Lesson Real-World English Instant Noodles Read and Respond Today, instant noodles are popular as a gquick meal worldwide, but most of us don't know that they were originally invented in Japan in 1958. After World War II, Japan was suffering from a serious food shortage. The Ministry of Health encouraged people to eat bread made from wheat flour, which was supplied by the United States. Ando Momofuku, the president of an Osaka-based food company, didn't like bread, so he set about creating something different from the imported wheat flour. He tried to make a food that would appeal to Japanese tastes, and his answer was instant noodles. After months of trial and error, Ando invented a way to deep-fry noodles to preserve them. All his customers had to do was pour hot water over them and let them steam for a couple of minutes. This quick and easy dish was a great success. Instant noodles quickly became popular all over Japan. Words & Phrases > food shortage 食糧不足 > the Ministry of Health (当時の)厚生省 トwheat flour 小麦粉 > Osaka-based 大阪を拠点とした > set about ~に取りかかる トmonths of trial and error 何か月にも及ぶ試行錯誤 > deep-fry たっぷりの油で揚げる [Questions] Q1. Who invented instant noodles? Q2. Why did the Ministry of Health encourage people to eat bread after World War II? Q3. Why were instant noodles so successful?