Genius behind Ramen stops stirring

I know we're a couple of days behind on this, but I couldn't let the inventor of Ramen Noodles, Momofuku Ando's, passing go without a mention on the site. After all, as painstakingly thin as my wallet was through mental_floss' humble beginnings (both during and after college), Ramen kept my belly full and my budget, well, barely dented.

In any case, the BBC has a nice article on the 96-year old Ando, who also invented Nissin's Cup O' Noodles, and provided cheap food for a struggling Japanese society post WWII. Of course, I think it's the New York Times who's written the best elegy for the noodles themselves:

"Ramen noodles are a dish of effortless purity. Like the egg, or tea, they attain a state of grace through a marriage with nothing but hot water."

Rest in peace, Mr. Ando. You'll always be a hero here at mental_floss. Click here to read the BBC story.