Learning to Enjoy Slurping Japan’s Noodles

Before arriving in Japan I was a great fan of noodles, primarily Italian varieties. Although I grew up in the South, where spaghetti was “less than delicious,” I eventually learned about really tasty pasta. My first lessons were in real Italian restaurants in New York City. My second lessons were in Italy, where I learned how terrible American-style spaghetti was.

It didn’t occur to me that there were other varieties of noodles that would be very appealing. My first Japanese noodles were udon. It took a while for me to appreciate the somewhat chewy noodles in a delicate—non-tomato base—broth, but once I did, I was won over. Simple, inexpensive, and delicious.

Next was ramen, starting with instant ramen available at any Japanese grocery store. I wasn’t rich, and ramen was cheap and filling. Eventually I discovered the wide variety of ramen shops, varying from miso-based to shoyu-base to tonkotsu-base broth. My current favorites? Miso corn and chashu shoyu.

Finally we reach the ultimate noodle: buckwheat noodles called soba. Served cold on a draining mat and dipped in broth, soba is the perfect dish for summer. In fact, it is delicious twelve months of the year, especially with a bit of wasabi in the broth.

A note about the slurping: There is a cultural difference between America and Japan. In America, making any kind of noise while eating is simply unacceptable. In Japan, slurping is functional. It is the best—if not only—way to eat soba. The point is not just to make noise; the point is to take in long noodles and broth without biting them. Slurping is the only way to do this.

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