Complex Numbers

When In Ramen...

They say it is important to have goals.

https://thetakeout.com/ramen-lord-perfect-bowl-of-ramen-mike-satinover-183012867...

There's focus, and then there's obsession. At least the guy admits to the obsession.

I just consider myself a ramen nerd. A wholly obsessed ramen nerd who loves to read academic articles about gluten development in noodle doughs, a nerd who’s spent way too much money on pasta machines that then broke through the rigor of making noodle dough, a nerd who—intentionally—owns six different types of bowls to suit various ramen styles.

"I don’t count the 99-cent noodle packets" - 99 cent? Where in the slippery hell are they charging that much for ramen? I shop at a moderately upscale grocery store and they're selling 6-packs for a buck and a half. That's 25 cents a pack for the math-challenged. Not that I eat much of that anymore, myself - my cardiologist would kill me if the sodium didn't do the job for him.

Dude must be shopping at Whole Foods.

Not that I never eat it. It's just too cheap and simple to pass up. And yes, I've eaten the similar Vietnamese-derived dish called pho.

Pho, as you probably already know, is pronounced more like "phuh." Which almost makes me wish I had what it took to start my own line of instant pho. I have good reasons for this.

I'd call it Pho King. The tagline would be "Awesome." So on every pack it'd say "Pho King Awesome." You buy the instant pho mix because you're Pho King lazy.

The basic package would be called the Pho Kit. Not feeling like standing in a Pho queue? Don't want to cook an elaborate meal? Pho Kit!

Being cheaply produced, though, it might make people sick - but then they can just Pho Cough.

But alas, it is not to be. Still, if I see it anywhere, I'll have this entry to point to and say, nope, I thought of it first; give me kickbacks.

Anyway. Ramen.

Learning to craft an A+ bowl of ramen is now my life goal. Maybe A+ is never possible, perfection is a impossible pursuit after all, but the path of getting closer and closer to that immaculate, flawless bowl intrigues me.

That's remarkably similar to something I've said about writing. How we can keep practicing, writing, trying different styles, and yet never be perfect. And yet, the reward is in the attempt.

I'm not used to thinking that way. This is new to me.

I've never stuck with one thing long enough to get really good at it. There's always something else to try, something shiny off in the corner of my vision. Again, this has its advantages, but seeing this description of someone doing a deep-dive into soup - so to speak - makes me think I might be missing out.

Meanwhile, now I'm hungry. Dammit. Wish I had a Pho Kit.