WIT Life #252: Ivan Ramen
Food & Drink, Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life, Writers 
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.
I can’t believe it’s been over a month since I’ve written here, but during that time I’ve traveled from Hawaii to LA to NY and then to Japan for various interpreting gigs. Needless to say, there were many adventures along the way! A particular highlight was getting to interpret for my favorite Japanese director, Hirokazu Kore-eda, when his fabulous new film Like Father Like Son (そして父になる) debuted at the New York Film Festival last month. It will have its widespread release here in the States early next year, and I will write more about it and meeting the director then…
It’s always great to be home again, and one of the best parts is being able to enjoy the many events taking place on a daily basis here in th
e city. Last night I was able to check out one at Strand Books, which hosted the author Ivan Orkin to talk about his experiences running a ramen shop in Tokyo, his new memoir/cookbook, and the opening of his upcoming ramen shop here in NY. I was looking forward to meeting Orkin as he graduated from my high school and got his start with cooking at a Japanese restaurant in my town (that has since gone out of business). After becoming a dishwasher at this restaurant and getting fed by the cooks there in between working, he became a Japanophile. He spent time in Japan during the bubble years, and upon returning to the States he went on to study at the Culinary Institute of America and train with Bobby Flay and at famous restaurants.
Orkin says that he always knew he wanted to go back to Japan, and after living in Park Slope with his Japanese wife and children he decided to return. Running a ramen shop was not his ultimate game plan, but more like an idea he stumbled upon. He was a house husband for a while, but when it came time to find a job he gave himself the ambitious goal of creating the best ramen in Tokyo. His style is double soup, made of both chicken soup and a dashi blend, and he even makes his own noodles using whole grain flour. Those who have not been to Ivan Ramen in Tokyo will have a chance to try it here in NY, when a branch called Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop opens in midtown’s Gotham West Market in a few weeks. There is also one planned to be opened on the Lower East Side, at a yet to be determined date.
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