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Revision as of 00:49, 21 January 2007
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Momofuku Ando (安藤百福, Andō Momofuku), (March 5, 1910 – January 5, 2007) was the founder and chairman of Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd., and the inventor of world's first instant noodles and cup noodles.
Ando was born Gô Pek-hok (吳百福) into a wealthy Taiwanese family in Kagi (now Chiayi), Taiwan in 1910, when Taiwan was a part of the Empire of Japan. Ando's parents died when he was at an early age, and hence he was raised by his grandparents in Tainan, Taiwan[citation needed]. His grandparents owned a small textiles store, and this inspired him to start his own textiles company using 190,000 yen, at the age of 22, in Yongleding (永樂町), Taipei. In 1933, Ando travelled to Osaka, Japan on business. After World War II, Ando became a Japanese citizen, and moved to Japan, where he entered Ritsumeikan University and at the same time founded a small merchandising firm in Osaka with the inheritance from his family.
He was convicted of tax evasion in 1948 and served two years in jail. In his biography, Ando says he had provided scholarships for students, which at the time was a form of tax evasion. After he lost his company due to a chain reaction bankruptcy, Ando founded what was to become Nissin in Ikeda, Osaka, Japan, starting off as a small family-run company producing salt.
With Japan still suffering from a shortage of food in the post-war era, the Ministry of Health tried to encourage people to eat bread made from wheat flour that was supplied by the United States. Ando wondered why bread was recommended instead of noodles, which were more familiar to Japanese people. The Ministry's response was that noodle companies were too small and unstable to satisfy supply needs, so Ando decided to develop the production of noodles by himself.
On August 25, 1958, at the age of 48, and after months of trial and error experimentation, Ando finally perfected his flash-frying method and invented the precooked instant noodle. Called Chikin Ramen (チキンラーメン), after the original chicken flavour, it was originally considered a luxury item with a price of ¥35,[1] around six times that of traditional udon and soba noodles at the time. Ando began sales of the Cup noodles on September 18, 1971. As prices dropped, ramen soon became a booming business. An estimated 70 billion servings were sold in 2004. As of 2007, Chikin Ramen is still sold in Japan and now retails for around ¥60, or approximately one third the price of the cheapest bowl of noodles in a Japanese restaurant.
In 1964, seeking a way to promote the instant noodle industry, Ando founded the Instant Food Industry Association, which set guidelines for fair competition and product quality, introducing several industry standards such as the inclusion of production dates on packaging. He was also the chairman of the International Ramen Manufacturers' Association and the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum is named for him.
According to the Financial Times, Ando’s invention of Cup Noodles in 1972, at the age of 61, helped spark the popularity of instant noodles overseas. He had observed that Americans ate noodles by breaking the noodles in half, putting them into a cup, and dousing hot water over the noodles. They also ate them with a fork instead of chops. Ando was inspired, and felt that a Styrofoam cup—with a narrower bottom than the top—would be the ideal vessel for holding noodles and keeping them warm. Eating the noodles would then be as easy as opening the lid, adding hot water and waiting. This simplicity, efficiency and low price of Cup Noodles went on to transform Nissin's fortunes. [2]
Although of Taiwanese origin, Ando always considered himself Japanese, and had very little contact with Taiwanese expatriates in Japan. He was repeatedly honored with medals by the Japanese government and the emperor, including The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, Second Class, in 2002 which is the second most prestigious Japanese decoration for Japanese civilians.
Ando died on January 5, 2007 of heart failure in Osaka Prefecture at the age of 96. Ando was survived by his wife Masako, two sons and a daughter. Ando claimed that the secrets of his health were playing golf and eating Chikin Ramen almost everyday. He was said to have eaten Ramen until the day before he died.[3]
References
- ^ "RCCラジオ－土曜はドドーンと満員御礼" (in Japanese). RCC Broadcasting. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
- ^ "Obituary: Momofuku Ando". Financial Times. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "安藤百福さん 死去前日、社員とチキンラーメン雑煮 ("Mr. Ando ate Chikin Ramen with colleagues the day before he passed away.")" (in Japanese). The Sankei Shimbun Web-site. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
External links
- Ando dies at 96.
- Inventor of instant noodles dies (BBC)
- Ando dies at 96. Template:Ja icon
- Momofuku Ando, 96; inventor's Cup Noodle became an instant hit (LATimes)
- Instant noodle inventor dies at 96
- Mr. Noodle, Appreciation, New York Times, January 9, 2007
- Noodles Museum, Nissin Instant Ramen Noodles Museum, JapanVisitor, January 14, 2007
- Obituary: Momofuku Ando, Financial Times - Obituary: Momofuku Ando, January 15, 2007