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[rgeczi]

I am wondering if anyone would be interested in purchasing non-MSG instant noodles.  I have already notified a few people, but I juist wanted to post it here as well to see the interest.  I originally contacted some suppliers in China to sell in bulk to me, but after some thinking, I might actually export these to Canada or to Europe, where I have some connections.  So, the way it will work out initially is that I will have a small quantity in my home, for me to consume, and possibly for people to buy from me.  Then, I will try to export it, with some surplus amount being left with me, which will always leave me with a few boxes or whatever.

There are 4 flavours, chicken, beef, kimchi, and shrimp.  As mentioned before, these instant noodles do not contain MSG.  Also, they have all natural ingredients, non-fried noodles (fat reduced), sodium reduced, and no trans fat.  I plan on selling them in Hefei for 6 RMB.  I feel that is a good price because these are export quality noodles, that were destined for the US market.  And everything is in English.  I don't have any at the moment, but will be getting a big load soon.

Let me know what you think.  This is not really a business as of yet, just selling my personal stock, when I have it.  And I will deliver it on my motorbike to you, if it's more than 5 items.

[rgeczi]

Tim, I respectfully disagree.  If you go to any store in Hefei, you will see the prices for instant noodles slightly lower than 6 RMB.  So, I can't think that I am overcharging considering that these noodles have no MSG, whereas all the local kinds do, and the other things that I mentioned which these noodles offer.

You know, people in Hefei are not cheap, really.  You struggled to understand this when you had your hot dog diner.  As mentioned by me before, people in Hefei will pay for foods they feel are of value to them, for whatever reason.  For example, with these noodles, my wife mentioned that the young children we teach would like these, and the parents would as well.  They don't add MSG to the foods served in kindergartens.  So, you really have to understand the market to be able to sell items in China.  Going back to what I said earlier in this paragraph, people line up and wait for a long time just to eat at Pizza Hut, and they are highly overpriced.  Even regular pizza places around Hefei are priced higher than a lot of other local foods people can eat here.

So, it all boils down to what you value, and what your needs are.  I feel 6 RMB is not steep at all, considering the quality and so on of these noodles.

[rgeczi]

Tim,

it's nice to have input into this.  But I would like to say that my wife too is Chinese, and said that it would be welcome for a certain group of consumers.  And actually going against some of your statements, think that students would like it in certain situations.  I am not trying to compete with noodles that are sold in shops.  I am competing against pre-packaged noodles, which all contain MSG.  You can ask your wife to verify this, but according to my research, they all contain MSG.  So, for the consumer, whether it's a local person, or a foreigner (which part of my market focus is geared toward), all they should be concerned about is what sets these instant noodles apart from other instant noodles in the market.  And like I mentioned in my first message, they have a lot of differences, and many plusses (sp?).

And if we are talking about a different part of the market, which is the noodle shops around Hefei, yes, there are some that might not put MSG in them, but for the most part, they do.  A lot of things in China are MSGed (which drives me nuts because eating out is quite difficult for me), so I am surprised to hear that you think more places don't add MSG, which they do.

So to focus this back onto instant noodles, for what it has to offer, they are priced accordingly to the current market rates.  Not everyone would agree with me, but if you look at it point for point of what the differences are between the noodles I will be getting shortly, and the ones on the market, I think 6 RMB would not be considered "gouging", by any means.  Keep in mind, these are "export quality grade", which for all the people that import/export goods on a consistant basis, know it's of good quality.  I can't be so sure about the local instant noodles.

Different strokes for different folks I guess

[Benji]

Hey Rgeczi, I support you all the way! It's not worth a big discussion it I think. Try it out and see how it goes, you've got nothing to loose!!
If you have time send over 5 to the cafe. I'll try them out let my staff taste them as well.
ben

[rgeczi]

Benji,

I agree, have nothing to lose.  The reason why I say this is because it all started with me wanting instant noodles that are not loaded with MSG.  I am talking about the pre-packaged ones.  So, then I got to thinking, why not sell some surplus that I might have to others who are wanting the same thing.  Then further along in my thinking, I thought, well, if things go well, I might make a small side business of this.  Believe me, the profit is not high.  My wife thinks I should just stick to teaching English and some other things that I have going on.  haha  But, I told her, this is strictly a side thing for me, and other foreigners in Hefei might want them as well.  So, why not.

By the way, I still haven't received them, but when I do, I will throw you 5 on the house for you and your employees to try.  Also, this person that I am talking with for the noodles, also imports various US made snacks and so on.  So, if I can get some things from him for a good price, better than Carrefour, Walmart or Metro, I will offer them up as well.  And Benji, I will make my way to your cafe.  I have been taking a different route to work these days, so I am not on the way.  But it's very near one of the schools that I teach at, so, I will be there in due time.

[Aussie Mike]

Yeah Rgeczi!
I'll take a carton of them as midnight snacks.
When the Foreigner network office is running, I'll also have a shop to cater for specialist needs.
I'll keep some there as well.

[Patrick]

I don't mean to resurrect a three year old threads, but many times I miss dinner at the chow hall on campus, and I am forced to walk down the road to choose from a few family run restaurants where both the food and the service is lousy. So I was just going to invest in a hot water dispenser and make instant noodles whenever I miss a meal at school. The problem, as the author of this thread has pointed out, is that none (I checked everywhere) of the stores in this city sell non-MSG noodles (MSG gives me massive headaches). In fact, it seems just about every snack item is covered with it. If anyone knows where I can purchase MSG free noodles, please let me know. I really don't care how much they are, I just want to be able to eat instant noodles without getting sick.

[rgeczi]

Patrick, the funny thing is is that I just ordered some noodles yesterday, so when they arrive, I will give them a taste, and let you know how it went.

I ordered them from Taobao, and they have no MSG.  It's not the same as the ones I mentioned before, but like you said, as long as they don't have MSG, I am willing to try it out once.  If you use Taobao, just go to this address:

http://store.taobao.com/shop/view_shop.htm?user_number_id=180509308

Scroll down to their "Koka" brand noodles, and choose the ones you want.  If you don't have Taobao, I can order some for you, and you can pay me back via bank transfer, if you use online banking.  I have online banking at home, which I use to do this, but I am not sure if you have this option.  Or you can use the good ol' fashion way of meeting me at my home to drop off the funds once you get the noodles.  I trust you are good for it.

Let me know.

[Patrick]

Rgeczi,

How are the MSG free noodles? If you recommend them, I'd like to buy a couple dozen or so. All original flavor, preferably. I brought over a can of Old Bay with me, so I can always sprinkle that on them for a little variety. No Taobao or online banking, but I can easily pick them up. Thanks!

[rgeczi]

Patrick,

The noodles I bought are pretty good.  They don't include any vegetables (sorry, not a big noodler, so I don't know if this is the norm), but the taste is good.  The flavours I bought were:

Curry Flavour
Stir-Fry Original Flavour
Chicken Satay Flavour
Tom Yam Flavour
Spicy Singapore Fried Noodles

I personally tried the stir-fry and chicken flavoured ones.  The stir-fry one is kind of bland, so, wasn't too enjoyable, but the chicken satay one was pretty good.  It has a bit of spiciness to it, but for a person that REALLY hates spicy foods, I actually managed quite well, and am now addicted to it. lol  My wife (Chinese) tried the tom yam one, and she enjoyed it, which is saying a lot because she is extremely picky about foods, and her being Chinese, is used to the MSG noodle kind more. 

The way I take my noodles is with them in water, meaning, the flavour pack is added into the water when the noodles are ready, making it a soup.  My wife just prepped the noodles, drained it, then added the pack directly onto the noodles.  I am assuming the water-less noodle prep is more flavourful than mine, but oh well, mine was good nonetheless.

Now, the price went up to 3.20 per pack, instead of 3RMB, so, tell me which ones you want, quantity, and I will order them for you.

[Andy72]

it's all very interesting and good ideas, but i got actually one question, out of curiosity, something it was mentioned at the beginning:

thinking about the real market (not hefeiexpat one!), do you think that "common" Chinese would change their habits for trying your MSG free noodles instead of keep eating what they are used to?

i am really curious to see what your Chinese wife think, or other Chinese people..
but i know your wife would try them.. unfortunately chinese married to or with laowai bf/gf do not count in my statistics!

i got the feeling that Chinese, like actually old Norwegian, are quite static in their habits, a huge inertial weight stop them to change or introduce news especially in the cooking..

i cannot generalize (my gf would try all norwegian or italian foods i give her.. and then maybe hate me for a few days because she thinks it was disgusting!! but again, the mind of chinese girls together with laowai is not the mind of "traditional" chinese).

so do you hope in selling only to hefei-expat?

actually i see a lot of potential in caffe/small restaurants run by people with laowai connections and friends...

i wish you good luck, and now i go to wikipedia to check what the h**l is MSG...

[Aussie Mike]

MSG is a cooking additive which has been controversially used to enhance the flavour of cooking. Since the 1960’s, It’s been considered as a carcinogenic, a trigger for cancer and many other illnesses such as headaches and nausea.

In Australia, since the 1970’s, Chinese restaurants who used it in cooking would display a sign to remind you to ask for no MSG where these days, you need to actually ask for it.

Honestly, I think there is more of a chance that Chinese would reduce salt and oil in their diet before MSG.

Here is some more reading for you
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/healthconcerns/p/MSG.htm
What is MSG? :
MSG is the salt version of glutamic acid. Glutamatic acid is one of a chain of 20 amino acids that make up a protein molecule. It is a non-essential amino acid, which means that the body produces what is needed and we don’t need to make it up in our diet. The brain uses glutamic acid as a neurotransmitter.

Glutamate is glutamic acid that has been broken down by fermentation, cooking or other methods. Monosodium glutamate is made by mixing glutamate with salt and water.

History of MSG:
Asian cooks have been taking advantage of glutamate’s flavor enhancing properties for centuries. It is unclear whether the Chinese or Japanese first discovered that a broth made from a certain type of seaweed enhanced the natural flavor of food. But it wasn't until 1908 that Professor Ikeda of the University of Tokyo first isolated glutamate from broth made with dried Konbu kelp. (He went on to create and patent Monosodium glutamate, or MSG).

[rgeczi]

@Andy,

Thanks for your suggestions about possible places to sell to, but the noodles I would be buying is just to help out a fellow Hefei Expater, free of charge.  I use Taobao A LOT, so for me, this is simply one more delivery tacked onto my usual schedule.  So, if anyone else wants a tasty taste of these noodles, and wants me to order some for them, let me know.  The worst thing that can happen to me is the person not showing up for the goods. 

Oh well, more for me then. 

[Patrick]

I'd like to go ahead and order 12 of the Original Stir Fry and 12 of the Tom Yam (I trust your wife's judgement). Also, 1 of the Spicy Singapore (I want to gauge the spicy factor). Just let me know when they arrive and I'll come pick them up. I like your idea of pouring the packet into the water for a type of broth. Generally, I pour about 3/4 of the packet directly onto the cooked noodles, as the full packet is a bit too much. I then liberally sprinkle ground black (or sometimes red) pepper on them. I've also mixed them with raw egg (cage free) for breakfast. Of course, I would cook the eggs over here before adding.

Here's a man who really likes his instant noodles:

http://www.ramenrater.com/

[rgeczi]

Patrick, I will place the order for that once my wife gets back.  There are packaged waffles that this seller has that she likes, so once I get her final order quantity tonight, I will place the order.  I found out that they have 10 flavours, so that means there are some additional ones that I left out from the list.  Off the top of my head, there is also mushroom, chicken (non-spicy I assume by the name of it), black pepper, and crab.

Let me know if any of those tickle your fancy, so I can add it to your order.  I will also order some more noodles for myself, so this is going to be a nice large order.  I might ask for a couple RMB to pay for part of the delivery charge, which should be 10RMB give or take.  Hope that won't break the bank for you.    Joking.

I will let you know soon.