"Mankind is Noodlekind"

Just got back from a book reading tonight in San Francisco. “The Ramen King and I: How the Inventor of Instant Noodles Fixed My Love Life” by San Francisco writer Andy Raskin is a story about a man’s quest to meet Momofuku Ando, the man behind Top Ramen and Cup of Noodles.

I don’t think I’m giving anything away to say that, no, Raskin never meets Ando. But that’s not what the book is really about. Like all good books, it’s about a lot more. It’s about life lessons and self-discovery.

Raskin seems like a really interesting person and I can’t wait to start flipping through the page. The initial pages I’ve read seem really funny and insightful. I would be reading it now if I didn’t get sucked into the whole Adam vs. Kris sing off. (Vote Kris, OK?)

In the photo above, Raskin holds a magazine that shows a photo of Ando. And the title of this post, “Mankind is noodlekind,” is actually Raskin’s loose translation of a Japanese saying written by Ando. (Raskin takes Ando’s philosophical writings and uses it in his own Dear Abby-like Web site. Ando died in 2007.)

This is the first book for Raskin, a regular contributor to NPR’s All Things Considered and This American Life. Next time you’re at the bookstore (remember them?) you should check out this book. No water needed.