Well, YZ and I finally crumbled under the pressure of all those Football Sunday flatscreen commercials and got ourselves a fancy-pants television. So, in celebration of the new gadget, we curled up in front of Juzo Itami’s Tampopo (タンポポ) last night with stomachs growling the whole way through. If you haven’t yet seen the 1985 noodle western about a truck-driving “cowboy” who stumbles upon a young widow’s ramen shop and orchestrates the reopening of all restaurant reopenings, rent it and make sure there’s something tasty in the fridge. This film is serious foodie porn.

Of course I couldn’t ignore the stunning soup bowls used throughout the film and set out to find comparable pieces on the interwebs… If you’re willing to drop some serious cash, there’s a wealth of intricately-painted antique Japanese bowls out there. Two good sites to browse for the precious stuff are Ruby Lane and Japanese Hand Craft. For the slightly less highbrow, Flavour Design has a nice collection of soupy bowls including Udon & Ramen bowls with little holes and ridges to keep your chopsticks in their place. Dutch designer Ineke Hans also has a lovely bowl and spoon set, perfect for, well, watching the new tube while eating noodles. My favorite, hands down, has to be Suck UK’s snarky play on the classic Styrofoam noodle cup (remember junior high? remember Cup of Noodles? remember those nasty little peas?).

Ramen Bowl Favorites

Suck UK’s Ceramic Noodle Cup (Buy it: UK / USA)

Left: Ineke Hans Bowl with Spoon
Right: Flavour Design Ramen Bowls

Antique Japanese Edo Period Imari Bowl at Ruby Lane

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