Ramen experts will tell you that the correct way to enjoy a bowl of soupy noodles is to slurp as you eat, so you can taste both the noodles and the broth in every mouthful. Apparently, that’s off-putting to some people, for whom I have no sympathy.
I’m even more aghast at the idea of Nissin, 69-year-old Japanese company that invented instant noodles, accommodating these folks with a noise-canceling fork – and charging them 14,800 JPY ($130) for it.
The idea is that the limited-edition Otohiko fork, with its ostensibly large handle, will pick up offensive slurping sounds as you dine on ramen, and play white noise from your phone with a companion app to drown you out. So effectively, every time an Otohiko user slurps, you hear a strange rushing sound from a small speaker. Problem solved!
The 💜 of EU tech
The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!
The only good thing about the Otohiko fork is that Nissin is only making 5,000 of them. Hopefully you’ll never encounter one in the wild.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.