Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, known as “Putin critic,” filed a lawsuit against Siberian prison authorities expressing his desire to leisurely enjoy Korean Doshirak instant ramyeon noodles in prison, but his request was rejected.
According to the Russian Legal Information Agency RAPSI on Jan. 11, the Russian Supreme Court rejected Navalny’s request to abolish restrictions on prison meal times and book possession.
Navalny attended the trial online the day before against the prison authorities. He argued that there is controversy over the prison’s regulation limiting the time for inmates to eat warm meals during breakfast and dinner to a maximum of 30 minutes. He said due to this regulation, breakfast is limited to 10 minutes, and dinner to 15 minutes.
“It is impossible to eat in 10 minutes,” Navalny addressed the judge. “The most popular item in the prison cafeteria is Doshirak,” he appealed, “and I want to be able to eat it without any restrictions.” He mentioned that he burned his tongue trying to eat the hot ramyeon quickly.
According to Paldo, Doshirak held a market share of 62 percent in Russia in 2022, maintaining its position as the top local instant noodles for 10 years. Many people, seeking pot instant noodles as a reserve food during times of war, have reportedly boosted sales. In Russia, where many people travel long distances on trains such as the Trans-Siberian Railway, the flat square shape of the Doshirak container is convenient to carry in bags and does not spill easily on the shaking train, making it more popular than other instant noodles.
