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In May 2009, Gotham Books will publish The Ramen King and I: How the Inventor of Instant Noodles Fixed My Love Life. I'll post more about the book in the coming months, but in the meantime, you can
—Ruth Ozeki, author of My Year of Meats "I loved this book. It won me over from the start, and when it wasn't making me hungry it made me think. Apparently I, too, battle against [what the inventor of instant ramen called] the Fundamental Misunderstanding of Humanity." —Po Bronson, author of What Should I Do with My Life? Struggling to overcome chronic relationship problems, an American journeys to Japan seeking guidance from Momofuku Ando—the inventor of instant ramen noodles. For three days in January 2007, the most-emailed article in The New York Times was "Appreciations: Mr. Noodle," an editorial noting the passing, at age 96, of Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant ramen. The very existence of the noodle inventor came as a shock to many, but not to Andy Raskin, who had spent nearly three years trying to meet Ando. Why? To fix the problems that plagued his love life. The Ramen King and I is Raskin's memoir about how a series of bizarre adventures at Japanese restaurants led him to confront the truth of his dating life, and how the inventor of instant ramen, 94-year-old billionaire Momfuku Ando, became his unlikely spiritual guide. The book unfolds partly through frank letters addressed to the culinary sage, revealing a relationship history plagued by jealousy, compulsion, and betrayal. After devouring Ando's books and essays, with titles such as "Peace Follows from a Full Stomach" and "Mankind Is Noodlekind," Raskin ultimately discovers that he has been suffering from what Ando identified—just prior to inventing instant ramen—as the Fundamental Misunderstanding of Humanity. Raskin's quest leads to some unexpected places—from the Wharton School and Kmart headquarters, to the Instant Ramen Invention Museum and a Milky Way-themed funeral. Along the way he's spurred on by cinematic samurai warriors, manga-based sushi chefs, and the author Haruki Murakami. And he eats a lot of Japanese food. A memoir of hunger in its many forms, The Ramen King and I is about how we become slaves to our desires, and how to break free. The Ramen King and I will be published on May 28, 2009. In the meantime, you can |
