1y ago

TIL that in Japan, they have a thing called "nagashi somen", which are restaurants with flowing troughs of water where noodles slide down and you have to catch them

tokyocheapo.com

Nagashi Somen: Where to Eat Flowing Noodles Near Tokyo | Tokyo Cheapo

37 comments

I think it's a combination of the 'we use this trough for everyone all day' and the fact that the name is really similar to 'semen,' but this sounds highly unappealing.
- It is unappealing. I would not eat at a place like that. Some do have separate chopsticks for catching the somen (long o, so probably sounds less like semen than you might think), but it's still not great. I have seen it at family events as well.
  
  apparently the noodles are served cold and that sounds awful as well
- You just made it seem much more appealing.
  
  The noodles just slide down your throat.
I read that as nagasaki semen and was very confused.
Yeah and it’s disgusting. Later in the day that water will be 50% saliva.
- Lol, people don't spittle into the shoot, plus it's constantly washed by the flowing water.
  Definitely not pristine, but it's really not an issue unless you make it to be.
  
  Spitting into it sounds very impolite. Japan doesn't do impolite.
  
  Weeaboo detected
- I was about to say, this concept sounds like several health code violations in the western world.
- Are you under the impression that the water is recycled back in, like in a closed loop?
Ehhhhh?!
- Selamat Pagi
Noodle run, gotta catch 'em all
\ to eat is my destiny
Food in water... No thanks.
- Soup is food!
  
  Thanks for being pedantic but I clearly meant putting prepared food in water and not food where water is an ingredient.
I heard of this somewhere around a couple years back and it just sounds like an absolute hassle to do. Especially since, despite using chopsticks for over a decade, I still am not the greatest with them.

37 comments