I had a couple of revelations this week about one of my favourite topics…I don’t think I need to explain any more than the title to be honest.
1) Here is an article my friend and another friend (!) shared with me this week. As soon as I read/absorbed it, I knew. I understood: To know of food, is to know of language.
I will let her article speak to you.
Here are some of my favourite quotes:
“I have no memory of my grandmother telling me she loved me.
But of course I knew."
"I am not a demonstrative person.
I do not hug proactively.
I don’t often inform my loved ones that they are loved.
But at least I’ve learned to cook."
"I have forgotten how to speak two languages.
But, I have learned this one.”
2) In relation to this, recently, one of my housemates from Abuja, Nigeria, asked if I had any ramen.
In response, I said, “I’ve got ramen and some indomie.”
“You have Indomie???”
And so begins our discovery of the humble Indonesian Instant Noodle that came to Nigeria where it controls 74% of the market and is so ubiquitous that it replaces the word ‘noodle’[1].
Yet, most Nigerians have zero idea that Indomie has anything to do with Indonesia.
I was introduced to Indomie by my Indonesian friends in High School, where we would head to the boarding house, quickly cook and devour the tasty bowl of noodles – one of the most satisfying memories I have at UWCSEA. Hence, my stocking up of Indomie at college whenever I feel desperate during Finals season.
According to VICE, the noodle's manufacturer and owners, Indofood Sukses Makmur partnered with the Nigerian food company Dufil Prima Foods in the late 80s and opened the country's first instant noodle factory a few years later.
A short documentary by the Indomie Nigeria company credits Haresh Aswani, Managing Director of the Singapore-based Tolaram Group, to be responsible for raising Indomie's popularity in Nigeria, making it the second largest food brand.
They also credit its connection with Multipro, now a member of the Tolaram group, to help distribute, manufacture, and trade Indomie due to its excellent relationship with wholesalers[2].
Today, the company runs the largest instant noodle factory in Africa, pulling in more than $600 million USD a year as the eighth most-purchased brand in the world. Its production also skyrocketed from 100, 000 to 1 million cartons in 4 years due to the Kaduna production plant built in 11 months[3].
Aswani was credited for knowing how to educate people so that the staple would shift to include Indomie. Multipro heavily marketed Indomie through television, radio, and other media, arguing that not only it was as important as staple foods, but that it was somehow a healthier option. This was done through engaging initiatives such as school sampling, trade engagements and consumer promos.
Another marketing strategy was that it focused on children as the target, even creating a TV animation series called the Indomitables and handing out scholarships to winners of their promo game shows[4].
Yet this was not achieved without contextual opportunity. It capitalized on Nigeria's rapid economic growth after 16 years of military rule and its population boom. Households had between 5 to 6 children and mothers were often faced with the need to make fast, easy, and satisfying meals[5].
Similarly, its ability to be a meal that is readily available, affordable and easy to cook, helped average citizens escape hunger as it is less expensive to procure than most staple foods, with several street vendors serving cooked Indomie[6].
Here is a picture of me (representing Singapore) giving the gift of Indomie to my Nigerian housemate. (P.S. Indonesia cooks the noodles before adding the sauces, while Nigerians (/my friend) cooks the sauces with the noodles).
Not only is it fascinating about how one can capitalize on an entire country’s consumption and make it a national dish, but also how these cross-cultural networks can be created through food.
Although there is no information or connection with Indonesia through Indomie, I hope to highlight that this is another story where food’s inception do not come from their original country at all. There is and always has been constant borrowing from cultures and almost all national dishes are hybrids from another country. There’s still debate about where pasta comes from…Salmon in sushi is not originally from Japan, neither is tempura, and how exactly was tea brought to England (ahem Portuguese)? And don’t even get me started on American food.
Before you slurp a bowl of ramen, bite a bagel in New York City, ask yourself, what’s the story? How they are created? How they are adapted, borrowed, and marketed? How did it sprout from the ground and journey to the tips of your tongue?
[1] https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/3d9p5y/how-indomie-became-insanely-popular-in-nigeria; http://multi-pro.com/brands.html
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJdEfIo0ZL4
[3] https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/3d9p5y/how-indomie-became-insanely-popular-in-nigeria; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJdEfIo0ZL4
[6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJdEfIo0ZL4
Images:
https://www.myjoyonline.com/business/2016/January-29th/indomie-rewards-top-distributors.php
http://woman.ng/2016/09/patience-chukwu-narrates-how-she-was-beaten-and-robbed-while-in-labour-and-on-her-way-to-the-hospital/
https://yaoota.com/en-ng/product/indomie-chicken-noodles-70g-x-40pcs-1-carton-price-from-jumia-nigeria
http://www.naijafacts.com/nigeria-brands-types-noodles-called-indomie/
http://emis-int.com/portfolio/indomie-factory/
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/339564