Wareside, Hertfordshire

I don't eat Pot Noodles out of the plastic pots; when they're ready I put them on a warmed plate and unless drained of excess water, they'd have to be eaten with a soup spoon with a napkin tucked into one's shirt collar, which isn't done. Apart from that, if it's excessively wet, pasta cannot be mixed with anything else.

What I dislike about Pot Noodles is the demotic tone of the instructions, which e.g. tell the consumer to "grab" a fork. I prefer to be addressed as an adult who takes, and not grabs, things.

Fair enough, but if you dislike so much about Pot Noodles, one wonders why you buy them. Wouldn't it be simpler (and probably cheaper) just to buy a packet of plain noodles and then sauce and serve them according to your requirements?

Pot Noodles are designed as an instant convenience meal and not intended to be mixed with other foods on a plate. The instruction to grab a fork conveys the idea of speed, delivering the message that this is a meal which can be prepared quickly and easily, although I don't see any such instruction on my own pot.

Yes, but plain, raw pasta takes over 20 minutes to cook, whereas Pot Noodles take less than 5 minutes and don't need a saucepan which afterwards needs to be washed.

I've just looked at the instructions on a pot and see that (wisely) they've been revised and no longer tell one to grab this and grab that. So that I take back.

I wasn't talking about pasta: I was talking about noodles.
You can buy packets of noodles without the Pot.

Sharwood's egg noodles, for example, can be cooked in four minutes.
www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/315362515

The washing of the pan would be minimal, as only water will have adhered to its sides.