Happy birthday to instant gratification

August 25, 2013 marked the 55th birthday of instant noodles. Invented in 1958 by a Taiwanese-Japanese man named Momofuku Ando, there's no doubt that they are a great creation of convenience and have affected the way people eat around the whole world. However, the glut of conveniences available today has caused people to seek out healthier living and eating habits, and some consider the fried instant noodles to be junk food. How do people view instant noodles today? Li Lin hit the street to find out.

Matthew Largent, 34, journalist, US

I've heard some strange news about instant noodles. In the Maldives, the food is very expensive, so some Chinese tourists just bring instant noodles with them. Instant noodles are Chinese people's survival food. And when I first came to China, I saw some Korean people eat dry instant noodles just with some flavoring powder. I had never seen that before.

Chen Shuyi, 66, retired, Beijing

My children often eat (instant noodles) when they are busy at work. I am not feeling well these days and I can't cook for them, so sometimes they just eat instant noodles. My grandson likes to eat dry noodles, but I don't allow him. I think it would hurt his stomach.

Fu Lanmei, 49, nurse, Beijing

I first learned what instant noodles were when in my hometown in Henan Province. That was in the 1980s, and there were no instant noodles there, and it was said that the instant noodles were only sold in Beijing. So I asked my neighbor, a truck driver who often came to Beijing, to buy instant noodles for me. They were rather expensive, and so I only treated guests with them or gave them as presents. Now I am in Beijing, and the noodles are rather cheap, but the memories remain.

Zhou Yi, 22, computer designer, Beijing

I loved Raccoon Dry Noodles (as a kid) because there were cards in the packs of dry noodles. Children were crazy about collecting the cards, as we didn't have computers or iPads then. I still have (the cards) today.

Liu Jiao'e, 35, salesperson, Beijing

    Now the instant noodles have many flavors, but I only love one flavor, beef stew noodles, which was the first one I had many years ago. It's classic.

Zhang Tingting, 32, lawyer, Beijing

When my younger brother and I were kids, we used to fight over a pack of instant noodles, because they were a luxury. After the fight, we were both very ashamed. That pack of instant noodles taught us a great lesson of give-and-take.