Ramen vs Pho vs Chow Mein vs Spaghetti

[JM Aggie08]

Ramen > *

Pho is a'ite. Not nearly as much flavor (most of the time) compared to ramen.

Take spaghetti off the list, you stupid bastard.

 

[Svnla]

I think it depends GREATLY of where (location) you eat and who is the chef/cook.

Personally (if everything is equal) I like Pho, then Ramen, then Chow Mein. Never been a fan of Spaghetti and Meatballs.

 

[SMOGZINN]

It all matters on the chef. Good pho is amazing, average pho is not. Great ramen is almost unbeatable, average ramen is hardly worth eating. Chow mein is a mess at the best of times. It might be that I've just never really had good chow mein. Spaghetti is all about the sauce, and it is rare to find a spaghetti that is complex and nuanced enough in it's flavors to be considered in the same category as pho or ramen. I'm lucky that I have some amazing Pho and Ramen places near me, and a Soba house that is better than any of them.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

It all matters on the chef. Good pho is amazing, average pho is not. Great ramen is almost unbeatable, average ramen is hardly worth eating. Chow mein is a mess at the best of times. It might be that I've just never really had good chow mein. Spaghetti is all about the sauce.

They're ALL about the sauce/broth. There's only so much you can do with a noodle, that's why no cultures eat them plain. So sayeth the Noodly Master.

 

[SMOGZINN]

They're ALL about the sauce/broth. There's only so much you can do with a noodle, that's why no cultures eat them plain. So sayeth the Noodly Master.

Soba is often eaten plain, or very lightly sauced. It is a simply good tasting noodle.

 

[sdifox]

I cook soba with scallion danshi and an egg, some salt and white pepper

 

[sdifox]

Or cook some soba, strain and mix with chopped garlic, salt and sesame oil.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Soba is often eaten plain, or very lightly sauced. It is a simply good tasting noodle.

Define "often". Soba is always served either already sauced or with a dipping sauce on the side. Almost nobody eats it plain.

 

[NetWareHead]

The comparison is not a direct one. The other noodles are usually in a soup whereas spaghetti is a more solid meal with a sauce. I cant betray my Italian heritage so spaghetti it is for me. I like it plain with some butter and parmigiano cheese or with a more elaborate sauce. White claim sauce (alle vongole) is my hands down favorite but in that case I would choose linguine since the wider noodle grabs more sauce. Hell while we are at it, pappardelle noodles ftw. Inch wide noodles that hold gobs of sauce in every bite.

Regarding the Asian noodles, its not really the noodles but rather the dish itself that attracts me; the noodles being one of the components. Sadly the only ramen I have tried is the mas produced containing packets of spices ramen found in supermarkets.

Pho is amazing and I love the tendon & tripe plus the richness of the broth. Chow mein in Chinese food is great too but I dont like the crispy one. The soft is much better IMO which as I have found is also called lo mein. My goto noodles are actually chow fun which are wide noodles that resemble Italian pappardelle.

 

[SMOGZINN]

Sadly the only ramen I have tried is the mas produced containing packets of spices ramen found in supermarkets.

That stuff is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike ramen. Really, it is almost nothing like real ramen you would get in a restaurant. Campbell's Noodle Soup is closer to pho than packaged ramen is to restaurant ramen.

 

[renz20003]

Sperghetti FTW

 

[AznAnarchy99]

I don't remember what I originally posted but they're all significantly different. Pho is more about the broth than the noodle. Spaghetti is more about the noodle than the sauce.