If you ask anyone who grew up in an Indian family what their favorite noodle dish growing up was, you will unanimously receive this response: Maggi Noodles. These noodles arrive in tiny one-serving packages equipped with a spice packet that comes in different flavors, such as masala, vegetable spinach, tomato and chicken. Maggi boasts a two-minute cooking time, but many people decide to spice it up and add their own ingredients. When I asked my mom about a delicious noodle recipe to make, she instantly told me to make Maggi, which she used to consume in her childhood and often made for me. With my lack of culinary experience, she thought it would be a perfect dish to make. I chose to write about this dish because it is one of my childhood favorites and because it is very easy to make. Given its widespread availability and the easy-to-prepare ingredients, Maggi noodles serve the purpose of bringing together families and reminding people of their fond childhood memories.

Maggi, the company, was originally created by the Swiss entrepreneur Julius Maggi in 1884. The company started selling their noodles in India and they instantly became popular throughout the country. The founder of Maggi wished for their noodles to be affordable and available to everyone. This wish was fulfilled, as I paid thirty-three cents for each packet, which contains one serving each. They are alternatively valued at twelve Indian rupees, which is equivalent to sixteen cents per packet. Each serving contains three-hundred and ten calories, which come from thirteen grams of fat, forty grams of carbohydrates and six grams of protein. While not very nutritious, it can give you the carbohydrate boost you need for a workout or any energy intensive activity. This makes for a slightly unhealthy but filling snack or meal everyone can afford. For this reason, it is a meal people from all socioeconomic statuses can enjoy and relate to.

Maggi is typically served as a meal or a snack, depending on who is consuming it. As a child I would eat Maggi as a whole meal. However, after growing older, one packet of the two-minute noodles is not enough to fill me up. Maggi noodles can be consumed with or without alterations. People with access to other ingredients can add vegetables, such as onions, and coriander or other spices to add extra flavor. It is usually served around lunch or dinner and is catered towards children, but adults can enjoy it too. There are no formal rules to consuming Maggi, which makes it easy to consume and enjoy. Because it is so easy to eat, it is much easier for pleasant memories to be associated with Maggi.

An interesting fact about Maggi is that it was banned in India temporarily for not following safety regulations in 2015. The noodles reportedly contained abnormally high levels of monosodium glutamate and seventeen times the permitted level of lead. This was shocking considering Maggi is targeted towards children and that lead poisoning can lead to brain developmental delays. The ban was lifted several months after its initial withdrawal from the market, but the company’s reputation was shattered. I specifically remember asking my mom why we hadn’t eaten Maggi in a while, and she told us it was dangerous. I hadn’t reunited with the noodles until shortly after I started my first year at Emory.

In my first year at Emory, the dining hall used to serve various American dishes that I found bland and boring. This left me longing for the spice I used to eat at home. I would add sriracha and Frank’s red-hot sauce to everything I ate because I disliked the unseasoned food at the DUC. I remember sharing these feelings with other Indian students I met. I can vividly remember one day an Indian organization was selling packets of Maggi for a dollar each to students on Cox Bridge. That night, there were many Indian students at Raoul Hall making Maggi for each other. My friends and I joined and made the Maggi we had purchased for ourselves, too. We collectively enjoyed our Maggi and joined the other students to reminisce about our childhoods. Indians and Indian Americans bonded over our love for this food. This demonstrates how Maggi can bring people together despite any differences. Since Maggi is associated with pleasant memories, it allowed everyone to bond.

Making Maggi in my apartment away from home made me realize how much I missed being at home. It was my first time cooking the noodles for myself and I felt disappointed with my cooking. I made the mistake of heating my pan too much and overcooking my onions and chili. My apartment immediately filled with a spicy aroma that made me cough and made my eyes water. It was so strong that my roommate started coughing in his room and came out to see what was going on. After opening all the windows in the apartment, I went back to cooking to find my final creation. After eating a few bites of the noodles, I could not stop thinking of ways I could have made it better. I also thought about how much better my mom makes them. It made me think of how much more I enjoy eating the cooking of someone else rather than my own. I always criticize my own cooking, looking for ways to improve but when I eat other people’s cooking, I am always appreciative. This project also made me realize I need to open up my cooking horizons. After seeing many of the dishes of my peers and previous students, I realized how simple most of the things I cook are. I need to start experimenting with more complex dishes to increase my culinary vocabulary. Besides that, I found that Maggi made me think of my childhood. While it doesn’t taste as good as it used to, I can always count on it to remind me of past memories.