Justin's Japan: LuckyRice New York Slurpfest Serves up Ramen Heaven on Earth

By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.Imagine a place where a variety of regional ramen from around the world is served all in one night. Enter New York Slurpfest 2015, which was held Oct. 22 at Astor Center in Manhattan, featuring dishes from places as diverse as Florida, Fukuoka, Hawaii and Rhode Island—a ramen lover’s dream event.Slurpfest, which is organized by New York-based Asian culinary event producers LuckyRice, was first held in 2013 and is expected to continue from the looks of last week’s participants, all slurping ramen with smiling faces.“LuckyRice was founded seven years ago to bring awareness to [Asian] culture, and food is the most universal medium,” said LuckyRice founder Danielle Chang, who rhapsodized about ramen with guests throughout the evening.“This simple staple has become this glorified chef cuisine,” she added, noting that the amount of ramen restaurants in Japan alone outnumbers every McDonald’s location on the planet.My evening began with an intriguing dish originating from Crane Ramen in Gainesville called Gator Shio Ramen, which was made with a surprisingly refreshing salt broth topped with corn, greens, quail egg, and alligator tail chashu.For the complete story, click here.