste of Sukiyaki Udon. Also he was oily and beefy, like just about every ramen.

Though many consider instant ramen noodles unhealthy, Ando lived to be 96 years old. He is said to have eaten chicken ramen almost everyday, including the last day of his life. Momofuku, you are the MAN OF THE CENTURY.