NDN Humor

Man should not live on commods alone. I know that commod talk is uniquely NDN, the dislike of powdered eggs and vegetarians beans, and the love of commodity cheese and can meats. The secret ingredient in good fry bread is powdered milk (at least for plains style bread). Still, there are staples that are not included in the average monthly allotment of grub. I see a noticeable absence of dried sweet corn, my favorite. Then there are the items that I see in many NDN pantries and grocery carts that don’t quite make it to NDN lore, but the presence is there none the less.

The ever present Ramen Noodles. Not iconic enough to make it into a Chris Eyre film, but it is there. The more NDN the home, the more likely to see a package (probably bought as a case) of noodles throughout the kitchen. Reason for its presence is easy. One is it’s cheap. Ten for a buck can not be beat. Two is it’s easy. Add hot water and wait a minute or two (while making up a glass of kool-aid), then there is a snack or a meal. Consider the celebrity NDN foods like:

• Fry Bread
• Wojapi
• Wild Rice
• Mutton (or bote for Kiowas)
• Indian Taco

They all take time to prepare. The only time to get any one is on special occasions. The lowly Ramen Noodles is easy and quick. It doesn’t make our conversations, it’s like that uncle we all know is our relative but we don’t talk about because….

But it does give me pleasure when I saw the rest of the country take notice of Ramen Noodles. It took a whole economic collapse to make it happen but more people are finding that out ten for a buck is a great deal. My hope for the future? To see Ramen Noodles be the main ingredient on Iron Chef.