Ramen, fast food style

So I ran into someone at the gym the other day... and found out that apparently people actually read this thing. So, out of guilt, I'll make a food post. Let's be honest, I don't remember the name of this place. Strangely enough I remember the prices, the things I ordered, the location, and even the freakin' bus I took to get there (263 if that even matters). Anyhoo, I remember going here because I was craving ramen like no one's business, and I was on a tight budget. Seriously... I got paid 600 NT ($20) a day to do research for 8 hours. I realize I have to temper my expectations for wages in Taiwan, but still... I felt jipped. So I came here, a fast food ramen place (the mascot is a little cartoon samurai if any food detectives wanna help me out here), because it had ramen dishes for 79 NT ($2.50) specals. I ordered the chasu ramen for my mom since she just wanted the cheapest thing on the menu. That's the one on the upper left. Uh... it was good for what it was, student food. I mean, if you compared it with the US joints, yeah, it could rank amongst Menkuitei or Setagaya, but come on Asia... you can do better. It was the standard pork ramen with bamboo, fake crab, an egg... and yeah... that was about it. Nothing worth explaining, but man that bowl of ramen sure is beautiful. On a cold day like today... I'm totally craving that hot bowl of mediocrity.


I personally got the curry ramen (remember? I had a curry phase this Summer). It was a bit more, colorful... I guess. It was more or less the same thing, several slices of chasu pork with fermented bamboo, fake crab, a tea egg type thing made with curry sauce, and corn, all served in a soup with a super strong curry scent. I actually thought it came together rather well, the pungency of the bamboo offset the strong taste of the curry, and made for quite a pleasant soup base to finish with. Oh, the noodles were... most likely from store bought packaging. Whatever. For less than $3, I wasn't expecting anything mind blowing. It was satisfying though.