Ramen is lots of things, and I've never had the pleasure of eating it in Japan or any country other than my own, so you could argue I've never had "really real" ramen. I won't fight you on that, but I do have fond associations with the "not really real" stuff. My high school boyfriend and I made many romantic lunches out of the packaged dehydrated noodles by Maruchan that came with flavor packets.
I don't mind the instant stuff in the paper cup, either. This was a staple for me in college, as it was the cheapest item that I could call a meal once purchased from the theater department's snack bar. "Creamy Chicken" is the best flavor, in my opinion, and I'm still willing to eat it from time to time.
Right now, for me, ramen is noodle soup from the tiny ramen shop called Rai Rai Ken, which friends Kate and Willow introduced to me a few years ago. I crave it from time to time, but rarely walk to the shop on my own. It took a while for me to consider that they might be willing to send a serving out to me.
Sometimes getting food delivered feels like a real triumph. I had RRK's Miso Ramen [the featured meat of this dish is chicken; they do not have vegetarian ramen on the menu] delivered to me at work the other day for a late afternoon pick-me up.
This soup goes well with some desk-side stretching and pleasant thoughts.
