“Ramen Noodle” Vending Machines Are Here!

While you can get ramen from vending machines all over Asia and Japan, this innovative technology is now here in the US!

The great food website Tastingtable.com has the story. As they report:

Three years ago, semiconductor engineer Andy Lin woke up hungry in the middle of the night and wondered why he couldn’t get a decent bowl of ramen from a vending machine, like he could in Asia. Four prototypes later, his Yo-Kai Express vending machine is dispensing steaming-hot bowls of ramen at the Metreon, a shopping and cinema complex in San Francisco. You choose your bowl; pay by credit card, Apple Pay or with a code; watch a lively animation on the touch screen for the 45 seconds it takes for the bowl to be made; and then you’re ready to eat. The current offerings are $11 each and come with chopsticks, a spoon and a mesh-like carrier so you don’t burn your fingers transporting the bowl to a nearby table.

And lines are long, but don’t worry, there are plans for many more to come!

And what is in this “vending ramen?” Well, Tasting Table explains:

The vending machine offers a choice of ramen broth—tonkotsu or miso—and each one is topped with thin tender slices of pork, corn, seaweed, mushrooms and green onions. Lin expects to launch two new flavors every month, with black garlic next on the horizon. Ramen vending machines are slated to be installed at several terminals at SFO, and from there, it’s worldwide ramen domination with expansion into Chicago, Austin, Boston, Miami and Seattle.

So as you read, there are plans for all of us to enjoy this new “vending” sensation!

Thanks to Tasting Table for the story – their website is filled with great foodie fun, so check out the entire story on their website here:

https://www.tastingtable.com/dine/national/ramen-vending-machines-san-francisco?utm_medium=email&utm_source=TT&utm_campaign=Daily&utm_content=Editorial

Of course, followers of this blog know that I have posted about a number of wacky things that you can buy in Japanese vending machines – like the time I purchased coffee jelly when I was there:

You can also get hot creamed corn, any variety of bottled beverages like the iconic brand “Pocari Sweat”, and even flying fish!

So much fun to be had inside these wild vending machines – see some of my favorite products here:

https://johnrieber.com/2017/02/09/flying-fish-from-a-vending-machine-coffee-jelly-too-japans-wackiest-vending-machine-products/

Bravo to Andy Lin for giving the US a ramen vending machine!

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