Momofuko Ando, the inventor of 'Ramen Noodles' has died at the age of 96. His funeral took place last week. It is not known whether he owed his long life to a regular diet of his own noodles but the number of young men walking around in their underwear in garret flats, subsisting on a regular diet of cigarettes, beer and Ramen Noodles, before going on to steer the ship of state, build bridges, die for causes and write poetry must be significant. His passing should not go unnoticed.

I went to Sainsbury's some time ago and decided to stock up on a few dozen packages. I asked if they had 'Ramen noodles' and was looked at yet again with that bored expression from the boy in the apron as if I'd asked for something from Mars. They're called Ramen Noodles worldwide but not in Britain where 'instant noodles' seems to be the local name for them.