[TalonDJ]

Does Maruchan, makers of Ramen, mean something like "Dear Ship", or is it a coincidence?

Coincidence. Sort of like if someone was wondering if the 'coin' in coincidence had something to do with money. But... chan can also imply smallness or immaturity. And Maru means something different than 'boat' (I forget) so even if the root words were the same the meaning implied could be a lot different than that.

[TalonDJ]

I just had to pick a day I am really hungry to catch up the thread. *grumble*