投稿類別：英文寫作類

篇名：

Good Taste in Three Minutes－ The Comparison of Taiwanese Instant Noodles and Korean Ramyeon

作者： 陳郁雯。國立北港高中。應外三 陳美玲。國立北港高中。應外三

指導老師： 周涵妮老師

Good Taste in Three Minutes

I. Introduction

I.1. Research Background

Due to the advance of food processing technology, the flavors of instant noodles is getting more and more diversified. Instant noodles have become an indispensable meal for us to live a fast-paced life. According to the statistics from World Instant Noodles Association, Korean people is listed No.1 who loves eating instant noodles the most. Based on the latest United Nations estimates, the total population of South Korea is around 50 million. Koreans consume over 3.5 billion bags of instant noodles per year. Compared with Korea, is ranked No.6. have purchased 1.1 billion bags of instant noodles in a year. Instant noodles have brought the great commercial possibility, which arouses our learning desire to know why people are so captivated by instant noodles and tell the differences between the Korean ones and Taiwanese ones.

I.2. Research Process

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II. Thesis

II.1. Taiwanese Instant Noodles

Instant noodles could be traced back to 1950s. Instant noodles, also called “timely noodles” or “convenience noodles,” literally means people can soak it in the hot water before eating it. Instant noodles were first introduced in Taiwan by a Japanese-Taiwanese inventor Momofuku Ando of in in 1958. According to the data from the International Manufacturers Association, Taiwan is the twelfth biggest market, with the annual NT$10 billion in sales. Major leading instant noodles manufacturers in Taiwan include Uni-President, VEDAN, Wei Lih, Master Kong, and Ve Wong.

With a view to meeting the demand of the fussy eaters in Taiwan, all the instant noodles companies have kept launching the new flavors and using various marketing strategies to promote their products. The classic examples of instant noodles are as follows. One is “Imperial Big Meal.” With the meat seen in the bowl, it tends to chang the stereotype of instant noodles into the real dishes. Another is “One More Cup.” Featuring the smaller amount of instant noodles, it is the perfect choice for a night snack or dessert.

II.2. Korean Instant Noodles

South Korea is not the cradle of instant noodles, but the necessity for life. In the past, President of South Korea, Park Chung-hee, boosted the noodles as their staple food in order to increase the amount of rice storage. At then, Korean people had a craze for Ramyeon, Korean instant noodles. Due to the ease of preparation and low cost, Ramyeon is often eaten at any time, as regular meals, side dish, dessert, and camping food. Instant noodles have always occupied a special place in Koreans’ heart.

Differentiated from other instant noodles in other countries, Korean Ramyeon is not so greasy and very chewy. Korean Ramyeon is often seen in the Korean films and Korean dramas. As a result of the popularity of Korean cultures, Taiwanese people now are accustomed to eating Korean cuisine. Consequently, more and more Taiwanese people will choose Kimchi flavored instant noodles or the instant noodles imported from Korea.

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II.3. The Comparison of Instant Noodles between Taiwan and Korea

Taiwanese instant noodles are radically different in noodles, ingredients and flavors. Owing to the difference of ways of cooking instant noodles, the noodle itself is quite different between Korean products and Taiwanese products. It is customary for Koreans to boil the noodles, while Taiwanese people only soak the noodle into hot water. We use two similar types of instant noodles, kimchi-flavor noodles soup and Fried-sauce dry noodles to make a detailed comparison in their taste, calories, and price.

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II.4. Questionnaire Analysis

In order to know more about the customers’ thought about their preference of eating instant noodles and their personal viewpoints. 141 instant noodles eater will be the research participants for answering this questionnaire. The frequency distribution and the related results about are portrayed as the following tables.

In our survey, we find that most of the Taiwanese consumers are more familiar with our local brand of instant noodles. In the chart below shows the ranking of instant noodle product that comes first to participants’ mind. Among them, only Shih Ramyeon is known by Taiwanese people. The brand awareness of Korean Ramyeon still has room for improvement.

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In addition, we also find Taiwanese people have specific preference in some specific types of instant noodles. Ignoring the importance of health, Taiwanese consumers are fond of soft noodles and heavy flavors. Furthermore, most of them consider Korean Ramyeon is more expensive than Taiwanese instant noodles. Besides, among the common factors of the advertising effect, including brand, spokesperson, and calories, the most influential part that will affect Taiwanese consumers’ purchase intention is brand.

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III. Conclusion

Through this research, we find that exploring the topic of instant noodles is much more complicated than we originally thought. The development of a seemingly trivial bowl of instant noodles actually results in its living habits and cultural differences. Instant noodles used to be considered the only food that we would eat in the emergency situation. Nowadays, many people choose to eat instant noodles as their regular meal for the purpose of being fast, cheap and convenient. Various kinds of instant noodles have been imported from different nations, allowing Taiwanese consumers to experience different types of instant noodles with distinguish features.

As a whole, the price of Taiwanese instant noodles is more reasonable. Despite the different taste and flavors of instant noodles, each of them has its own supporters. It is very convenient for us to eat instant noodles. However, overeating too many instant noodles is not recommended. As a result, we suggest that Taiwanese manufacturers of instant noodle industries develop the new flavors which can do less harm to our health, like the one with low-calories, low-fat recipes. In that case, consumers can enjoy the taste and keep a healthy diet in the same time.

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IV. Reference

1. Fu, B. X. (2008). Asian noodles: History, classification, raw materials, and processing. Food Research International, 41(9), 888-902.

2. Lee, J. S., Kim, J., Hong, K. H., Jang, Y. A., Park, S. H., Sohn, Y., & Chung, H. R. (2009). A comparison of food and nutrient intakes between instant noodle consumers and non-consumers among Korean children and adolescents. Korean Journal of Nutrition, 42(8), 723-731.

3. Kim, H. S., Lee, E. Y., Kim, K., Kim, K. W., Pyun, J., Chung, S. J., ... & Nam, K. (2013). Survey on dietary behaviors and intakes of instant noodle (Ramyeon) soup among college students. Korean Journal of Community Nutrition, 18(4), 365-371.

4 Kim, S. K. (1996). Instant noodles. Pasta and noodle technology, 195-225.

5. Kubomura, K. (1998). Instant noodles in Japan. Cereal foods world (USA).

6. National Trends in Instant Noodles Demands. World Instant Noodles Association (WINA). Archived from the original on 6 June 2012.

7. Moss, R., Gore, P. J., & Murray, I. C. (1987). The influence of ingredients and processing variables on the quality and microstructure of Hokkien, Cantonese and instant noodles. Food Structure, 6(1), 9.

8. Pan, W. H., Wu, H. J., Yeh, C. J., Chuang, S. Y., Chang, H. Y., Yeh, N. H., & Hsieh, Y. T. (2011). Diet and health trends in Taiwan: comparison of two nutrition and health surveys from 1993-1996 and 2005-2008. Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition, 20(2), 238-250.

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V. Appendix

Questionnaire We are doing a survey on “Taiwanese instant noodles” and “Korean instant noodles.” We would like to know your points of view. Please complete the questionnaire based on your own thought. Thank you for your help!

A. User Information 1-1. Gender: □ Male □ Female 1-2. Age: □ Under 20 □ 21~30 □ 31~40 □ Over 40

B. Preference of Eating Instant Noodles

2-1. How often do you eat instant noodles?

□ At any time □ Sometimes □ Seldom □ Never.

2-2. What kind of the noodle texture do you like?

□ Soft □ Elastic □ Dry □ Soggy.

2-3. What flavors of instant noodles do you like to eat?

□ Kimchi □ Spicy □ Seafood □ Meat □ Fried sauce □ Vegetables □ Others 2-4. If you want to eat instant noodles, which instant noodles will come to your mind ? ______

C. Customers’ Viewpoints 3-1. The price of Taiwanese instant noodles is reasonable. Strongly disagree □ 1 □ 2 □ 3 □ 4 □ 5 Strongly agree 3-2. The price of Korean instant noodles is reasonable. Strongly disagree □ 1 □ 2 □ 3 □ 4 □ 5 Strongly agree 3-3. The brand of instant noodles will affect my purchase intention. Strongly disagree □ 1 □ 2 □ 3 □ 4 □ 5 Strongly agree

3-4. The calorie content of instant noodles will affect my purchase intention.

Strongly disagree □ 1 □ 2 □ 3 □ 4 □ 5 Strongly agree

Thanks for sharing your opinion to us!

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