Monday, January 08, 2007

Mr pot noodle dies :(

You've probably once fancied a "Bombay Bad Boy". Or maybe the "Edwina Curry". You may even have gobbled down the one featuring "Big Dave". So many Britons are said to be fans of the Pot Noodle that few this weekend will not mourn the passing of Momofuku Ando, inventor of the instant noodle snack, who died of a heart attack on Friday aged 96.

Mr Ando was born in Taiwan in 1910, when it was still under colonial rule, and moved to Japan in 1933. He first came up with the idea for the instant noodle snack in the face of the huge food shortages after the Second World War. After several years' development, the Chicken Ramen was launched in 1958.

Its success led Nissin Food Products - which Mr Ando founded in 1948 - to introduce further items, including the Cup Noodle in 1971. The polystyrene cup contained a slab of pre-cooked noodles and merely required the consumer to add hot water and a flavour packet.

Mr Ando only relinquished the co-chairmanship of his company at the age of 95, last June.

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