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I am an instant noodle addict.

If I my Ma found out bout this, I’m dead. Actually, I think she already knows. Either way, based on the volume of instant noodles I eat every month, I am pretty sure I have prematurely brought my death forward anyway.

Thinking back,  I bet it was that blue monster featured on the gold mamee pack that got me hooked in the first place. I loved buying the 20 cent packet from the ‘kedai runcit’ (local sundry shop) opposite my house. I would smash it up as much as I can, then shake it to make sure I had covered all grounds before opening and devouring it to the very last crunchy noodle. It was the highlight of my day.

Of course, my Ma used to flip whenever she caught me spending all my limited pocket money buying junk food. What can I say? I was a kid after all!

When I moved overseas and was living on a student budget, I ate instant noodles constantly. $0.35 for a bowl of noodles compared to $6? HELL YEA! All I had to do was dunk some veges, tomato, chicken pieces and an egg in there and I had what some restaurants were selling for $7. I was mighty proud of my streetwise money saving noodles revelation.

Unfortunately, when I started earning decent money, my love for instant noodles kinda grew with it as well. As the world of research and technology advanced forward, I couldn’t help but notice the instant noodles rack turning into an entire corner, only to take over the biscuits area to monopolize the entire section which later became an entire aisle. I remember walking into an Asian grocery store one day and thought I had landed in instant noodle heaven when I saw the entire aisle was stocked with various types of flavours from all over Asia. I can easily spend up to 30 minutes just walking up and down the aisle deciding on which ones to get.

My favourite brands are the Nissin and Thai ones. I also favour Cintan because I grew up on those and the noodles have a nice chewy texture. I know friends who love the Korean ones but I find them way too spicy for me. I prefer the Thai ones which are tangy and sour. It’s also spicy enough for me. I recently discovered spinach noodles which has replaced my potato noodles obsession.

Although I like those ones that come in containers which you just pour hot water in, it just doesn’t seem to beat the ‘real’ thing. But if I had to choose, the Nissin Cup Noodles are the best. Unfortunately, it costs $3.50 each which is quite pricey compared to $0.45 of the regular packs.

Nowadays, I comb through each variety to find the latest flavours out there. I love the herbal flavoured ones and those that remind me of home like Hokkien Mee, Curry Mee or Soto Ayam flavours. Sometimes, I don’t even know what flavours they are because they’re written in another language. So, I judge it based on how delicious the picture looks like on the packaging. That’s when it’s usually a hit and miss scenario. I could end up eating something I have no idea what the flavour is and other times, I think…hmm…yuuum….!

I think about once every 2-3 months, I make my pilgrimage to the local Asian grocery store and stack up on instant noodles. I always wonder what the people at the check out think of me when they scan through all the packets of instant noodles from the overflowing basket.

At the moment, my pantry looks like this:

Honestly, I think it looks quite harmless. I really don’t know why people always seem to gasp when they see it….hmm..