I will say right away that I have never seen the movie, Tampopo. And I shamelessly identify myself an Asian food blogger! That is, Asian foodblogger, as in, I am an Asian blogger who blogs about food, not Asianfood (one word) blogger, as in a blogger who blogs about Asian food, but really now, how many times can I use the words "blog" and "blogger" in one sentence? Many. Don't test me.
I suppose I could pick up my little yellow ass and walk over to Blockbuster and rent it, but I have neither the motivation to walk nor the attention span to watch all 114 minutes of the movie. Besides, will it not be refreshing to write/read a post about ramen from a noodle shop called Tampopo with a totally fresh tone, completely devoid of quotes, scenes, and metaphors from the movie to guide me along in a would-be pop-culturally sensitive post? Of course.
the only tampopo i've "seen"
Tampopo is one of a few "stalls" within the tiny food court that's housed in the same structure as the Mitsuwa Market on Centinela in West LA. With the lone exception of the authentic regional Italian cuisine offered by Sbarro, I am highly suspicious of food from shopping mall food courts. However, that is an attitude that is shaped by my very Western lifestyle wherein Western grocery stores have no such thing as food courts attached to them (wolfing down a sandwich slapped together at the Boar's Head deli counter while waiting in the Express checkout line does not count as a food court), and food courts in shopping malls are teeming with screaming, disobedient children, making for a highly unenjoyable, stressful decision-making process between deep-fried hot dogs impaled on sticks and peddled by pimple-faced Rain-bo Brites and the less arterially noxious chicken "patty" that has been breaded, deep-fried, and smeared with diet mayo.
In the Asian cultures, the "food court" inside a large grocery store is a common thing. Just walk into any HK Market (HK stands for Han Kook) or Kaju Market (which means "California" - see I'm not totally whitewashed!) in Koreatown, or Japanese market (except the teeny small ones on Sawtelle) and you'll see noodle shops, simple sushi bars, and other such Asian equivalents of non-Asian food court QSRs. I can't comment on the overall the quality of such food court like stalls because, as I have written, I am still under this Western influence and as such, have always shied away from them. However, I am willing to bet that in general, it is far more socially acceptable to have a meal in an Asian marketplace food court than at Chick-Fil-A.
bento: a compromise
surprisingly opaque
So even with a deep-seated Western suspicion of food courts, we resigned ourselves to eating in the Mitsuwa Marketplace food court because it was long past lunch-time and we were un-breakfasted. Tampopo was my default choice amongst the three, not because ramen sounded infinitely more appetizing than tonkatsu or curry, but because it was the only one that had an "A" rating. Much to my sanitary chagrin, there was resistance to an all ramen lunch, so I agreed to pick at a bento box, too.
Tampopo offers a wide variety of ramen, permutations of different soup bases, choices of "toppings," and even noodle types. I went with a very basic chicken ramen. The hearty, opaque broth was a curious surprise, but even more so was the fragrant steam that was far more interesting than simple water seasoned with a "chicken flavor" packet or a splash of soy sauce. I had to add a naughty spanking of the togarashi shaker for some heat, but that's just me. The noodles were thick and chewy, plump with the broth and begging to be slurped, as is customary and not the least bit inappropriate in a place as public as a food court. I finished every last noodle, every shred of chicken, every pixie ring of green onion, then lifted the bowl without a blink and sucked down the broth like camel lost in the desert.
Not bad for a food court. *urp* Excuse me. The gyoza there aren't bad either.
crunchy? chunky? crunky.
those are rap song lyrics
I've gone back a few times to Mitsuwa Market, never specifically for the ramen at Tampopo, but always strategically planning my shopping for Japanese ingredients and undisputedly necessary novelties like a Choco Lotte Crunky bar around lunchtime, and of course, unbreakfasted so I have no other option.
Tampopo
in the Mitsuwa Marketplace Food Court
3760 South Centinela Avenue (@Venice Boulevard)
Los Angeles, CA 90066
310.915.0442
** a year ago today, i went hunting for happiness at james beach and canal club **
tags :: food : and drink : japanese : restaurants : reviews : los angeles
Adam says
Correct use of the hyphen would have saved you the explanation. Asian food blogger = Asian who blogs about food. Asian-food blogger = blogger of any ethnicity blogging about Asian food. But then you wouldn't have had as much fun writing that sentence, eh?
Adam says
Also: Do you prefer food blogger or foodblogger? I like squishing it into one word myself.
PS: GO RENT (OR NETFLIX) TAMPOPO!! Now. Argh!
sarah says
personally, I like to call myself a "flogger" but then people might get the wrong idea. ;)
Maure says
as you can tell by my name i'm about as "western" as they come - and i love food courts - here, there and everywhere - sure the food and cuisines may not be authentic but the people watching
can't be beat and i love the sourvenior red food trays they hand out. plus of course there's hot dog on a stick!
my marriage will have the bridesmaid dressed like that - it'll be in the prenup.
and "tampopo" is a must-see movie,
especially for food-bloggers and those that live with them. but you can't beat "eat drink man woman" and the scenes of maggie chung going down to get soup or noodles i think in "in the mood for love"
is both heart-wrenching and hunger inducing.
sarah says
what? you mean you're name isn't Maure Chang?!?!
hm, bridesmaids in hot dog on a stick getups, you'll be ronald mcdonald, and the bride will be wearing a white castle uniform, with pouf of tulle right out of her hair net!
ok, and this weekend, or sometime soon, i will watch tampopo. :) (i've seen eat drink man woman - but it was required for class)
onetomato says
i was just there! and i also ate at the ramen for the A rating! haha..even with my general distaste for what seems to be a carbaholic asian phenomenon. they serve you a big bowl of ramen with a cup of rice for pete's sake! but i love asian food courts. it reminds me of my childhood, when the mom, grammy, sis and i used to get all kinds of different things and have ourselves a little buffet and share everything...:)
Neil says
I literally was introduced to Japanes food culture by the movie Tampopo. It is hilarious. Filmmaker Juzo Itami was a great director. His suicide was very bizarre, killing himself over some affair he was having with a younger woman. Very Japanese.
gerald says
flogger! i love it..
abraxis says
Although In the Mood for Love isn't a food movie per se, it does have noodles in it. And Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk in many cheongsams!
Yikes. Gotta concentrate on da food...
And what's wrong with Hot Dog on a Stick? The lemonade is good and even though the dogs are turkey now (at least in the SF outlets), it's still good nostalgic stuff!
burp.
Robyn says
Adding to what everyone else is saying...
GO SEE TAMPOPO!!!!! YAAA!!!!! Okay you already decided that. Uh. Ya. Good.
I've never had Crunky, but I've seen it god knows how many times. I've gotta try it.
Keri says
oddly enough, i watched tampopo with my parents. probably not the best choice, though i loved the movie nonetheless.
by the way, there's another tampopo in gardena. i didn't even realize that there was another location on sawtelle...and i lived and breathed that place for 4 years back in college.
their tampopo ramen with crispy dried onions and extra bamboo shoots is the best!
hermz says
Mitsuwa, my westside source for muscat gummies.
k says
Oops, that post up there was me! Sorry, don't want to be annonymous!
Gloria says
Ooh, I went to Mitsuwa for the first time on Tuesday. I didn't get the ramen (although I was tempted, but I am a messy noodle soup eater and I had a meeting later that day), but I did get the katsu-don from another stall that was pretty good.
I have yet to see Tampopo too. Maybe that's what I'll do instead of my work this weekend.
sarah says
onetomato: but even though it's carboholic, isn't it strange that dem azian folk are so damned skinny? i guess if you only eat rice...
neil: are you sure it was suicide and not that this crazy affair geisha girl was after all his tampopo royalties?!?!
gerald: hi!
abraxis: i have to admit *blush* that every once in a while, i think about getting one of those deep-fried cheese-on-a-sticks there.
robyn: it's so funny, i thought crunky was just a novelty, but a friend told me that they are all over japan!
keri: i wonder if they are related, because i think there are actually two or three tampopos in the south bay area. but you know, thejapanese places have no problem biting names and such off each other, because their company names are always different from their storefront names. weird.
hermz: muscat? what about lemon?!?
gloria: isn't mitsuwa super fantastic!??! (omg, did i just say sper fantastic like a japanese talk/game show host?!) okay, you watch tampopo this weekend. i think i may too, since now it's raining and i don't want to play with my 1040. :)
Jocelyn:McAuliflower says
So... you actually did go out and rent it, right?
And best of all is to go out and get really good ramen right afterwards :)
sarah says
mcauliflower: i am lame! i am lame! i haven't rented it yet! but now that tax season is over and i don't have to stress, perhaps this weekend will be ramen weekend. and i *might* even try to make ramen at home. not instant. LOL!
lacheesemonger: only tyler florence is allowed to wear an apron in my house :)
sarah says
mcauliflower: i am lame! i am lame! i haven't rented it yet! but now that tax season is over and i don't have to stress, perhaps this weekend will be ramen weekend. and i *might* even try to make ramen at home. not instant. LOL!
lacheesemonger: only tyler florence is allowed to wear an apron in my house :)