Non Mi Piace: Deep Fried Ramen Noodles in Palm Oil with Powdered Chicken Flavoring*

A handful of years ago I use to eat Top Ramen with my friend Hailie. A favorite lunch item since my parents never kept any at my house, Hailie and I would meticulously unwrap the package, add crispy noodles to hot water, and stir the flavoring all around, not to miss any inch of noodle surface. Back in the day we enjoyed our ramen with less water because we liked the intensity of the chicken flavor to bombard our mouths (the more water the more diluted, the less fun)—in summary, it was a meal that I always looked forward to when I visited Hailie down the street.
Years later my friendship with Hailie ended, which in turn marked the end of my Top Ramen consumption. Even as a freshman and sophomore in college before I started ‘really’ cooking for myself, I never ate it even when everyone told me that’s all I’d ever be able to eat (or for that matter afford). I’d be lying if I said there hadn’t been moments of contemplation, “it’d be really quick and easy” or “I kind of feel like eating really intense chicken flavored noodles” and yet the nutrition facts on the back of package kept me away: Sodium = 487mg, Carbohydrates = 27.5g. YUCK.
This last Thursday, May 15th, was the first time I ate chicken flavored Top Ramen in roughly ten years. I dreaded the experience even though the aroma brought back childhood memories—I simply didn’t want to eat them. Anne my professor had us do a free write reflecting on the experience. This is what I wrote:

Chewy and stringy, the chicken flavoring only slightly hints of something real—as if the ramen noodles had been cooked in real chicken broth. Unrecognizable herbs that I can’t figure out have been added and only with the help from the ingredients list do I realize what some are. Something in the powdered chicken flavored water makes me want to take another bite—how come it’s so addictive? It makes my mouth water probably due to the sodium and now, darn it, my stomach aches.