I bought a big carton of Cup Noodles at Costco last month and I’ve been eating my way through them rapidly. I add a scoop of bone broth power to make them healthier and more filling. Usually they’re a late night snack. Today I had one for breakfast.
They have a label on the side, just over the cooking instructions:
WARNING: HOT
HANDLE WITH CARE
They are not, of course, hot when you first buy them. The warning only applies after you’ve microwaved them or added boiling water. They are not intrinsically hot.
Presumably, if you’ve heated them up in some way, you already know that they’re hot, so you don’t need the warning. The warning is only there because Nissin’s America lawyers want to insulate them from lawsuits filed by people who burn themselves.
These warning labels came about because of an infamous lawsuit against McDonald's by a woman who was burned by their coffee. This lawsuit is often held up as an example of frivolous lawsuits. At Thanksgiving, my father’s family would bring it up at some point to kick off the annual “people will sue over anything these days” discussion.
It actually wasn’t frivolous at all. The coffee was much hotter than coffee usually is, the woman suffered incredibly severe burns, and she only sued after the medical bills climbed into the thousands and she couldn't afford to pay. It’s all explained really well in an episode of Adam Ruins Everything.
That doesn't make the warning less silly. Realistically, a judge would probably throw out a suit brought by someone who burned themselves with Cup Noodles. It was their own water that was hot, not the noodles. I don’t imagine the label would make much difference.
Or maybe the label is a kindness. Nissin doesn't think we’re idiots, they just know we can get distracted. Life is overwhelming, and the last thing you need is a bunch of noodle burns. That warning could be the thing that slows us down for a minute and lets us focus on the present circumstances.
I will choose to be grateful for their concern.