When I was a late-night teenage hacker, there was only one thing to be seen drinking (Coke) and only one thing to be seen eating - Cup Noodles. Disappointingly, Cup Noodles instant treats have changed little in the last five years, leaving the adventurous snackster market wide open to new just-add-boiling-water meals, like Nissin's "UFO" noodle soup.
For starters, the packaging boasts many cool features - the embossed red-and-white plastic logo, and the text (apart from the name) is all in Japanese. The polystyrene lower section is heat-insulated so you don't burn yourself when it's propped up on your knee. Best of all, the lid comes pre-perforated for draining your noodles after adding water. As befits one of Japan's grand snack makers, Nissin has thought of everything.
The noodles are surprisingly tasty, thanks mainly to the range of condiments - while other noodles have just one sachet, UFO comes with three. With the Yakisoba variety, you get a choice of dried cabbage and ginger, dried seaweed flakes, and a foul-tasting liquid which, I must confess, I throw away and replace with soy sauce. UFO noodle soup is the Cup Noodles for the '90s.
Nissin UFO noodle soup: around US$2.69. Available at Japanese import food stores.
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