"Is it really that good?"
Hearing the first customer's praise, the people in line looked skeptical. "Then give me one too."
"Otherwise, why would they call it instant noodles?"
Chef Mao chuckled at the customers' surprise. That's exactly what makes them instant noodles.
Convenience.
He dropped another noodle block into the pot for the second customer. About two minutes later, he scooped it out, plated it, and handed it over.
The moment the second customer tasted the noodles, his eyes went wide. "It's delicious!"
"I'll try one too!"
"I was going to order vegetable noodles, but these instant noodles seem way faster. Give me one."
"Same for me!"
One after another, the customers began ordering instant noodles. They all wanted to taste this mysterious new dish.
Chef Mao's heart swelled with joy. The instant noodles are a hit!
In his heart, his gratitude toward the Jar Shop's owner deepened even more.
"Chef Mao, you said these instant noodles can be eaten after just blanching them. How long is the shelf life?"
As Chef Mao finished serving another round of customers, the first customer, who had just finished his bowl, called out. "How many days can they last? Can you use any kind of water? Do you really just need to blanch them?"
He was planning a long journey and had been thinking of buying steamed buns or mantou to bring along. But now that instant noodles existed, he felt like they were the perfect travel food.
As he spoke, the other customers turned to listen.
"As for shelf life... it should be quite long. I haven't tested it yet."
Chef Mao frowned slightly. He hadn't really considered the shelf life question.
But thinking about it, the noodles were already cooked and then dehydrated into blocks. The shelf life should be very long.
As long as they were packaged properly, they could last even longer.
"You can rest assured—it'll last a long time," Chef Mao said. "As long as you store them properly, these noodle blocks won't expire in the short term. Because all you need to do is blanch them in boiling water."
"Besides blanching, you can also eat them dry. The dry noodles taste pretty good on their own, though they're a bit plain. Some people might not be used to it. But you can add seasoning. Just crush the block and sprinkle some powder on top, and it becomes delicious."
"The reason they're called instant noodles is because they're convenient to carry. These noodles were just developed today, so I haven't prepared the seasoning packets yet. But I can give you a small pouch separately."
"If you want to eat them as soup noodles, just drop them in boiling water or broth and blanch them for a moment. If your heat is high enough, you don't even need two or three minutes—just a quick blanch will do. These noodles are already cooked; they're just shaped into blocks now."
"Hiss..."
Hearing Chef Mao's explanation, many of the customers gasped.
If that's true, this is way too convenient!
Many of them were frequent travelers.
When traveling long distances, unless they were with a merchant caravan, they rarely got hot meals. Even then, the food had to be cooked, and it often wasn't very good—just enough to fill their stomachs.
And not everyone could eat cooked meals on the road. You needed pots, firewood, and preparation. It was a hassle, especially for solo adventurers.
So most travelers on the road ate fruit, or gnawed on steamed buns and mantou.
Mantou had the longest shelf life, but over time, they would harden.
To eat them, you had to soak them in water, which made them tasteless. They were purely for filling your stomach.
But now, with instant noodles, you could eat something delicious and filling just by blanching them in hot water.
The taste? You could customize it with any seasoning you wanted.
They had just watched Chef Mao do it.
It was so simple. Just drop the block into boiling broth for a moment, and it was done.
Everyone was excited.
They realized the portability of instant noodles. If you brought them on a long journey, you could enjoy a hot, delicious meal anywhere.
"Chef Mao, pack up some broth for me, and give me ten blocks of instant noodles!"
"Same here! Five blocks for me!"
"Wait—Chef Mao, you haven't told us the price yet! I assumed it would be the same as your other noodles. It's not going to be expensive, right?"
One after another, customers who had tried the instant noodles got excited and started ordering takeout packs.
But suddenly, someone raised the question everyone had been avoiding.
Right. How much do they cost?
A regular bowl of noodles at Wanmin Restaurant cost 10 to 20 Mora.
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