方便面怕是戒不掉了，哪怕很多人说它是速食食品，但它总能带给你“人间美味”的味觉体验，深夜里突然想吃夜宵……方便面都像低调而忠厚的朋友一样，给你最温暖的慰藉。

但是千万别因为它方便就真的叫它，convenient noodle这是中国式英语。

方便面地道的表达应该是：Instant noodles

Instant noodles also known as cup noodles are a noodle dish, sold in a dried and precooked noodle block, with flavoring powder and/or seasoning oil.

方便面又称杯面，是一种面食，以干制的面条块的样子出售，加上调味粉或调味油。

The flavoring is usually in a separate packet. Some instant noodle products are seal packed; these can be reheated or eaten straight from the packet/container.

调味料通常是单独包装的。有些方便面产品可以直接从包装盒中加热或食用。

Dried noodle blocks are designed to be cooked or soaked in boiling water before eating, but can be consumed dry.

干面条块可以在吃之前在沸水中煮熟或浸泡，也可以干吃。

我们在看日剧、韩剧的时候，经常看到剧中的男女主人公，捧着香香的拉面吃的心满意足。

可是仔细一看，那不就是我们吃的方便面么？这种在中国为了赶时间省钱而吃的方便面怎么到外国还成了宝？拉面到底是不是方便面呢？

As ramen becomes more mainstream, it’s important to note that the food Americans typically call instant noodles, isn’t the same as traditional ramen.

随着拉面变得越来越主流，需要注意的是，美国人通常说拉面（也就是方便面），是和传统拉面不一样的。

Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup. It was originally called shina soba, literally “Chinese soba” because of its origins in China. However, historians aren’t sure when the jump to Japan happened.

拉面是日本的一种汤面。它最初被称为椎名荞麦面，字面意思是“中国荞麦面”，因为它起源于中国。然而，历史学家也不能确定到底何时流传到日本的。

Ramen is typically made up of hand-pulled wheat noodles in chicken or pork stock, topped with scallions, bamboo shoot, and sliced barbecue pork.

拉面通常是用手拉面，配上鸡汤或猪肉高汤，上面撒上葱花、竹笋和烤肉片。

On the other hand, instant noodles were invented in 1958 when Momofuku Ando discovered how to dehydrate noodles in his shed.
另一方面，方便面发明于1958年，当时安藤百福(Momofuku Ando)在他的小屋里发现了让面条脱水的方法。

Believe it or not, when instant noodles were first sold in Japan, they cost slightly more than fresh ramen and were considered a luxury product.

不管你信不信，当方便面第一次在日本销售时，它们的价格比新鲜的拉面略高，被认为是奢侈品。

Instant noodles became cheaper once Ando was able to mass-produce them. Now, instant noodles are characterized by a separate seasoning packet and ease of cooking. There’s also a variety of instant noodles from bowl and cup noodles to instant udon and soba.

直到安藤找到能够大规模生产的方法，才变得便宜了。现在，方便面的特点是有一个单独的调味包，容易烹饪。种类也各种各样，从碗面、杯面到即食乌冬面和荞麦面。

The only similarity between instant noodles and ramen is that they’re both noodle soups. Ramen is made fresh while instant noodles include a vast variety of manufactured noodles.

它们之间唯一的相似点是它们都是汤面。拉面是新鲜手工做的，而方便面则是经过加工制成的。

The next time you call something ramen, think about it first. Is it really ramen or just instant noodles?

下一次再见到好像是拉面的面，你可以仔细想一想，到底是拉面还是方便面呢？