April 21, 2006
Tim Hailey
Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki is devoted to the Japanese pop song of the same name and to Ramen noodles.

The ramen noodle is a familiar staple of humble pantries the world over. A colorful display of every possible brand and variety of ramen noodles formed a grid on the gallery’s long wall. Diners selected packages of ramen noodles off of the grid and gave them to the artist for cooking on a Target Greatland brand propane camp stove. The diners discussed and recorded their tasting impressions of the ramen. All the tasting notes will later be assembled in a World Guide to Ramen Noodles, similar to guides for wine, cigars, whiskey, etc.

First recorded by Kyu Sakamoto in the early ‘60’s, Sukiyaki has been recorded countless times by artists in diverse cultures ever since. Performers who have recorded Sukiyaki in various genre forms include Selena, A Taste of Honey, PM Dawn, Slick Rick, Utada Hikaru, Kenny Ball, Margot Lefebvre, The Ventures, Billy Vaughn, Los Tres Reyes, Trish Thuy Trang, etc. Mary J. Blige once led the artist and thousands of others in an impromptu Sukiyaki sing-along at Madison Square Garden.

The diners listened to Sukiyaki while rating their ramen, though none chose to perform their own version.