A Valentine for Ramen Noodles

Sometimes the people/things/foods that we love the most treat us the worst. Or maybe they don't necessarily treat us badly, but they don't give us anything in return for our love. I have such a relationship with ramen noodles.

When I was little I remember telling my mom that when I was a grown up I was going to eat ramen ALL the time. I don't think I had any idea that it was one of the cheapest possible foods to want to live off of, I just knew that I wanted to eat it as much as possible. She pointed out that it had no nutritional value and thus would only let me have it on special occasions (and only if I didn't use the entire seasoning packet). At that age, something not having nutritional value was of very little consequence to me and, admittedly, it would be awhile before I would actually care whether or not foods that I loved had this particular trait.

Since I've grown up and started caring more and more about what I put into my body, I admit that I still love ramen. However, I now view ramen sort of like a fixer-upper man/house/piece of furniture. I look at it in all its fried-carbohydrate, sodium-packed glory and think to myself: How I can make this relationship more beneficial to me? One by one, I add ingredients that are good for me: spinach, tofu, mushrooms... until it's almost hard to tell that the main ingredient has no redeeming qualities (besides being delicious of course!).

So this Valentine's Day if you find yourself infatuated with something that doesn't give back, love yourself enough to change it into something with nutritional value. You'll still be able to enjoy the original object of your affection, and your mom will surely approve!