photos by Akihiro Yoshida courtesy nendo

Prior to Momofuku Ando releasing his revolutionary Cup Noodle into the world in 1971, he went on a fact-finding mission to America. There, he saw Americans taking his previous invention, the chicken noodle, breaking it in half, putting it in a cup instead of a bowl and eating it with a fork instead of chopsticks. This is what’s said to have inspired him to create Nissin’s Cup Noodle: a design that can be enjoyed by people all over the world. Almost exactly 48 years later, Nissin is releasing a fork that’s been specifically designed for that exact purpose.

Nissin teamed up with design firm nendo, who created an obsessively designed fork based on hours of user observation. Based on the angle of the arm and the shape of the Cup Noodle dish, nendo derived the optimal angle – 128 degrees – for scooping up noodles. But they didn’t stop there. The tip and sides of the fork are the exact same angle as the circular cup that holds the noodle. Small bumps along the teeth of the fork to help hook noodles. The fork itself is shaped like a small pocket to catch toppings and just the right amount of soup. The handle of the fork is not only ergonomically designed but it also has ribbed backside which acts as a clip to secure the lid while you’re waiting for the hot water to cook the noodles. Then they created one for both lefties and righties.

The limited edition of 3000 forks will come with any set of 3 or 5 cup noodles (625 – 726 yen) and will be available on Nissin’s website starting October 30, 2019 at 10:00 AM Japan time.

optimal angle for scooping

a pocket to help catch toppings

a ribbed backside acts as a clip to secure the lid while the noodles are cooking

there’s one for lefties and righties