Mmmm…Rice!

Matthew loves rice. When he was a toddler, he referred to anything he found tasty as rice. And his appreciation of whatever foodstuffs he was enjoying was expressed as, “Mmmm…rice!” Bread fresh out of the oven and left to cool? “Mmmm…rice!” Sugar cookies nabbed while my back was turned? “Mmmm…rice!” And actual rice? “Mmmm…rice!” So, this is a kid who likes rice. A lot. And this is also a kid who has never cooked rice without a rice cooker. That’s a side effect of our Chinese heritage. I suspect that most people around here view a rice cooker as a handy but nonessential appliance. But in my house, it is an absolute necessity. Daniel went all rogue while he was serving in Oregon and learned to cook rice in a pot, but my other kids are highly dependent on rice cookers. I mean, I can cook rice in a pot too, but why bother when my rice cooker is so much easier and yields fantastic results? And I can set it to run and walk away, even leave the house, which you most definitely cannot do when you are cooking rice on the stove.

Eating at the MTC, where rice was served but was the long grain, Uncle Ben’s type of rice in industrial quantities was a whole new experience for Matthew. And since he consumed the microwaveable sticky rice bowls I shipped to the mission office for his first couple of days in Arkansas, he has not had any more rice. And that was almost two months ago. Needless to say, he has reached the point of having rice withdrawals. So why doesn’t he buy rice, you may ask? Because the area of Fort Smith where he is assigned is so poor that they don’t even have a Walmart. And since he is in Arkansas, the place from whence all Walmarts spring, that is saying something. He told us the nicest store they have is Dollar General. Which means that he can’t find good rice. Because along with our deep dependence on rice cookers, we are also rice snobs. Being raised on medium grain Calrose sticky rice means that the Uncle Bens and the Minute Rices of the world are far, far below our ricey standards. Because let’s face it, not all rice is created equal. Even the cuisine of other cultures that leans heavily on rice (think Mexican food) uses a very different variety of rice. And Calrose rice is nowhere near as cheap as some of the other varieties. Hence Dollar General not carrying it. 

But this is where Amazon is super fantastic because not only can I buy a rice cooker on the cheap, but they will ship it to Arkansas free of charge. And they also sell bags of the right kind of rice, which is even more convenient. So last night was rice night in Fort Smith. And Matthew loves me even extra lots today because 15 pounds of rice should last him for a while. 😉