Momofuku Ando, The Father of Instant Noodles

Some people believe that the inventor of instant noodles must have a good eye. Momofuku Ando's invention was "inspired by hunger." When he occasionally passed a ramen stand and saw people standing in line against the cold, he got the idea to make instant noodles that could be eaten by adding hot water. The professional sensitivity of businessmen also made Ando sense that there would be a huge demand.

Today, instant noodles have entered thousands of households, so people enjoy convenience and intense work. Momofuku Ando, who invented instant noodles, is 95 years old.

"I am 95 years old and have lived for nearly a century," Ando said in his resignation statement, referring to The Times around the second World War. "After the war, I saw people starving due to lack of food and decided to go into the food industry. I am convinced that there will be peace in the world only when there is enough food. I invented instant noodles for a very simple purpose. I hope people can eat noodles anytime, anywhere, and feel at ease, so I will be happy."

Longevity magic: eat instant noodles

Despite his age, Momofuku Ando has always been in good spirits and healthy, going to work every day. When he meets reporters, he says he eats instant noodles every day and plays golf twice a week. According to people close to Mr. Ando, this is what he says to every visitor. This makes people feel that instant noodles and exercise are their two magic weapons for long and healthy life.

Ando said he wanted to hand over the baton while he was still alive, but that stepping down did not mean retirement. "The company accepted his resignation because his mind was made up," a Nissin spokesman said. "But he agreed to continue to provide macro advice to the company in the newly created position of 'founder chairman'." In addition, Mr. Ando said he would continue to head a foundation he founded to promote sports and food culture for children. "In my long life, countless people have assisted me and taken care of me; A lot of people love instant noodles, and instant noodles have been with them all their lives. I want to give back to them and thank them for their love for me, "he said.

Hunger inspires invention

Momofuku Ando was born Wu Baifu in Taiwan in 1910. In his early years, he ran a knitwear business in Taipei. In 1933, he moved to Osaka, Japan. In 1948, he founded the predecessor of Nissin Company, China Communications General Food Company.

Momofuku Ando's invention, which some belief was invented by someone with a keen eye and a hard mind, is in fact "inspired by hunger". After the Second World War, Japan was severely short of food. Momofuku Ando once in a while passed a ramen stand and saw people standing 20 to 30 meters long in the cold wind. He was inspired by the idea of making instant noodles that could be eaten by adding hot water. The professional sensitivity of businessmen also made Ando sense that there would be a huge demand.

But instead of developing, Ando knitted, raised silkworms, ran warehouses, sold slide projectors, made salt, fished, ran schools, developed nutritious food, and spent time in prison. It was only when his credit portfolio went bankrupt that he decided to focus his business on food. Later, Ando invented the term "eating enough world peace" -- the world will be peaceful after eating enough, as the corporate philosophy of Nissin company, is also derived from this period of experience.

Greatest invention of the 20th century

In the spring of 1958, Ando built a 10-square-meter shack in the backyard of his home in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, to serve as an instant noodle lab. He found an old noodle maker, bought a 1-meter diameter wok, flour, and cooking oil, and began to develop instant noodles.

Ando envisions instant noodles as instant noodles that can be eaten immediately by adding hot water. He set five goals: first, taste not only good but also eat; Second, can become a family kitchen often spare and has high preservation; Third, it's easy and doesn't require cooking; Fourth, the price is cheap; Fifth, since it is food, it must be safe and hygienic.

In the early stages of exploration, Ando got up at 5 a.m., immediately went into the cabin, and studied until 1 or 2 p.m., sleeping less than four hours a day on average. This went on for a long time.

At the time, the chickens in the Ando family's backyard were often used for cooking. One day, while Mrs. Ando was cooking, the chicken, which was almost dead, suddenly jumped up and frightened her son, Hongji, who was nearby. Since then, Acer has not only stopped eating chicken but also chicken rice, which he used to love. One day, however, Ando's mother-in-law put chicken soup in ramen noodles, and his son enjoyed it. That's when Ando decided to use chicken soup for instant noodles, too. In retrospect, Mr. Ando said, the decision made perfect sense. Since instant noodles broke into the international market, no country has been found that does not eat chicken.

Everything comes to those who wait. The first packet of chicken instant noodles was introduced in 1958. That same year, Ando changed the name of CCCC to Nissin Food Company. In 1968, Nissin's flagship product "out of the first Ding" was born. In 1971, Nissin introduced instant noodles in cups for the first time, which became popular around the world. Nissin now has branches in China, the United States, Brazil, the Netherlands, India, and Singapore, with annual sales of more than 300 billion yen ($2.7 billion). And instant noodles have been named the "greatest invention of the 20th century" by the Japanese.

Famous for instant noodles

Because of his contributions to the food industry, Ando received an Honorary Citizen Award from the City of Los Angeles in 1981. Brazil and Thailand also honored him for his services in 1983 and 2001, respectively. In Japan, the government established the Instant Ramen Museum in Osaka in 1999. When the refurbished museum opened last November, politicians such as former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone and Osaka Governor Masae Ota were on hand to congratulate them.

There are models, display boards, and real objects to introduce the history of different instant noodles and cup noodles in the world, showing various Nishing instant noodle products since 1958, many of which are no longer produced. In addition to stacks of instant noodles, there are large photographs of Momofuku Ando on the museum walls. One of the things worth seeing in the museum is the same wooden house where Ando invented instant noodles. In addition, the giant model of the inner structure of cup noodles, the world's first cup noodles vending machine, and the cup noodles disaster relief truck will help visitors to better understand instant noodles.

To let visitors know more about instant noodles, the museum has opened the "Cup Noodle Making Experience Hall", so that people can participate in the cup noodle-making process by themselves and take the "only one" cup noodle home. To commemorate Ando's invention of the world's first bag of chicken noodle soup in 1958, the museum also holds regular events to make chicken noodle soup. Visitors can make a bag of chicken noodle soup under the guidance of a tutor.

To Momofuku Ando's delight, the popularity of his invention has led to the formation of an instant noodle association, with Ando as its president. The association is not in vain. It holds a global summit every two years. In 2004, the World Instant Noodle Summit was held in Shanghai.