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| Rice... | (Entered May. 12, 2005) | Sponsors: | |||||||
Besides ninjas and Godzilla, rice is what most people think of when they envision Japan. Although a bit off the mark with the first two, rice is right on target. Rice is the central food in the Japanese diet and all other foods, whether it be sushi, tempura or what have you, revolve around and bow down to rice.
No meal would be complete without it, unless of course you're eating at an Italian restaurant or McDonald's which don't really count anyway cuz we're talking about Japanese food here. So what is it with the Japanese and their love affair with rice anyway? How good can a bowl of rice really be? Speaking from my own experience I have to say it can be pretty damn good. Back when I lived in Canada, my Japanese friends would always complain how much they missed rice, and I would always wonder what the big deal was. I mean, it's just rice, it's not like it's anything important like pizza. Back then, the only kind of rice I'd eaten was Uncle Ben's and I didn't even like it. Now having eaten sticky, fluffy, short-grain, real Japanese rice here in Japan, I've come to appreciate just how good it is. On the left here you can get a good look at my antique-looking rice cooker just before it's about to go into action. Seriously, I think this thing was made before World War 2.
Voila! A plate of good ol' fashioned rice. Having eaten rice in various countries, I can say with conviction that Japanese rice is by far the tastiest. Of course I don't eat it plain, but it's good enough that you could if you wanted. Looks like mana doesn't it? My mom always balks when I suggest getting her a rice cooker. Doesn't know what she's missing...
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Food for Thought... |
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