Hokkaido Ramen Santouka with Jeff Kenji Sloniker

"Hokkaido Ramen Santouka with Jeff Kenji Sloniker" is Episode 57 of *Doughboys*, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Hokkaido Ramen Santouka with Jeff Kenji Sloniker" was released on June 16, 2016.

## Synopsis

The ‘boys welcome actor and comedian Jeff Kenji Sloniker (*Key & Peele*, *Silicon Valley*) to discuss his childhood summers in Japan and to review international chain Hokkaido Ramen Santouka. Plus, the debut of a saucy new segment, The Slice is Right.

## Nick's intro

The culturally indispensable website Wikipedia is known for its obsessively comprehensive cataloguing of highly-specific minutiae, from the ecology of *Star Trek* planets to the sexual appetites of classical composers.

Yet on the Wikipedia page dedicated to a well-known Japanese noodle soup, the history page begins simply and cryptically "the origin of ramen is unclear."

What is known is that the typically chicken- or pork-based broth noodle soup exploded in popularity after World War II, when the importation of inexpensive American wheat made the hearty, calorie-dense dish plentiful and affordable.

Mostly known in the U.S. because of the instant variety, pioneered by Japanese scientist Momofuku Ando, in Japan, ramen restaurants are ubiquitous and in recent decades, they have come to the states in areas with dense ex-pat populations. In March of 1988, a Japanese chef known as Hitoshi Hatanaka opened a nine-seat ramen shop of his own in Asahikawa declaring his mission statement to his family as "I'm going to make delicious ramen."

The shop expanded into a sprawling sensation across six provinces in Japan, and now has several international outlets across Asia and North America.

This week on *Doughboys*: Hokkaido Ramen Santouka.

## Fork rating

* Salt A-Combo
	+ Shio Ramen
	+ Negi Rice Bowl
 Mike Mitchell
* Salt D-Combo
	+ Shio Ramen
	+ Char-Shu Rice Bowl
 Jeff Kenji Sloniker
	+ Shio Ramen
	+ Negi Rice Bowl

With these scores, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka joins the Golden Plate Club.

## The Slice is Right 🍕

In this new segment, the Doughboys give us a "pizza their minds," and build a dream pizza by each in turn adding and deleting elements. If something has been deleted, it cannot be added later. Nick declares the game over when he's satisfied.

They end up with this pizza:

* Chicago-style cornmeal crust
* ~~fresh mozzarella~~
* sliced meatballs
* ~~mushrooms~~
* marinara red sauce
* a second layer of mozzarella
* chopped white onions
* a giant sausage patty covering the entire pizza
* pepperoni

## #hashtags

* #StiffSleeper or #GiveUsYourSpookers
* #SickFish
* #BurgertimeETC
* #LandOfTheRisingDough
* #TheSliceIsRight
* #AlltimeSpooker

## The Feedbag

However, for me, the Ziosk eliminates my biggest pet peeve about restaurants, waiting an hour to pay the bill and leave. Usually the waiter or waitress will check to see if everything came out fine and then disappear for a while. When they notice I am done eating, they will come by and ask if I want dessert, and I will probably say "No, just the check, please". They will bring the check and by the time I pull out my wallet to put out my card in the book, they vanish. Half an hour later they show up and take my card, then take however long it takes to run it.
Long story short, it's great that I can swipe my card in a little iPad on my table and leave.

This isn't really a question, but they discuss the Ziosk for a few minutes.

## Drops and Plugs

* *The Chappelle Show*
* *Saturday Night Live*
* *Star Wars: The Force Awakens*
* *Entourage*
* (possibly others)
* John Williams "The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)"
* Ray Parker Jr. "Ghostbusters"
 "The Price Is Right Theme Song"