Sorry, I think I might be cheating on you
This is sudden, but when you think of instant yakisoba, what comes to mind?
I think UFO, Ippei-chan, and Peyoung are the famous ones.
The one I think of first is Nissin Yakisoba. You know, the one that comes in a 5-pack bag.
When I was in elementary school, we still had classes on Saturdays. Every other week was a half-day. I wonder if 'half-day' is an obsolete term now.
It was a 3-minute walk from my house to school. After Saturday classes, I would run home at full speed. That was because I wanted to watch 'Yoshimoto Shinkigeki,' which aired at 12:00 PM on Saturdays back then.
On those Saturdays, my mother would often make me Nissin Yakisoba from the bag. There were no ingredients in it at all. Just plain yakisoba with some dried green seaweed sprinkled on top. Simple is best. Sometimes it came with fried rice or a grilled rice ball on the side. It was a menu that seemed to say carbohydrates are justice.
I would watch 'Yoshimoto Shinkigeki' while stuffing my face with freshly made Nissin Yakisoba. Since I watched it every week, I didn't find it particularly new. I didn't exactly laugh out loud either.
I would swallow the familiar, classic jokes along with my yakisoba.
The reason I suddenly started writing about this is that, actually, yesterday I ate Ippei-chan for the first time.
For me, instant yakisoba means Nissin Yakisoba. That has never changed until now. I had hardly ever eaten any other instant yakisoba either. But, perhaps possessed by a whim, I suddenly reached for a discounted Ippei-chan.
Feeling a sense of guilt I couldn't quite explain, I poured hot water into the Ippei-chan. I waited 3 minutes as instructed and drained the water. I don't have much experience with this either, since Nissin Yakisoba can be made in a pot.
Steam rose from the drained water. A tiny piece of cabbage flowed away. There was nothing I could do about it.
I peeled off the lid. The trapped steam rose in a thick cloud. It already smelled delicious. I added the included sauce and mixed it well. I couldn't resist and snuck a bite.
It was delicious. I can't help but compare it to Nissin Yakisoba, but it felt a little sweeter.
I added the mustard mayonnaise, which is Ippei-chan's selling point, and sprinkled on the seasoning. Time to eat.
This was, well, shocking.
The sauce, which I thought was a bit sweet just a moment ago, went incredibly well with the tangy, mustard-infused mayonnaise.
I couldn't stop my chopsticks and kept stuffing it into my mouth.
I like that slight 'gulp' feeling when swallowing carbohydrates. It's not quite to the point of choking, but it's the sensation of swallowing a lump that won't go down unless you consciously try to swallow it. I suppose when I get older, I really might choke on it, so I should probably stop doing that soon.
It was a moving experience. While I was also amazed at myself for being able to be moved by something like this, I finished it in no time.
To think it would move me this much, even though I'm a Nissin Yakisoba loyalist. Ippei-chan is formidable.
I'm sorry, Nissin Yakisoba.
I haven't forgotten our memories, though.
I think I might be cheating on you with Ippei-chan for a while.