become an instant smash hit

人気ラーメン店「大勝軒」の創業者・山岸一雄さんが亡くなりました。「つけ麺」の生みの親としても知られています。

Ramen legend Kazuo Yamagishi passes away at 80

Kazuo Yamagishi, the founder of ramen restaurant Taishoken in Tokyo's Higashiikebukuro, passed away at a hospital in the capital's Itabashi Ward on April 1. He was 80.

Yamagishi is said to have devised "tsukemen," or cold ramen noodles that come with a bowl of soup for dipping -- one of the popular ramen menus in Japan with a history of over half a century.

A native of Nagano Prefecture, Yamagishi spent his apprenticeship at a ramen restaurant in Tokyo's Nakano. When he was 17, he hit upon the idea of "tsukemen" when he saw his colleague gulping down noodles after dipping them in a cup of soup.

In 1961, he added "tsukemen" to his restaurant's menus under the name "special morisoba" (cold soba noodles with soup for dipping) for 40 yen per serving, and it became an instant smash hit. When he was forced to stop delivery due to a leg disease in 1974, local patrons volunteered to come and pick up the dishes, saying, "You only need to cook ramen, we will come and get it."

気になった表現は“become an instant smash hit”です。「激しくぶつかる、粉々にする」やテニスの「スマッシュ」でおなじみの“smash”ですが、名詞の欄を見てみますと「smash hit：大ヒット作（映画・作品・音楽・本など）」とありました。（『Wisdom英和辞典第３版』三省堂）
一文をまとめてみると、「１９６１年につけ麺を“特製もりそば”の名で１杯４０円で提供してみると、たちまち大人気メニューとなった」となるでしょうか。（野球小僧クリス）

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