Review: Jin Ramen (Hot)

Sorry for not posting this sooner.  I've been sick this week with the cold.  So what does the doctor recommend?  RAMEN.  It'll warm you up, provide (some?) nutrients, and it saves time, which you could use to recuperate.


 During one of my many trips to the local Korean market, I picked up this ramen.  Seems okay.  I never heard of it before.  The packaging is nice.  So I gave it a shot.

I'm not quite sure what Jin (진) means in this context.  I hope it means "cold remedy."

First thing's first: check how to cook this bad boy.  It seems simple enough.  But what's with the 2nd step?!  

This is what the contents are: standard noodles, flake pack, and MSG soup pack.  (Finger not included.)

Believe it or not, I can boil water without burning the apartment down.

Insides of the two packets.

Don't forget to set the timer (and get a haircut...)!

And here's the finished product!

And here's the finished product finished off.

1. Noodles: 4 - Not too thin like in the last review.  Despite my crappy stove, cooking the ramen for 4 minutes according to the directions yielded good noodles -- not underdone, not all puffy.  
2. Soup: 3 - The packaging doesn't technically lie.  I suppose to some people this would be considered "hot."  To me, this soup is nothing special.  It serves its purpose, but it doesn't shine or have its own identity.  Looking (or would it be tasting?) back, it seemed very generic.
3. Extras: 4 - I'm not naive to think that there's actual fresh vegetables and an egg yolk in the package, so my expectations for the flakes were low.  I was pleasantly surprised with the carrot and mushrooms, which give a nice contrast to the texture of the noodle and the flavor of the soup.
4. Overall Taste: 3 - Like I said in the Soup section, it's not very memorable.  Don't get me wrong: it's an okay ramen.  It's a decent change of pace from the staple ramens, but I don't see myself craving this particular brand.
5. Ease of cooking: 4 - Simple standard ramen cooking procedure: boil water, dump contents (sans packets) into water, cook for X minutes, serve.
6. Stand aloneability: 2 - It's about the same size as most other ramen brands.  However, I deduct a point because half of the instructions tells the consumer to add other food to the ramen.  Sure, many brands will suggest adding some green onion, but kimchi is a bit too much; that's when the ramen becomes less of a product and more an ingredient.
7. Healthiness: 3 - 80% sodium, 24% fat, 40% saturated fat.  Lighter on the salt, but heavier (pun intended) on the fats.  Pick your poison (pun unintended).
8. Originality: 1 - Unmemorable aside from the flakes.  Just another faceless ramen (although Ottogi's [Korean: 오뚜기] logo does have a cute, Nuka Cola-esque face on it). 

Not a bad product.  I'd like to see the instructions not devalue the product.  Obviously, no one can prevent consumers from adding their own items into ramen.  But to go to the opposite extreme and explicitly suggesting to the consumer to add ingredients that will significantly overshadow the product just doesn't show any confidence at all.  Would you enjoy reading a blog written by a self-deprecating guy who can't cook and is overdue for a haircut?  Wait a second........