From wikipedia, we got:
Instant noodles are dried precooked noodles fused with oil, usually eaten after being cooked or soaked in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes. A flavor packet is almost always included with a packet of instant noodles. The product may also be consumed raw from the packet, as the noodles are already cooked, usually by frying. The brick of noodles can be broken into squarish chunks.
Instant noodles originate from instant versions of the Japanese dish ramen which originated in China. The idea of instant noodles can be traced back to the Chinese Qing Dynasty, when yimian noodles were deep-fried which allowed them to be stored for long periods and then prepared quickly. Similarly, "Chicken Thread Noodles" (deep-fried thin noodles served with boiling water and optionally an egg) were available in China and Taiwan since Qing Dynasty.
Modern instant noodles were invented in Japan by businessman Momofuku Ando (安藤百福), the founder of Nissin, one of the biggest manufacturers of instant noodles today. His noodles were boiled with flavouring, deep-fried with palm oil to remove moisture, and dried into a noodle cake. Other preservation methods have been tried, including preservation with salt and smoke, but Ando concluded that palm oil is the most efficient. In 1958, Nissin launched the world's first instant noodle product, Chikin Ramen (chicken-flavored instant ramen) in Osaka. Another milestone was reached in 1971 when Nissin introduced the Cup Noodle, instant noodles in a waterproof styrofoam container that could be used to cook the noodles. Further innovations include adding dried vegetables to the cup, creating a complete instant soup dish. According to a Japanese poll in the year 2000, instant noodles were the most important Japanese invention of the century. Karaoke came second, with the compact disc only coming in fifth. As of 2002, approximately 65 billion servings of instant noodles are eaten worldwide every year.
The most popular instant noodle in Thailand is "Mama" with Tom Yam Shrimp being the all time favorite flavor. There are a few local players in the market, namely "Wai Wai" and "Yum Yum".
In 2005, the Mama Noodles Index was launched to reflect the sales of Mama noodles, the biggest manufacturer in Thailand. The index was steady since the recovery from the East Asian financial crisis, but sales jumped by around 15% in first seven months in 2005 on year-to-year basis, which was regarded as a sign of recession. People could not afford more expensive foods, hence the increase in the purchase of instant noodle, as it is seen as an inferior good.
(Thanks to wikipedia).
Actually instant noodle could be also transformed into more elaborated food by adding other ingredients: vegetable, meat, egg. Some Guay Tiao shop would also have instant noodle as one of your choices.
Instant noodle sometimes is seen as 'modernity' in a context of remote village (the same as coca-cola and poteto chips). In this picture, the little girl of a sea people village in the south of Thailand is very please with a treat of a bag of MAMA.
