Firstly:
Sadly, all good things (like this blog), must come to an end. There is no better way to leave a mark on readers (yes, you) than to deliver an unnecessarily concluding message, which subsequently leads to......
Secondly:
There are an unimaginable plethora of ways for a person to show passion. It's a powerful word passed down from generations as a morally invaluable lesson that can easily be summarized in 4 words:
"Do What You Love"
- Pretty much everyone.
All verbal antics aside, writing gives me a way to express some heart, soul & true genuine character that can turn a simple assignment, into a great chance to freely (& enjoyably) produce a unique form of art in the style of print. In other words, any sort of writing without guidelines or limiting boundaries gives me a chance to push my mind out of that dreaded comfort zone that tends to strenuously snare us all in everyday life. As a result (metaphorically speaking), an ordinary person can become mightier with a keyboard (or a pen) than the chef's knife (or a sword). That sense of empowerment of being able to produce powerful products simply with just words, along with the positive feedback you get that drives you to continue creating your own form of art (because everyone has a special way of creating something beautiful) is what spurs my passion (& style) for writing.
How does all of this relate to the title? Innovations (as I believe it to be) are the subsequent chain of events that take place after one's passion gradually pushes a person's mastery to the point where any dream perceived impossible becomes a reality.
[Interlude]
One sort of innovation that revolutionized a full portable meal is actually hiding behind your kitchen cabinet right now. Depending on how often you don't make your own meals (or if you're feeling lazy at times), this particular invention is usually bought in packs... Or also commonly sold in the form of sealed cups perhaps.
Okay, for the sake of taking up your time with lame riddles they're INSTANT NOODLES.
In the culinary world they are dreaded for being 110% processed.
In the student life, they are considered a godsend for being highly affordable (& life-saving).
From my mom's perspective they give you cancer if you have over 2 servings a day. I call Bogus!!!
In my eyes, I see it as one of the best food inventions ever made.
Meet Momofuku Ando (1910-2007).
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| Image From: http://luckypeach.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ando-970x450.jpg |
Born in luxury to a Taiwanese family in the early 1900's (the golden century of almost every invention ever patented), Momofuku Ando grew up as an orphan raised by his grandparents, who both ran a small fabric production business. Ando enjoyed spending his time helping out his family in the shop, while at the same time learning the ropes of running a retail business which led him to start his own in his early 20's.
Wanting to learn more about how to operate his business, Ando moved to Japan where he studied at a private university until he ban to open new ventures within in the fabrics industry.
Despite enjoying his new-found success managing multiple businesses at a young age, World War 2 at the time had burned up many of Japan's resources towards the war effort, and food became a big issue. In an unfortunate turn of events, Momofuku Ando was propelled into the food industry after his businesses collapsed like dominoes. One by one as each venture went down, Ando became penniless despite hanging onto a small salt-production business (which would grow to become Nissin)
But that's just the beginning of this flash-frying, water-pouring, umami-filled adventure.
One day, Ando was roaming the streets of Osaka. Upon seeing United States rations of bread being handed out to its impoverished citizens, Ando began to ponder about the absence of noodles in the markets. Asking the government on why Japan's staple food item was growing scarce, Ando was only told that many productions companies ceased after the war.
Frustration (and some determination) made Ando realize that hunger was something that everyone suffered. Wanting to change that for the better, Ando adopted an aphorism that would be the driving point to his success:
"Peace will come to the world when the people have enough to eat."
- Momofuku Ando
And so, Ando began to revise his salt-producing company into making something much different: Noodles!
Wanting to create a special kind of noodles that could be eaten anywhere in convenience, Ando locked himself in his backyard shed & began experimenting with various methods to preserve & revive noodles. Each failure became a new clue for Ando after each attempt, and eventually Ando cracked the code when he saw his wife making Tempura one night for dinner. Ando had pioneered the Flash-Frying Method in his noodles after practicing the similar technique of deep-frying foods in hot oil with small batches of ramen (divided in servings). Applying hot-water with the dried-up noodles, Ando waited several minutes until he saw the noodles expand into a prepared instant-meal!
Success then followed as Ando converted his salt factory into an instant noodle production establishment. Initially considered a luxury item as instant noodles were priced expensively, they became rave as prices were dropped to just less than 13 cents (now $1).
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| Image From: http://eatlikeagirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/yokohama-cup-noodle-museum-1958.jpg |
Wanting to make noodles EVEN MORE convenient, Ando took the extra mile by creatively selling noodles in a polyurethane cup so that they could literally be prepared on the spot (with hot water), and be easy to hold while being simple to eat with while the cup's material kept the meal warm (also so that you don't look ridiculous & lower your own self-esteem by eating noodles with a full-sized bowl during daily commutes). In this new form factor, Momofuku Ando had thought of the perfect meal to snack on-the-go!
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| This is how I die: In a sea of scrumptious broth & Monosodium Glutamate with artificial processed garnishes all through a variety of flavours to choose from at a ridiculously low price. Image From: http://eatlikeagirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/yokohama-cup-noodle-museum-noodle-pots.jpg |
Cup Noodles took the world by storm. All over the world, many have adopted instant noodles as a staple food kept in the average household. From a small shack in Osaka to every supermarket in the globe, this delicacy (I use that word as a true junkie for instant noodles) wouldn't have been possible without three crucial aspects that guided Ando throughout his journey:
Service:
As Ando wanted to create something that would fix the issue of hunger for everyone, he particularly focused on producing noodles for people as the country wasn't producing as much. This self-obligation is what pushed Ando into making a super-convenient meal for all to enjoy.
Process:
Success happens when you're willing to fail miserably over & over again until you get what you want. Ando never gave up despite trial & error on an elaborate (yet simple) way to preserve noodles. Refusing to give up, Ando eventually (and unexpectedly) found the method of flash-frying. From tht point on, Ando took small steps, gradually rising from sampling Instant Noodles locally to expanding his empire overseas. When it comes to a process towards innovation, failure (humility) & perseverance are the stepping stones to achieving greatness (you can literally do anything you wanted if you have these big three abilities).
Technology:
Flash-Frying is a special preserving method for instant ramen where noodles are subjected into hot oil where the water inside the dough is forced out by the hot temperatures of the oil (think of it as evaporation on a molecular level). When the noodles are taken out, they are shrunken & dry from a lack of moisture until hot water is added. Not only does the moisture from the water revive the noodles to their prepared state, but it is also cooked from the hot cooking temperatures.
[Epilogue]
When that seemingly impossible innovation happens, the subsequent impact it could have on the world (or perhaps the way we live) can inspire many sceptical philosophers to the point where even those kinds of people are driven to pursue their own passions & possibly change the world (they realize that anything is possible). That is how more innovations occur and the cycle continues as people find more & more unique, effective ways to change the world for the better.
I'm glad to have created The Cooking Chef (and the banners, blog design & my epic logo. Thank a year of taking Graphic Design for that!), and most of all I'm glad to have had the chance to write in a way that can turn assignments into something special. Come to think of it, I may have found my own passion in the form of Journalism (shocker)!
Honestly though, I don't know where my life will take me. Either in a newsroom or at the front of my future restaurant, but letting the chips fall where they may is slowly showing me what I'm truly meant to be doing that really makes my world such a thrill ride.
- Clement
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| Yes, I have a logo. No, it's not weird at all to have one. Maybe it'll be useful in the future? |
(P.S. You deserve a round of applause if you've read all of this. Here's a quote to keep you thinking).
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| From: http://www.truthcontrol.com/files/truthcontrol/images/crazy.jpg |
