Robotic Ramen!

I'm not a huge fan of
ラーメン・拉麺 Ramen cuz it tastes best when scalding and I have a tender tongue and can't stand hot liquids. The Japanese call this wimpiness ネコ舌 (neko-jita or cat's tongue*.) With Ramen, the goal is to eat it while it's piping hot and slurp it as loudly as possible. Perhaps it isn't so much the heat of the liquid as it is the fear of being slapped upside the noggin by my mom for eating noisily. Case in point, while my friend Suki and her friend chowed down on Ramen at 5 in the morning the other day, I ate
ギョウザ (gyoza = Chinese dumplings.)

There is a Ramen shop near the station that has this odd dangling simulated Ramen outside with no perceivable wires. Pretty cool!














Even better though, are these Robots that not only make the Ramen right in front of you but entertain you when not a chef.



*Cats have sensitive tongues, and 猫舌 (neko-jita) is used to describe a person who is sensitive to hot liquids or foods.
私は猫舌で、コーヒーをあまり飲まない。
Watashi wa neko-jita de, kohii o amari nomanai.
"My tongue is sensitive to heat, so I don't drink much coffee."