The sound of noodles

Noodles can't talk, but they can make a sound. It's a sound you will hear if you go to one of Japan's many noodle shops. Slurrrrrrrrp! Slurrrrrrrrp! Slurrrrrrrrp! This is the sound Japanese make when eating noodles. There are various degrees of slurping ranging from the "water draining from the bathtub slurp" to "dinosaur stuck in the tar pits slurp". Both are alarming. The latter can be unnerving even to Japanese and not for the feign of heart! The reason for the behavior can be baffling to a visitor. The noodles are sucked, along with the outside cooler air, which cools down the noodles and enables one to eat the noodles while hot. What about cold noodles? They are eaten in the same manner. Whatever the reasons are, noodles are slurped with gusto in Japan. None of your sissy, "don't make a noise while you eat" philosophy of the western world! Generally, you can a judge a persons age by the degree of slurp. Young men and woman tend to have a more reserve slurp, while the more mature person's slurp resounds with the experience of life.
The norm in Japan is to go quietly and politely about your business in public, but when it comes to eating noodles it's time to let loose your hangups about keeping the peace. Slurrrrrrrrp! Slurrrrrrrrp! Slurrrrrrrrp!The hills are alive with the sound of noodles!