How to Eat Ramen with Chopsticks

Co-authored by Thuong Tan

Last Updated: October 1, 2021 References

The word “ramen” has quickly gone from being associated with cheaply packaged instant-noodles, to conjuring up images of some of the best restaurants in the world. Traditional ramen has its roots in Japanese fast food, and is meant to be enjoyed very fresh, steaming hot, and eaten quickly with lots of slurping! A real bowl of ramen should be eaten with chopsticks to respect the time-honored traditions that go into the meticulous preparation of the ramen.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Slurping Up the Noodles

1
Hold your chopsticks between two fingers. Hold the top chopstick like a pencil with your thumb, index finger, and middle finger. Place the bottom chopstick in the nook of your thumb and index finger and rest it on your ring finger.
- Noodles can be hard to eat with chopsticks if you don’t have any practice, so make sure to master the art of holding chopsticks first!
2
Pick up a few noodles with the tips of your chopsticks. Don’t grab too many noodles or you’ll end up with a big tangle that you won’t be able to lift out of the bowl. You want to have a bite-sized portion each time you pick up more noodles.^{[1]
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- Make sure the tips of the chopsticks are aligned and pinch them together to grab the noodles.
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3
Lift the noodles above the bowl until they separate from the rest, then dip them. Soak up a little extra of the broth and fat with your portion of noodles by dipping them back in the soup for a few seconds. Don’t twist the noodles in the bowl or you may end up tangling them up with the rest again.^{[2]
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- Some varieties of ramen come with the noodles in one bowl and the broth in another. Simply follow this process, moving your noodles between the two bowls, to eat this kind of dipping ramen correctly.
4
Put the noodles that are pinched between your chopsticks in your mouth. Shape your lips as if you were about to sip a really hot beverage. Now slurp all of the noodles into your mouth quickly and loudly!^{[3]
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Expert Source

Thuong Tan
Noodle Expert
Expert Interview. 28 January 2021.}
- Although slurping can be considered rude in some western cultures, it is considered quite normal and even encouraged in Japan. It is a way of showing that you are enjoying a meal and is customary when eating ramen.^{[5]
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- Slurping also allows you to eat things at higher temperatures, and ramen is best enjoyed piping hot and should be eaten quickly!
5
Drink some of the broth with your spoon and eat some of the garnishes. After you have slurped up your noodles, have a bite of pork with some of the broth, or any other of the garnishes that come with the ramen. There are no rules to enjoying your ramen, just follow your senses!^{[6]
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- If your ramen comes with nori, the traditional Japanese seaweed often served with ramen, eat it before it gets soggy in the broth to enjoy the texture and flavor.^{[7]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using a Spoon as a Base

1
Hold your chopsticks in your right hand and your spoon in your left. It will take some coordination to use both a soup spoon and chopsticks at the same time. With a little patience and practice holding chopsticks, you’ll be able to benefit from using both at once to enjoy your ramen!
- If you are left-handed and find this difficult, then try switching the spoon and the chopsticks.
- No matter how big of an urge you may have to swap the chopsticks out for a fork, you should always use chopsticks to eat ramen.^{[8]
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2
Pick up a small amount of noodles with the tips of your chopsticks. Lift the noodles out of the broth until they separate from the mass of noodles in the bowl. You want a portion of noodles that will fit into the soup spoon and leave space for some broth.^{[9]
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- If the noodles are still tangled up with the rest, you’ll end up with a big mess when trying to make the perfect spoonful.
- Remember to align the tips of your chopsticks evenly before grabbing the noodles.
3
Place the noodles in your spoon in a small pile. Slowly lower the noodles into the soup spoon in your left hand. Spiral your chopsticks slightly as you are lowering the noodles to form a neat pile in the spoon and release the noodles from your chopsticks.
- You can also use your soup spoon to help loop the noodles over the chopsticks first before putting them in the spoon.^{[10]
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4
Lower the spoon into the bowl and let it fill with broth. Now that you have the noodles in your spoon, lower it back into the soup to soak up some of the delicious broth. You can even use your chopsticks to help place some of the toppings into the spoon as well.
- Think of your soup spoon as a mini bowl of ramen and try to create the perfect bite-sized bowl.
5
Lift the spoon carefully to your mouth and slurp up all the noodles and broth. Now that you have a beautiful heap of ramen in your spoon, bring it up to your mouth, open wide, and slurp it all up!
- Remember that slurping is perfectly accepted and even encouraged when enjoying a bowl of steaming hot ramen.^{[11]
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Community Q&A

Question

Is it polite to gulp all of the remaining soup after eating all of the ramen noodles?

Peter C

Community Answer

Yes. In Japan, all meals should be finished in their entirety. The Japanese have a concept of mottainai, which means using everything with care and not letting anything go to waste.
Question

Is it okay if I blow on the noodles?

Peter C

Community Answer

The Japanese do not blow on their food to cool it. Slurping is acceptable when eating ramen and certain other foods that are served at very high temperatures.