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is, like instant coffee, a bastard offspring of emergency wartime conditions.

Instant RamenTanemura Suehiro. Not just instant ramen but instant food in general is a kind of bastard offspring of emergency wartime conditions. Instant coffee is another good case in point. According to Heibonsha’s “ World Encyclopedia”, instant coffee was invented in the U.S. by a Japanese named Kato back in 1902. However, it didn’t catch on and become a mass consumption item until after World War II when instant coffee crystals were mass-produced as a hot portable beverage for the battlefield. The whole notion of a hot drink that can be brewed up instantly in the field where fuel and water are scarce is irrelevant in times of peace and prosperity. In fact, many of the instant foods in Japanese stores were originally conceived as substitutes and make-dos during the war years when everything was in short supply.

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