Recently, I was shocked to find a new wave of ramen noodles at a restaurant. Under the name of “Salmon Noodle,” it presented itself as a fusion of traditional ramen and French cuisine.

　Speaking of delicious ramen noodles, I had long believed that they were the ones featuring steaming clear soup and slices of roast pork laid out on the noodles.

　But the look of Salmon Noodle was impressive enough to dispel such stereotypes, featuring fresh-cut slices of salmon, creamy soup, and the presence of sauce highlighted by the edge of the plate. On top of these features, I was surprised to find that almost no steam was rising from the food. The lack of steam apparently contributed to increasing the quality of this dish. Steam is likely to damage the freshness of salmon both physically and visually.

　Before this experience, I was stuck with an idea that rising steam was the most appetizing feature of hot dishes. My encounter with Salmon Noodle made me realize that we should rethink what we think is important from the ground up when we try to create new things.

Norio Katahira

CMFG Design Dept.

Design Director