Instant Success

In a century of explosive innovation and elaborate gadgetry, Momofuku Ando made his fortune from a more humble discovery. But the Japanese instant-noodle inventor's skillful mix of flour, oil and a little salt and MSG has redefined the way the world eats. Ando's original Chicken Ramen, cooked up in his backyard after months of trial and error, has spawned multiple variations: in India masala is the flavor of choice, Italians like theirs with tomato, and the chili voltage reaches alarming levels in Thailand and South Korea. All told, 43 billion servings of the inexpensive snack are consumed each year worldwide. When Ando's packaged pasta was introduced 41 years ago, it was dismissed as an impractical luxury item. At 10 a pack, the dehydrated meal cost six times as much as a fresh, steaming bowl served up in a neighborhood noodle joint. But the novelty of the insta-meal quickly drove sales upward. Dozens of competitors joined Ando's Nissin Food Products Co. in the ramen battle. Today in China alone there are more than 2,000 instant-noodle manufacturers. Indonesia boasts more than 50 domestic brands. And while instant noodles have stayed well under a dollar a pack, a restaurant bowl of ramen in Tokyo now costs $8. Ando, it seems, invented the inflation-proof food. Now if only the 89-year-old can figure out a way to perform the same feat with sushi.