It’s not breaking news: people in Hawaii love their noodle dishes.
And we’re not afraid to debate them, either.
Case in point: Nonstop’s Mari Taketa (@nonstopmari) sparked a spirited online debate with her blog about saimin — and how much she doesn’t like it.
Ask anyone from the Islands and they’re tell you where to get the best saimin, ramen, oxtail soup, pad Thai, pho, chow mein. You name a noodle dish, and local folks will have something to say.
Even when it comes down to the noodles themselves.
I was talking with Rainbow Drive-In owner Jim Gusukuma the other day and he mentioned that he switched the saimin noodles he had been serving from flat to curly noodles.
“It makes a difference,” he said, smiling.
Is that true? Do noodles make that much of a difference? And are saimin noodles — slightly thicker than fine Chinese egg noodles and ideally a bit chewy — really better curly?
5 Comments
Given a choice, I’d prefer curly over flat, but that is pretty low on the list of items that matter when it comes to saimin. At the top of that list, at least for me, is the dashi, which makes or breaks a good saimin.
Jim said curly noodles hold the flavor more; they don’t wimp out. Guess I gotta go today and sample it! 🙂
interesting. i did not know that. hmmm……can one get half and half?
Gotta go with curly noodles for Saimin, but would have to agree, that for me it’s more about the dashi. The internal debate for me is pho or Saimin.
Hello Cat, I like all kind noodles. Give me a bowl or plate of noodle no matter what kind and I’ll finish it.