Hachiko
May 1, 2004, 02:40
Customers with Prada handbags and Gucci sunglasses sometimes stand in line for hours and hungrily wait outside the restaurant door, feasting their eyes on the delicacy that awaits inside: a bowl of ramen.
http://www.japantimes.com/images/photos2004/nn20040430f1a.jpg
Konosuke Taekewaka whips a sieve of ramen noodles through the air to shake out the water at Shiodome Ramen in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
Ramen has long been known as a staple of construction workers and penny-pinching students.
But in a push to win over new clientele, ramen chains are going upscale, serving special pork and organic vegetables at eateries featuring dark-wood interiors and soft lighting.
Japan Times (http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040430f1.htm)
http://www.japantimes.com/images/photos2004/nn20040430f1a.jpg
Konosuke Taekewaka whips a sieve of ramen noodles through the air to shake out the water at Shiodome Ramen in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
Ramen has long been known as a staple of construction workers and penny-pinching students.
But in a push to win over new clientele, ramen chains are going upscale, serving special pork and organic vegetables at eateries featuring dark-wood interiors and soft lighting.
Japan Times (http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040430f1.htm)