Ramen inventor Ando dies at 96

They may not have known his name, but college students, office workers, programmers and late-night snackers everywhere owe him a debt.

Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant ramen noodles, died Friday in Osaka, Japan. He was 96.

Ando was inspired to create the cheap, salty treat by food scarcity in postwar Japan. The company he founded, Nissin Food Products, now produces 16 flavors of Top Ramen and Cup Noodles. Last year, 46.3 billion packs and cups were sold around the world.

Blog community response:

"If there is a universal cuisine of programmers, Jolt Cola and instant ramen are surely prime components. The 'Cup Noodle' featuring ramen in its distinct styrofoam container was introduced in 1971 and has littered the desktops of programmers around the world ever since."
--O'Reilly MacDev Center Blog

"So let's take a moment for the man responsible for the sustenance and well being of a couple generations of college students, musicians, teens, and harried office workers. So thank you and g'night, Momofuku Ando. Your work shall live on forever. I don't know about you, but my lunch is going to be some ramen with wasabi and kelp seasoning, a egg whisked in, and some soy sauce."
--Transbuddha

"As any hungry cosmonaut or broke college student knows, his creation truly is a miracle food."
--Boing Boing

"I can't tell you how many times Ando's product has gotten me through those times in my life when money was scarce and I had to watch my spending. Sure, after about the twenty-third straight meal of chicken-flavored noodles you'd rather eat tree bark than even look at another noodle, but Ando provided a cheap alternative to starving to death, and I salute him for it."
--AdJab