In Hawaii's contemporary pidgin language, saimin has become a hyponym or blanket term for noodle soups, particularly instant ramen (e.g., "And one day, I come home from school and Blu and Maisie are eating dry saimin sprinkled with the soup stock").
Ramen noodles, also called soba (not to be confused with buckwheat soba noodles), are made from wheat flour, egg, salt, and kansui mineral water. And it's this alkaline mineral water that gives ramen noodles their unique chewiness, flavor, and color.
Saimin is a Hawaiian noodle dish and ramen is a Japanese noodle dish. In terms of taste, the biggest difference between them is… Soup of saimin is shrimp and bonito base. While ramen broth is made from chicken bone, pork bone, dried sardines, bonito, kelp, or other vegetables.
Ramen is widely known imported from China to Japan, ramen-noodle shops first sprang to popularity in both countries in the early 1900s, and the noodles were actually called “Chinese soba” noodes in Japan up until the 1950s.
The post-war period brought on significant food shortages, and street food vendors were outlawed in order to conserve rations—a policy that began during the war. The only way to get ramen, which was something people bought from food stalls rather than made at home, was to find it on the black market.
The concept of ramen is also used in a daily funny pick-up line. The phrase “Do you want to eat some ramen before you go?” metaphorically means the same as “Do you want to stay overnight and have sex?” It portrays ramen as a tool for seduction.
Ramen is a staple on the island, and commonly found at restaurants around the island. It's a comfort food that fills the belly and satisfies the soul. And while many keep it simple with just a few ingredients, there are subtle to noticeable differences that separate the best from the rest.
The word “saimin” is a combination of two Chinese words—sai meaning thin and min, which means noodle. The dish dates back to the plantation era in Hawaiʻi—late 1800s—when workers from various ethnic camps would gather to eat, bringing with them various ingredients to share.
Despite the reference in the title to soba, this dish uses ramen noodles. The soba is a reference to the old Chinese name of these noodles - chuka soba. There are many different varieties of abura soba and it depends what region you are in as to what toppings and flavors you can expect.
There are two types of Ramen in Korea. One is called Ramen, which is a Japanese style Ramen, the other is called Ramyun, which refers to the Korean style instant noodles.
Ramen is always going to naturally be higher in calories though and there isn't much to do to bring that down. Vietnamese pho is designed to be filling but also low in calories so for pho lovers, that's a win. Carb-wise, pho contains roughly 45g of carbs per bowl compared to ramen which has approx. 60g of carbs.
Mazesoba, often called Mazemen here in the US, is Japanese brothless ramen that originated in Nagoya. The thick, chewy noodles are mixed with well-seasoned minced pork, garlic chives, green onion, nori seaweed, katsuobushi powder, and sous vide egg yolk.
Saimin is a traditional noodle soup that's considered the national dish of Hawaii. There are several variations on the dish, but it usually consists of thin noodles in clear broth with fish cakes, scallions, and often char siu pork or ham.
Ramen and lamian are very different types of food. Ramen is a Japanese noodle dish. In Chinese, "la" means "to pull" and "mian" is a food product made from wheat dough including noodles. So, what this means is lamian is literally translated into hand-pulled noodles.
For ramen, you don't hand-pull the dough. You make the dough flat, and cut it into long, thin noodle-like strands. Let's recap: Japanese ramen noodles is used to refer to the generic noodles made of wheat, while lamian refers specifically to hand- pulled Chinese noodles.
Kitsune Udon literary means fox udon, or fox noodles, in Japanese. The name came from the folktale that fox enjoys aburaage (deep-fried tofu), which is the main topping for this noodle). Chewy and soft, udon are thick wheat noodles that are best when you can find them fresh.
Hawaii. While it's common to think of SPAM as the Aloha State's key food, its only official item is the coconut muffin! Hawaii is one of the few places in America where coconut palms grow.
The main difference in the eating experience is the texture of the noodles themselves. While they are the same thickness, ramen noodles have a more slippery texture and are white, whereas Chow Mein noodles are yellow. But there's no difference in the flavour of the noodles!
And its popularity in Korean culture is not at all surprising. Not only is ramyeon convenient and affordable, but it is packed with flavours, making it one of the go-to meals for many working-class adults. There are even statistics to back up the Korean's love for ramyeon.
It's literal slang is for “Do you want to sleep with me?” These days, the phrase “Ramyeon meokgo galrae?” is often delivered more as a joke, although it serves its purpose by enabling people to invite or initiate romance without having to muster the courage to be more explicit. In K-drama, "Do you want ramyeon?"
“Do you want to eat ramen in my home? (우리 집에서 라면 먹고 갈래?)” it's an indirect expression of “do you want to have fun with me, as a man and woman?”, which indicates a sexual activity in her home.