Experience the instant noodle atmosphere at Korea's "Instant Noodle Library"
2024-08-23
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People are selecting products in the "Instant Noodles Library". Photo by Mang Jiuchen
Mang Jiuchen, our special correspondent in South KoreaAccording to the South Korean newspaper Asia Daily, the Korean convenience store brand CU recently announced an expansion plan to promote its "Instant Noodles Library" concept to all parts of South Korea. Last December, CU opened the industry's first instant noodles-themed convenience store in the Hongik University area of Seoul. The store has a unique design and layout, like a library with books on shelves, neatly displaying popular instant noodles from South Korea and other countries, and a self-service instant noodle cooking machine, so that customers can choose and enjoy them immediately. This concept of "instant noodles library" has attracted high popularity for the convenience store, making it a "net celebrity check-in spot." Recently, a reporter from the Global Times also walked into the store and personally experienced the "instant noodles atmosphere" there.When the reporter arrived at the convenience store at about 5:30 pm, he saw that many customers were already eating instant noodles. The convenience store changed an entire wall at the entrance into an instant noodle display rack. The instant noodles are displayed like books in a library, classified into categories - instant noodles of the same brand but different flavors are placed from top to bottom, and customers can quickly choose their favorite instant noodles according to brand and flavor. According to the website of the Korea Tourism Organization, there are more than 100 kinds of instant noodles on the display rack of this store, including more than 90 kinds of Korean instant noodles such as spicy fried noodles and Shin Ramyun. Generally, convenience stores sell about 30 kinds of instant noodles, but here there are three times as many kinds, which can be said to be a veritable "instant noodle library."Next to the instant noodle display stand, there is an automatic noodle cooker and a simple dining table for customers to cook instant noodles by themselves in the store. On the shelf opposite the instant noodle display stand, vegetables, sausages, seaweed rice rolls and other foods are displayed, which can be eaten together. In addition to the "Instant Noodle Library" area, this convenience store has other goods display areas, and the items displayed are basically the same as other convenience stores.In addition to Korean, the instant noodles display rack also has Chinese, English and Japanese labels to explain the price, characteristics, spiciness, etc. The instant noodles at the top of the display rack are out of reach for customers, so they need to go to other product display areas in the store to choose them.The reporter selected a bone soup instant noodle on the display shelf, the price was 2200 won (1 won is about 0.0053 yuan), about 200 won higher than the price in general supermarkets. When checking out, the salesperson asked whether to eat in the store or take away. The reporter planned to eat in the store. The salesperson gave the reporter a paper lunch box and charged 900 won. There was a barcode on the lunch box, which read "general ramen". This barcode will look slightly different depending on the flavor and toughness of the instant noodles.The reporter also bought a small bag of vegetables, which contained bean sprouts, green onions and green peppers. Put the instant noodles and vegetables in the lunch box, scan the barcode on the automatic noodle cooker, the machine will automatically flow out hot water, and set the cooking time. After the countdown ends, the instant noodles are cooked.The reporter noticed that most of the customers who came to this store to eat instant noodles were foreigners. They wanted to experience Korea's unique "instant noodle atmosphere" and take photos. ▲
