5 March 1910 5 January 2007 Momofuku Ando was a taiwanese-Japanese entrepreneur, founder of Nissin Food industry, famous for having invented instant noodles. Momofuku Ando was born in Taiwan as Wu Baifu in 1910 into a wealthy family. Parents die when he is still at an early age. Is then raised by grandparents in Tainan, where they own a small fabric store, which inspired Momofuku Ando to begin his textile company with 190,000 yen, at the age of 22 years, in Taipei, Taiwan's capital. In 1933, Ando goes to Osaka, Japan on business. After World War II, Momofuku Ando became a Japanese citizen and moved to Japan, where he attended the Ritsumeikan University; While studying at the same time founded a small merchandising firm in Osaka with the inheritance received from his family. "Momofuku" is the Japanese reading of its Chinese name, while "Ando" is a common Japanese surname. In 1948 is convicted of tax evasion for which a sentence of two years in jail he discounts. In his biography, Ando has got to declare that in those years had provided scholarships for students, and what was then considered a form of tax evasion. After losing his company due to a failure, Momofuku Ando founded what was to become Nissin in Osaka, Japan, starting as a small family run company producing salt.
The famous instant noodles (spaghetti)
We consider the post-war scenario: Japan still suffers from a shortage of food; the Health Ministry seeks to encourage people to eat bread made from wheat flour, provided with aid from the United States. Ando wondered why bread was chosen instead of the dough (as a traditional Asian, certainly not the Italian one), who was a food more familiar to the Japanese. The Ministry's response was that noodle companies were too small and they could not meet the needs of Japanese supply. So Ando decided to develop the production of pasta. On August 25, 1958, at the age of 48 years, and after months of trial and error testing, performed to perfect his Flash frying method, Momofuku Ando launched its first package of precooked instant noodles, called "Chikin Ramen" (ramen is a Japanese dish consisting of noodles-noodles and broth). Its most famous product became the "Cup Noodle" (Kappu Nūdoru), launched the September 18, 1971: it was presented with a waterproof styrofoam container. The growth and spread of this product was unstoppable: global demand reached 98 billion servings in 2007. Chikin Ramen is still sold in Japan: retail price is equal to about a third of the price in the same bowl of pasta sold in Japanese restaurant cheaper. According to the Financial Times, the invention of Momofuku Ando of 1971-conceived at age 61--helped ignite the spark that popularised instant noodles worldwide. Ando had observed that Americans ate noodles by breaking the dough in half, putting them in a bowl and pouring over hot water. The idea of eating noodles by opening just a lid and adding hot water had seemed simple and efficient, and especially at low cost. This idea had the good fortune to Nissin. Momofuku Ando died of heart failure on January 5, 2007 in a hospital in Ikeda, Osaka, at the age of 96 years, leaving his wife, two sons and a daughter. Ando has always maintained that the secret of his long life he resided in a few factors: golf and eating Ramen chicken almost every day.
The commemoration in the United States
On 19 January 2007, in a small hospital in Texas, was established the "Momofuku Ando Day": on that day-established in memory of the life and genius of Ando-each employee participates in carrying several packages of noodles, of different flavors, for a banquet. Over time it is understood the importance of ramen, as a staple food for the victims of disasters and poverty, as well as for college students or anyone wanting a quick meal. The "Momofuku Ando Day" became an attempt to help feed the needy with fundraisers for charities, or simply drawing attention to poverty or hunger through ramen, or donations of food to local food banks, or even cooking free meals. The day was set as the second Friday of the month of January.