[Sangetsu]

The only use for the 10 cent ramen is to eat it as a dry snack. Before opening the bag, squeeze it to crush the dried noodles inside. Then open the bag on one side, remove the flavor packet, and empty the packet contents back into the bag. Shake the bag well to get it all over the broken up dried noodles, and you have a flavorful dry snack, which, in my opinion, tastes better than the cooked 10 cent ramen.

Here in Japan I go through lots of the 4 minute ramen. It cost about 100 yen per pack, so it's not expensive. But no one simply eats 4 minute ramen as-is. I always add an egg, some dried wakame, and meat of some type, usually bits of ham, bacon, or thin sliced beef. My favorite variety is shin-ramen, which is very spicy.

If I want to get fancy, I can buy fresh ramen noodles and make good ramen from scratch, but it's much easier just to go to the ramen shop across the street and get it there. A bowl of the good stuff costs only 800 yen, it would cost more to make it myself.