Taro Aso not knowledgeable about the price of instant noodles

“I’ll admit to not understanding why Taro Aso is getting all this flack for not knowing the price of ramen (I guess the equivalent to the quart of milk question in the U.S.) and the expensive restaurants. The guy is worth something like five million US tops, while you can find senators who are worth less then that I’d wager it isn’t many.”

I think the problem was illustrated in the US election races, where when McCain not being able to even recall how many houses he owned didn’t look good for him. Politics is just as much if not more about image than substance these days… too many people don’t take the time to research and take an interest in the issues, and are affected by the image the politician portrays and what stupid gossip that has nothing to do with their ability to effectively do their job has come out lately. Sigh… reality.

Part of it is also that Aso recently went on a tour of a supermarket to talk to “ordinary” people in order to find out how rising food prices have affected their lives. The press wants to see how much he learned on that trip.

“I’ve seen the good stuff going for 350-450en.”

What “good stuff”? There is absolutely nothing “good” about instant ramen, except that you can use it to die from hunger a little bit slower when you’re a poor university student.