1) (n.) A person’s natural behavior.
2) (n.) Being extremely irritable or sensitive.

Many ramen fanatics can attest that having a daily bowl of ramen helps them maintain an even-keeled temperament.

1) (n.) The hard central wood of the trunk of a tree

Much like how the noodles serve as the base of a nice hearty bowl of ramen, as the toppings pile on, each adds an additional layer of taste to the bowl until the flavor bursts into your mouth like a new stem sprouting from under tree bark. If that sounds like a stretch, please consider our alternative proposal that duramen should just describe any notoriously hard-to-chew ramen.

1) (n.) A decoration for a room, as a tapestry
2) (n.) Cloth hung around the altar, pulpit or lectern in a church

Not to be confused with noren signs (long pieces of cloth cut with vertical slits) that hang above many ramen shops, paraments are delicately draped across altars, pulpits or lecterns. While clergymen will change parament cloths depending on the season, ramen shops tend to sport the same noren all year round.

1) (n.) People who take pictures
2) (n.) Dr. Cam Saroyan from Bones eating a bowl of ramen

It can hardly be a coincidence that the number of people with cameras has only increased as ramen’s popularity has grown. We must therefore conclude that more ramen = more cameramen. And with the number of ramen videos on the internet, the foodstuff is pretty much a celebrity with its own voracious paparazzi following—so this is an equation in which ramen wins on both sides!

1) (n.) A Christian rite of passage which bestows grace upon those who partake.

Some of the more commonly known sacraments are baptism, Holy Communion and matrimony. The noodle scene in Lady and the Tramp might actually have a deeper meaning!

1) (n.) One of the thin, chaff-like scales covering the shoots or leaves of certain ferns.

Although it’s doubtful botanists were inspired by ramen noodles to name this plant characteristic after ramen (to be fair, the word actually comes from Latin), if you look closely enough at ferns that have ramenta, the tiny bristles look just like curly ramen noodles. Botany has never been more hunger-inducing.

That said, we still think this term would be better used to describe the global rise of ramen—or your maniacal reaction when you simply must have a bowl *NOW*. Because you just can’t stop the ramentum.