Ramen is also a modern food, but at the opposite end of the spectrum compared to Pad Thai.
Pad Thai is top down designed. Made by the government to be appreciated by most people, but with enough character to make it distinctive of the country.
Ramen is bottom up. That's essentially people trying to make survival food taste good.
And it shows. The base recipe for Pad Thai is always the same, just like with traditional food. Individual chefs then add their own personal touch.
Ramen however vary wildly. It is a soup, and there are noodles in it but beside that there is no real recipe. There are some common themes (ex: pork, onion, seaweed, ...), but you will probably find more exception than there are rules.
While a restaurant can claim it serves "true" Pad Thai, "true" Ramen makes no sense.
Is Pad thai designed? The article seems to have implied that the guy who decided it was a national standard was just a thing his housekeeper happened to make.
Pad Thai is top down designed. Made by the government to be appreciated by most people, but with enough character to make it distinctive of the country.
Ramen is bottom up. That's essentially people trying to make survival food taste good.
And it shows. The base recipe for Pad Thai is always the same, just like with traditional food. Individual chefs then add their own personal touch.
Ramen however vary wildly. It is a soup, and there are noodles in it but beside that there is no real recipe. There are some common themes (ex: pork, onion, seaweed, ...), but you will probably find more exception than there are rules.
While a restaurant can claim it serves "true" Pad Thai, "true" Ramen makes no sense.