Ronald McDonald would be pleased with Paldo’s Ggo Ggo Myeon, with its chicken flavor straight out of the menu at Mickey D’s. This chicken noodle soup wannabe brings artificial flavors that will oddly activate the gustatory cortex and olfactory regions associated with memory in your magnificent brain. All it takes is a quick taste or smell and you’ll know exactly what I mean. Go ahead. Try. I DARE YOU!
Upon inhalation, reality turned to glass in front of my eyes, while I was instantly transported via my olfactory senses to a time where Ronald McDonald was one hip dude and cheap Happy Meal toys were the currency us gangsters used on the streets. It was a simpler time, where I used to find enjoyment watching my elementary school friends stuff their faces with cheeseburgers and french fries. We were all still too young to see Ronald for the true archetypal trickster he was and still is. After a brief trip full of nostalgia, laughing clowns, and of course birthday cake, I found myself in my room alone with only a bowl of ramen as the sole witness to these bizarre events. This ramen is some good !@#$.
So, if you’re looking for a trip down memory lane or looking for answers about the nature of reality and the various creatures found within, then look no further than some of Paldo’s Ggo Ggo Myeon.
Flavor:
I’ll bet you thought I was going to say these noodles taste like chicken? Well, there’s certainly no chicken in this cup of noodles, despite having chicken and saffron in the image on the lid. If that’s not blatant false advertisement, I don’t know what is…
Putting the negative points aside, these noodles have a weak, spicy chicken stock flavor that tastes more like Spicy McChicken Noodle Soup. I coined this term, so you can’t take it! On second thought, I kind of coined the term… So, no chicken, but there are some other fragments of ingredients diffused in the broth. I managed to discover: a tiny pieces of egg, a single slice of red pepper, green pepper, one small shard of carrot, and maybe some celery leaves. Not the most generous cup of noodles on the market, but there’s a few different ingredients at least.
Other than this, the broth is salty enough and made savory with a fistful of MSG. Man… don’t eat this before bed, or else you might be up all night! I was buzzing after having some Ggo Ggo Myeon!
Spiciness:
Surprisingly, these noodles have a bit of spiciness to them, unlike regular ol’ chicken noodle soup. My guess is that it comes mostly from Cheongyang Gochu (Korean Green Chili Peppers). However, there might be a touch of red chili in there as well. It’s not an extreme level of spiciness, but more of a mild level of heat. My mouth was tingling and a little warm after taking a few bites, so it’s more of a flavor enhancer if anything.
Smell:
Ggo Ggo Myeon smells exactly like a McDonald’s Spicy McChicken Sandwich. The odor given off by these noodles is definitely an artificial one. It’s almost as if Paldo used the runoff from some of McDonald’s chicken paste in the broth. Strangely, the aroma kind of smells good to me… Maybe it’s bringing back those fond childhood memories of birthday parties with other children gorging themselves on cheeseburgers, fries, and McNuggets? Anyways, it’s almost a comfort food smell, ya know what I mean?
Noodles:
Despite the simplicity of these noodles, I thought they paired well with the “chicken noodle-like” flavor. The noodles are thinner than normal, but have the same consistency and flavor of basic ramen noodles. Because of their thinness, they kind of remind me of Lipton Chicken Noodles Soup.
Overall:
If you love Spicy McChicken Sandwiches or classic chicken noodle soup, I think it’s safe to say you will be stoked about these noodles. I couldn’t find any actual chicken in this ramen, so that might be a deal breaker if you were hoping for some meat. And, of course, Paldo’s Ggo Ggo Myeon doesn’t actually taste like real chicken either. So… I guess I’m saying if you’re looking for the best of both the artificial and homemade worlds of chicken noodle flavors, these noodles might be for you? Either way, it’s kind of fun to have a bowl of Spicy McChicken Noodle Soup to bring back some twisted sense of nostalgia.
So, do you think Spicy McChicken Noodle Soup sounds delicious? Will I be asking McDonalds for some royalty fees in the future? Also, did you ever have a birthday party hosted by your local McDonalds? Let me know in the comments!
If you’re interested in hearing more about instant ramen, check out my on-going series, Noodle Story: An Exploration of Korean Instant Noodles, here on Medium.
