The Daily Valet. - 9/29/23, Friday

✔️ Send Noods

September 29, 2023

Friday, September 29th Edition

By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor

Fair warning: today's big story might leave you a little hungry.

Today’s Big Story

Instant Noodles Have Never Been Bigger

the humble College student staple is enjoying a glow up moment

First a little history. The inventor of instant ramen noodles, Momofuku Ando, got the idea for his now iconic Cup Noodle when he witnessed the crowds lining up for ramen on the war-ravaged streets of Osaka on August 15, 1945—the day Japan announced its surrender to the Allied forces. Decades later, he had finally perfected a technique for flash-frying noodles, making them both speedy to reheat and almost infinitely shelf-stable. Today, more than 121 billion servings of the quick, comforting noodles are eaten each year.According to Nikkei Asia, demand is growing. Last year's global sales of instant noodles were at an all-time high. And it's the seventh straight year that the segment has grown—even after a 9.5% spike in global demand during the 2020 pandemic year. That's a lot of slurping.While the biggest markets are still Asian countries like Japan, China and Vietnam, the U.S. is right behind them. What's really interesting is that the Mexican market craved noodles like no other: Demand went up by 17.2% in 2021, and 11% last year. But it also makes sense: As inflation leaves us looking for ways to stretch our money—especially at the grocery store—instant noodles are one of those tried-and-true pantry staples that keep us fed during lean times. Remember college? And there are all sorts of new ways to make them into unique and delicious meals these days.With all the interest, it makes sense that our options now abound when it comes to store-bought noods. According to The Takeout, Nissin Foods (maker of the Cup Noodle brand) now offers specialty flavors like pancake and pumpkin spice. They also make some caffeinated noodles—currently only available in Japan—targeted at gamers who want to fuel marathon gaming sessions. In short, the brand knows how to keep things interesting. You can get fancy versions by Momofuku chef David Chang and their dupe by Trader Joe's.And they're not just for home anymore. The New Yorker just introduced me to the Instant Noodle Factory, in Long Island City. In this Willy Wonka-like ramen restaurant, you're greeted by a wall of dried noodles (store-bought) and toppings (freshly made). It gets cooked right in front of you by a machine that dispenses near-boiling water into a bowl and holds it at a simmer while the noodles soften and the flavors blend. “If your experience of instant noodles has been limited by the American approach of 'add water; eat,' these offerings will feel like a revelation.” Sounds good to me.

Flavor Boost:

Mashed sings the praises of this delicious secret ingredient that will take any boring noodle dish to spicy new heights.

Is X in Trouble?

Disinformation is rampant and musk just Fired the election integrity team ahead of key votes around world

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter (seriously, how long do we have to keep saying it like this?), has the biggest proportion of disinformation of the six big social networks—this was the finding of a European Commission study. According to the BBC, the study was carried out by TrustLab, a disinformation monitoring start-up, as part of work to support the EU's code of practice on disinformation. Twitter, along with many other social networks, signed up to the voluntary code in 2018. But the company withdrew from the code while under Elon Musk's leadership.It's a bit concerning, but even more concerning is that less than a month after pledging to expand the safety and elections teams, Musk has instead slashed the workforce. On Thursday, he announced that he fired X's election integrity team. Ahead of 70 elections around the globe in the coming year, the controversial businessman confirmed on X: “Oh you mean the 'Election Integrity' Team that was undermining election integrity? Yeah, they're gone.”In some related but separate news, the site has also quietly removed a feature that allowed users in some locations to report election misinformation. According to Reuters, this will no doubt limit intervention at a time when social media platforms are under pressure to curtail falsehoods about electoral integrity, which have grown rapidly in recent years.

Dig Deeper:

Rolling Stone reports that one of the leads of the election integrity department was targeted in a harassment campaign after trying to hire new employees to combat political misinformation.

Suit Yourself

The Senate formalizes a dress code just days after ditching it

While in the midst of trying to avert a government shutdown, the U.S. Senate had the chance to vote on (and pass by unanimous consent) a resolution formalizing business attire as the proper dress code for the floor of the chamber. It seems their recent move to relax an unofficial dress code has led to a surprising development: an official dress code.The rule is now that male lawmakers must wear business attire when on the Senate floor, which includes a coat, tie, and dress pants for men. The resolution doesn't specify what is deemed as “business attire” for women on the Senate floor. According to CNN, the attire for women in the Senate was relaxed in 2019 after then-Senate Rules Committee chair Amy Klobuchar pushed for a change so women could wear sleeveless dresses.The change, of course, was primarily aimed at Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman, who regularly wears hoodies and gym shorts to work (but not on the Senate floor). As menswear writer Derek Guy points out, “clothing is a poor proxy for a person's character, capability and intelligence—respectability can be more directly measured by a person's actions ... but the point of wearing a suit to Congress is to give physical form to the genuine ideals in your heart: your dedication to upholding your oath of office, your devotion to the institution of democracy, your unshakable commitment to the constituents you serve.”

Meanwhile:

Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, who faces federal bribery charges, emerged from a meeting Thursday with his fellow Senate Democrats defiant despite calls for his resignation.

We’ve Got More New Dictionary Words

Merriam-Webster Adds nearly 700 New Definitions, Including ‘Rizz’, ‘finsta’ and ‘Beast Mode’

Language is constantly changing. Which is why dictionaries do their best to keep up with our rapidly evolving words by adding new terms and definitions on a regular basis. You might remember that earlier this month, Dictionary.com announced its latest additions, which featured everything from jawn to nepo baby.And now, it's Merriam-Webster's turn. The recent update includes a whopping 690 terms from various corners of our modern life. It's always especially enlightening and entertaining to see which slang terms earned spots in such a highly esteemed dictionary. And 2023's entries certainly didn't disappoint: rizz, finsta, and thirst trap all made the cut. And if you don't know what those are, you probably aren't on social media all that much. Meanwhile, bracketology will sound familiar if you're a sports fan.Of course, as Mental Floss points out, trying to capture all the nuances of how we use each slang term in one concise definition is pretty tough. Girlboss, for example, is described simply as “an ambitious and successful woman.” But if you want a better understanding of the many subtle ways it might be deployed as a backhanded compliment or an outright insult, Urban Dictionary can help you out.

FYI:

Merriam-Webster also used its latest update to legitimize a popular Simpsons-ism coined in a 1996 episode: “cromulent.”

In Other News

Congress Races Against Time

McCarthy rejects Senate spending bill while scrambling for a House plan to avert a shutdown.

Buenos Aires Central Square Becomes a Nighttime Soup Kitchen As the Country’s Poverty Level Hits 40%

250 Million Is the New 40: Mammals May Already Be Halfway Done on Earth

The Screen Actors Guild Is ‘Ready’ to Take on Studios Next

Have you heard about ...

Apple’s new mental health features

Meta’s next-gen smart Ray-Bans

That “Confident Man Ranch” retreat

A Weekend Pairing

‘The Changeling’ + a Chipotle Maple Old Fashioned Cocktail

Fairytales can easily twist into dark, gruesome nightmares, right? And that is the core sentiment of Apple TV+'s adaptation of Victor LaValle's award-winning novel, The Changeling. In the buzzed-about new series, a young father, Apollo (played by LaKeith Stanfield), embarks on a desperate search for his wife, Emma (Clark Backo), after she vanishes following a horrific incident shortly after the birth of their first child.The Verge says the show transforms the novel “into an even more chilling tale about the things that keep parents up at night.” Apollo and Emma, whose baby may or may not be human, find themselves navigating New York City on an adventure that ranges from their Washington Heights neighborhood to magically enhanced locations in the East River and the forests of Queens. Nearly three-quarters through its eight-episode season, the show delves deep into the dark, eerie underbelly of spirituality. Reviewers seem to agree: It's spooky, but not too scary.

Pair It With

How about a classic drink with a sweet, surprising kick of smokey heat? Bon Appétit has a recipe for chipotle-infused maple syrup and it's the key to an autumnal take on an Old Fashioned. But If booze isn't your vibe, mix up a batch of lemonade and sub the spicy maple syrup in for the sugar.

Also Worth a Watch:

‘Gen V’ on Prime Video; ‘The Accountant’ on Hulu