Discovering Unexpected Food Connections Through Ramen

A joyful ramen class with a group of four friends visiting from Germany — all originally from Poland, and connected through a lifelong friendship between the wives. They often travel together as families, and this time they joined me for their very first ramen-making experience.

While cooking, we found so many unexpected similarities between Japanese and Polish food culture.

They told me that a typical Polish Sunday meal includes homemade soup and handmade noodles made from scratch.

The noodles are shorter than ramen, but the process of kneading the dough, shaping the noodles, and preparing the soup felt surprisingly familiar to them.

It was fascinating to realize that two places so far apart — Japan and Poland — share such similar cooking traditions. And yet, because Japanese ramen uses completely different seasonings and ingredients, the final taste is something unique.

They loved it so much that everyone finished their bowls down to the very last drop of broth.

The gyoza were a huge hit as well — all the plates came back completely empty, which is the best compliment I could receive as a cooking instructor.

A class filled with friendship, discovery, and delicious moments.

Thank you for bringing such wonderful energy to Tokyo Mom’s Kitchen!