Join Andrew and Sabrina as they unravel for listeners the history of instant noodles and how innovation and tech changed it, making it the comfort food of the millennial generation, especially in Asia. This episode explores how instant noodles went from a post-war survival hack to a global empire worth billions.
Discover the extraordinary tale of how cup noodles went from a backyard experiment to becoming NASA's favorite comfort food in space. Then, find out how a major noodle company, inspired by street food, revolutionized the industry by transforming soupy noodles into a sweet, savory, umami-packed dry format—an innovation so powerful it made its way into Nigerian pop and hip-hop lyrics. Finally, brace yourself for the digital era, where instant noodles took over the internet with the spicy Korean fire noodle challenge, proving that noodles are more than just a meal—they’re a global phenomenon. From solving food scarcity to becoming space-ready meals, from transforming Nigerian cuisine to conquering YouTube, these noodle empires demonstrate how simple innovations can transcend borders, shape economies, and become deeply embedded in global culture.
Join us for this flavorful journey through business genius, cultural adaptation, and the universal language of noodles.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!