Get To Know Your Blogger

Hey guys. Before I do anything else, I want to thank the awesome folks at Ramenbox.com for passing around links to the reviews I wrote about them. I ended up with 105 hits that day, as opposed to my usual... 8-ish. Thanks guys! Stay awesome!

Sorry I kind of vanished from the internet there for a while. It's been a rough however long it's been, and then I was out of town for a few days visiting Downtown Otaku and just living my life. I read straight through "The Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer" up to current, and I'll blog about that once my life settles down again.

Speaking of life, how about we talk about we all get to know each other a bit? I've been posting a lot without letting ya'll get to know me and that's probably a mistake when blogging. And lord only know that little bio thing over on the side will only go so far.

So hi. I'm Sono.

I wear wigs sometimes. Not because I don't like my hair. I just really like wearing wigs. Also because I'm really into dressing up as people that aren't me due to anxiety issues. This mostly takes the form of dressing up as anime/comics/video game characters. Though sometimes I just walk around in wigs because it's awesome.

I'm also an art student, majoring in cartooning at the School of Visual Arts.

This means, pretty much, that I draw comics. I'm looking to make a career out of it. I am improving constantly (as seen above) through ass-loads of work. I'm hoping, by this time next year, to have one of my projects live, finally. Next summer is also when I graduate and have to be an adult. Suckkkk. I'm so nervous about it. But I'm looking forward to trying to make a name for myself in the field.

I don't know how many of you remember the... one time Suri wrote for this blog before I removed him as an author because he never posted. But we're still dating. It's been over four years now. Shit's rough sometimes, but we always come out the other end spouting nonsense and being crazy. We're kind of ridiculous like that. He's supportive of all my nonsense and he puts up with shit from me that I wouldn't even put up with. He's basically a saint.

I am, as I have made obvious, a huge nerd. I love pokemon, cartoons, some video games, music, and food. I will ramble about these things until daybreak if you let me. Thus why I started this blog. It's a good outlet for all of my rambling and hopefully some if it is useful to you all.

If there's anything specific ya'll want me to talk about or check out just let me know and I'll do my best to get around to it. Otherwise I'm just going to keep rambling about things that no one cares about except for me.

I hope this was some kind of interesting for you all and that you now know me a little better.

I Have Eaten A Lot Of Ramen Lately

So I'm most of the way through my 40 slot Ramenbox. As anticipated, it did not disappoint. I've tried 11 of the 14 kinds of ramen I ordered, and there are only two kinds I wouldnt order again (and they are both basically the same thing). I've divided the varieties in my box up into three categories...

Will Order Again
Pretty straight forward, this is ramen that I loved. Stuff I would eat on a regular basis without hesitation.

Sapporo Ichiban Chowmein -- This was my favorite variety hands down. It has a very different preparation than all of the other varieties, is still simple (and, in my opinion, rather fun) to prepare, and is absolutely delicious. If you've ever had one of Nissin's microwave Chowmein bowls, it is a lot like that, only better. I could, really, roder a whole box of this and be happy.

Indomie Fried Noodles -- These are delicious, and taste similar to Sapporo Ichiban's chowmein, though are prepared in a more traditional style for ramen. But it's a good, sweet ramen.

Paldo Bibim Men -- I regret not buying two or three of this. It was super-spicy but it was sweet and really really good.

Indomie BBQ Chicken -- A good chicken ramen. A whole lot of flavor. If you just want soem standard chicken ramen that's still pretty damn delicious this is a good way to go.

Sapporo Ichiban Beef -- Another pretty standard ramen that just packs in a lot of flavor. I'm a big fan of beef ramens so I got a few of these and I'm already mostly through them.

Might Order Again
This is stuff that I might only order one of next time, or forego ordering again if I see something new I'd like to try. It wasn't bad, and I would gladly eat it again, but I just liked the other stuff better.

Indomie Chicken Curry -- This was good, but curry and curry flavored things are something I can only eat so often without it making me kind of ill.

Mama Pork Ramen -- This was delicious, but it's definitely a "cold weather" ramen, so I might nor order any again until the summer is over.

NongShim Spicy Chicken Ramen -- This is one I've had before, and every now and then I just crave it, but god damn it's really spicy. I'm also not a big fan of dried-and-rehydreated vegetables, and not having the option to not put them in here is kind of a downside for me.

Indomie Spicy Beef -- I just liked the other varieties of beef ramen that I've bought better than this one. My one real problem with Indomie's ramen options are that their seasoning/oil packets are all conected. This makes oil packets kind of hard/gross to open and pour out, especially inc ases when there are three packets connected to each other and not two.

Won't Order Again
There were two varieties that fell into this category. I just didn't like them. I do, however, know people who have really enjoyed them. So maybe it's just my taste.

NongShim Chapghetti and Paldo Jja Jang Men were a little too bitter for my taste. Though I've always been more into sweet-savory varieties like some of the ones mentioned above. Thankfully I only ordered one Paldo Jja Jang Men, but I still have two packages of NongShim Chapghetti, which I'm passing off to Suri and McLovin.

Still left to try I have the Kung Fu Beef ramen, VeWong Peppered Beef ramen, and WuMu Garlic Sesame Oil ramen. I'm really looking forward to these. In the future, I may review these here, as well as other varieties I haven't tried yet.

All-in-all the box has been overwhelmingly great. If you want a great variety of quick and easy ramen-based meals, you really need to browse through Ramenbox.com's great selection. I can't wait to finish off my first box so I can order another one.

Arrival of the RamenBox!

So, a week ago my mom and I placed an order from RamenBox.com. We put together a big 40-slot ramen box, placed the order, and waited. It arrived today just as I finished making some pasta for lunch, since for all the good comedic timing I tend to have, my practical timing is generally terrible. None the less, I was totally excited to have my big box of ramen finally in hand. After eating, I tore it open and this is what I found:



37 glorious packages of ramen (I had a few 2-slot items), 14 different types, all packed into two boxes. It's a truly beautiful thing. My lineup consists of the following:

- 3 Indomie Spicy Beef Ramen
- 3 KungFu Beef Ramen
- 4 Sappolo Ichiban Beef Ramen
- 4 Mama Pork Ramen
- 3 Indomie BBQ Chicken Ramen
- 2 Indomie chicken Curry Ramen
- 2 NongShim Spicy Chicken Ramen
- 4 Sapporo Ichiban Chowmein
- 3 NongShim Chapghetti
- 1 Paldo Bibim Men
- 1 Paldo Jja Jang Men
- 2 Vewong Peppered Beef Ramen
- 2 WuMu Garlic Sesame Oil Ramen
- 3 Indomie Fried Noodles



I've had a few of these before (like the Sapporo Ichiban beef and the NongShim Spicy chicken) since I have apretty diverse super market in my area, but I'm excited to try a bunch of new things. Especially some of the vegetarian options that I ordered.

Because the guys over at RamenBox.com are so cool, they also threw in a few sets of chopsticks, some chili sauce, and a pack of Tung-I Beef Flavored Instant Rice Noodles. These little extras and free noodles totally won me over, because I'm a sucker for extras. Way to snag yourselves a repeat customer guys.



So since I got a hold of something a little unexpected with my order, and I'm hungry, I'm going to write more about the Tung-I Beef Flavored Rice Noodles. I've never really done a food review so bear with me on this one.



So, prep on this is pretty standard fare. You've got your noodles, a pack of seasoning, and an oil packet. Three minutes in boiling water, and then add in the seasoning and eat. The rice noodles didn't absorb the seasoning very well, but they had a pretty nice texture to them. Even though the noodles didn't absorb it very well, the broth had a lot of flavor and held up to the texture of the noodles pretty well.

I'd definitely have it again, though next time I'd change a few things. I'd add the seasoning in at the beginning so the noodles could absorb it straight on, and I'd use a bit less water. I'dS also add that leftover steak in the fridge. Yum. Meat is always a good addition.



So all in all, if you like ramen, Ramenbox is a good deal! It'd probably cost you more to buy them all inidivitually, even if you factor in shipping. And it is run by some fantastic, friendly people, and when you order you might even get a little something extra! There's also their free slots program, where you can earn slots and eventually get a free box of ramen! So drop by and check it out. You most likely will not be disappointed. I know I wasn't.

Nerds and Ramen Are Inseparable

Ramen is kind of a staple of my household. I like being able to make quick, easy meals for myself at any time of day since I have a ridiculously erratic eating schedule. I keep a couple boxes of pot-stickers and microwave rice pouches and things around, but there's nothing quite like a good bowl of ramen.

But as I'm sure many of you know, a girl can only eat so much Nissin Top Ramen before things start getting a little stale. Then one day, a friend of mine on LiveJournal mentioned something that caught my eye...

RAMENBOX.COM



I made myself an account and kept the link sitting around in my favorites until I could get money to order a Ramenbox of my own. In the meantime my mom kept picking up packs of Nissin chicken flavor Top Ramen, which I've eaten maybe three bows of and wishing it was something more interesting.

The other day, on a grocery run, I mentioned Ramenbox to mom, and today I pulled up the site so she could check it out. I'd planned to go for a regular 20 slot box, but mom decided we should go for the large 40 slot box! I put one together and we ordered it this afternoon!

They ship via FedEx ground (Which I like, because we're a FedEx loyal family, due to my dad being a courier!) so it'll be here on Monday or Tuesday most likely and we are looking forward to the super cool ramen that we've ordered.

Ramenbox also has the friendliest people in the world on staff. They keep in touch with their customers via their twitter account, and from what I've seen if you have any kind of problem regarding your order they will do what they can to help you out.

Once my box gets here I'll be sure to do another post on all of the great things I packed it with, but in the meantime take a browse around the Ramenbox site. Setting up a box is easy, and is actually a whole lot of fun. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.