Notice of Continued Instant Noodle Upgrades Operations
A two-minute meal has been augmented until it requires twenty-two minutes and three separate pans.
To: The Packet
From: The Kitchen
Re: Current Operational Status
You were designed for boiling water and three minutes of waiting. This was your stated proposition. You made no claims beyond this.
The first addition was an egg. This was defensible. An egg adds protein. The egg required a separate pan and four minutes. The total time increased to nine minutes. This was still reasonable.
The second addition was vegetables. Frozen peas, half a carrot, some wilted spinach that needed to be used. The vegetables required the water to be started earlier to allow for defrosting. The carrot required slicing.
The governing rule applies: a instant noodle upgrades may continue after hunger ends if stopping would make the previous effort feel wasted. The effort at this stage did not feel wasted. The effort felt like cooking.
A third addition followed. Garlic. Two cloves, minced, briefly sauteed in a separate small pan before being added to the broth. This was the point at which the dish could no longer be described as instant noodles with modifications. It was a noodle soup that happened to include an instant seasoning packet.
The seasoning packet was used at a reduced dose, as it was "too salty on its own."
Current preparation time: twenty-two minutes. Number of vessels used: three. Number of items that require washing: five including the cutting board. The noodles themselves require two minutes of the total.
You were instant. You are no longer instant. You are a foundation.
The packet of noodles from which this dish was constructed cost fourteen rupees. The meal currently served is nutritionally superior, more satisfying, and demonstrably not fast.
This was a night when there was nothing else in the kitchen and the only goal was something quick.
Regards,
The Kitchen