A Hokkaido resident demonstrates. 

You’ve probably seen them as you’ve walked around shopping centers in Japan. The’re made of resin or wax and sit in the windows of restaurants everywhere: food displays. They’re deceptively realistic, making you wonder if, in fact, that one ramen shop actually has a real bowl of ramen sitting in the window in the sun. If so…yuck.

But if not…impressive! These food samples are kind of iconic, so they make great souvenirs from Japan. You can go to shops in Tokyo and Gifu where you can make some yourself, or you can buy some from a vending machine in Tokyo. But if you’re in Hokkaido, the cold northern reaches of Japan, you can make a sample display of a cup of instant noodles all on your own, simply by using the world around you!

Hokkaido resident and Twitter user Souji Yamauchi (@suymuc) shared how in a popular Tweet. It’s simple; just make cup noodles as you normally would, then scoop some up with a pair of chopsticks. Hold the chopsticks–and the noodles–up with some string, and then set it by your front door for an hour and a half. And voila! You have a dynamic and cool-looking ramen sample.

Of course, you’ll need to have some very cold weather to achieve this feat. In Yamauchi’s neighborhood, it’s a chilly minus 22.6 degrees Celsius (minus 8.68 degrees Fahrenheit), well below the freezing point. But the cold weather has its perks–you can freeze ramen into shapes!

Here’s a step-by-step video guide, so you, too, can have some fun in the miserable cold of winter:

A word of advice, though: Yamauchi does not recommend eating the noodles frozen, because they melt in your mouth and create a weird texture. Instead, you can easily reheat them, just as if you would any frozen meal.

So in essence, you’re not only making a cool display but providing yourself with a pre-prepared meal for the future. It’s a win-win situation!

If you don’t live in a freezing cold place, you could also do this in your freezer if you have enough space, so why not give it a try wherever you are? Share your photos on social media and tag us. But make sure you warm your noodles up and eat them afterwards! We at SoraNews24 never waste our food, and you shouldn’t either.

Source, Featured image: Twitter/@suymuc via Netlab
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!