Foodnote: Portland Ramen

The vegan shoyu at Marukin Ramen (in Portland, Ore.) is a good "traditional" soup brought on by the noodle in the broth. Your chopsticks should push the Ramen in your mouth while hot, and the steam already absorbed with flavor- it is an oriental air. That was pleasant. But the vegetable components to this soup, however, had a different flair- a surprise technique in cooking: ratatouille style. I loved it disintegrated in a shield of its own, away from the Ramen, and blended for all its juices taste. The sensation is like eating two distinct dishes in one bowl. Strange, but... I don't know if that's a "Portland" thing - the buoyancy of the food ethos here that buys "interest shares" versus the density of food prepared from love and grit acculturated - say, in New York food, heavy on tradition, take it or leave it. There is a Ramen bar in Bushwick, Brooklyn, that epitomizes this solid "brand" that I'm talking about, strictly known to its chef who created it, down to the salt. His restaurant's name is Shinobi, a garage converted into a bar yet to my mind is a nook temple making soup that nobody knows about  - and that's the beauty of it. In New York, you bring your culture in your luggage, unpack the stuff, and make a home of it. And all of that goes in the soup. Portland is cool. I love it. But New York is hot. And I dig all the way in.