THE RAMEN GIRL

US, 2008, 102 MINUTES, Colour.
Brittany Murphy, Sohee Park. Kimiko Yo, Tashiyuki Nishida, Daniel Evans, Gabriel man, Tammy Blanchard.
Directed by Robert Alan Ackermann.

The Ramen girl is Abbey, a young American who has gone to Tokyo to be with her boyfriend – but he has gone off and left her. Alone and lonely in the city, she gets a menial job in an office, but craves something more.

She goes into a local restaurant and experiences Ramen soup. She gets the idea that she would like to make it, but the local chef is very superior, especially to wealthy and young American girls. He gives her all the dirty jobs in the restaurant but she perseveres, eventually breaking him down and his allowing her to cook, but strongly criticising the results. Needless to say, she perseveres and eventually does well with the soup, getting the grudging approval of the chef, the friendship of his wife, and support for them concerning their son who is in Paris and is not following the family tradition.

She returns to the United States and sets up her own restaurant.

1. A Japanese- American story? An American girl discovering a new culture?

2. The Japanese settings, the city, apartments, the restaurant, the kitchen, the atmosphere of the Ramen restaurant? Musical score – from both cultures?

3. The character of Abby? Her age, background, American, wealth, family? Coming to meet her boyfriend? His leaving? Alone, lonely? Her job in the office, the personnel, unsatisfying?

4. Her going to the restaurant, experiencing the soup, the effect on her?

5. Coming back, discussions with the master chef, with his wife? His haughty attitudes and looking down on Abby? The wife more sympathetic and
helpful? Their story, their son in France, his not following in his father’s footsteps? The disappointment?

6. Abby and her request, the chef unsympathetic, giving her menial jobs? Her doing them? The desire to be there, to be able to make the soup? Her perseverance?

7. The chef, finally allowing her to work in the kitchen, his adverse comments on the blandness of her soup? Her persevering with the ingredients, the cooking? The chef never satisfied?

8. Her eventually succeeding, his giving some approval, the personal relationship between Abby and the husband and wife?

9. A sense of achievement, her experience of a different culture, becoming part of it with her understanding, cooking?

10. Return to the United States, setting up a restaurant, the photo of the chef and his family?

11. A pleasing look at the encounter between Japanese and American culture via cooking and the Ramen soup?