What does the ramen symbolize within Oluo’s anecdote about a sleepover in Chapter 7: How Can I Talk About Affirmative Action?

Oluo discusses the fact that when she was a child, she made friends based on having similar socioeconomic status. She illustrates the value of such a connection when she states that she had friends she could go to the food bank with and when she had a friend over to stay the night, she liked knowing that when it was time to scrounge up a dollar to get a package of ramen for dinner, her poor friends would understand and would not look down on Oluo for her family’s lack of food security.