Why slurping noodles is polite in Japan

Forget everything your mother told you about eating quietly at the dinner table. If you sit down at a ramen shop in Tokyo and quietly eat your noodles, the chef might assume you hate the meal. In Japan, loudly slurping your bowl not only helps cool the incredibly hot broth down before it burns your mouth, but it also signals deep culinary satisfaction to the creator of the dish. Make some noise and embrace the mess.