Is eating ramen with a fork sacrilegious? Japan’s instant cup noodle authority Nissin says no, and they’re using Metal Geal Rising: Revengeance to drive their point home. Nissin has a penchant for creating outlandish video game-related ads for its Cup Noodle products, and its new Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance commercial is no exception. Set within the game’s finale, the advertisement sees Raiden and Senator Armstrong arguing over which Cup Noodle eating utensil is superior:
Whereas the original fight between Raiden and Senator Armstrong was a physical and verbal clash of ideals and nanomachines, the Nissin Cup Noodle commercial features a heated debate about chopsticks and forks. Raiden’s argument that chopsticks are the best way to consume Cup Noodles is quickly shut down by Armstrong’s brazen declaration that eating them with a fork is the way to go. Armstrong’s physical attacks on Raiden help drive his point home and add much to the commercial’s humor.
What’s interesting is that Nissin conducted various surveys regarding the whole chopstick-fork debate. According to the data, 93% of people (likely in Japan) eat cup ramen using chopsticks. Nissin conducted an internal survey and found that 94% of its employees eat cup ramen with chopsticks as well.
On the flip side, when Nissin asked people to compare the taste of cup noodles when eaten with chopsticks versus a fork, those surveyed said that eating noodles with a fork made them taste 30% better. Based on these results, various hypotheses were made. For example: eating with a fork allows you to grab more noodles and toppings at the same time. It’s also more convenient, as you can scoop up leftover toppings from the bottom of the cup easily.
As funny as the Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance commercial is, there are a lot of studies being conducted regarding the various cup noodle-eating methods. So the next time you find yourself eating instant ramen with a friend, be sure to bring up your preferred way of eating them, and don’t let it get you down if you happen to answer with “fork.”
