The only thing that kept me going was that in addition to being one of the spiciest bowls of ramen in Tokyo, it was also the most delicious bowl of ramen that I'd ever tasted. Sae-chan sat next to me with her blue hair tied into pigtails, and she had demolished her bowl at a speed I hadn't even thought possible, all without breaking a sweat! That first bowl of ramen was definitely a humbling experience.
There are three main aspects to a bowl of ramen: the broth, the oil and the noodles. The broth is easily the most important part of the dish and is prepared by simmering a bone stock with various aromatic ingredients for hours, or even for days sometimes! The aromatic oil is what separates a bowl of ramen from your grandma's noodle soup; some flavors won't dissolve in water, but they will dissolve in fat. When the ramen broth is boiling, chefs skim off the oil that floats to the surface of the pot. This aromatic oil has all of the flavors from the ingredients that didn't dissolve in the broth itself, and it gets added back to every bowl before serving. Ramen noodles are still handmade in some places, but many shops just get their noodles delivered from local manufacturers, which is why the broth is really what separates a good bowl of ramen from a bad bowl of ramen! While meat is also an important component to a bowl of ramen, many would consider it to be a "topping" alongside soft-boiled eggs and menma (fermented bamboo shoots) rather than an essential ingredient.
