ramen

Japanese instant noodles which come in cup or block form, popular with college students (who can't afford anything else) and otaku (who just like anything Japanese). As a connoisseur of cheap DIY meals, I've developed means of assigning ramen a rating on a scale of zero to four stars: One half-star for every flavor packet beyond the first, one star if it comes in its own cup, an extra half star if that comes with its own meat or vegetables, and a star and a half if the dry noodles don't remind me of Play-Doh.