An ode to rice

Maybe it’s because I’ve taken a break from carbohydrates for a while and from white rice in general for at least a year, I’m not sure, but that jasmine rice I had last weekend was almost a heavenly experience. It was delicious.I think rice is taken for granted. People malign white rice, praise brown rice and still expect it to always be there with their Chinese food, fish dishes and jambalayas.According to The History of Rice, from Duke University, rice has been a source of food for people since about 2500 B.C. No one is quite sure how rice got to America, but we began growing it sometime after the Civil War.Quick, fun facts: Rice is the official grain of Arkansas; there are more than 40,000 different types of rice (not necessarily in Arkansas and I can only name eight off the top of my head); rice is produced on every continent except Antarctica; 90 percent of rice is produced in Asia; rice weighs three times its original weight when you cook it; and rice paper – not made of rice.In Chinese, the word for “rice” also means “food,” which makes sense. I read that while an average American eats 25 pounds of rice per year, in parts of Asia a person might eat between 200 and 400 pounds of rice a year. That is the equivalent of eating a half pound to just over a pound of rice per day. That is a lot of rice.I switched to brown rice over a year ago under the auspices that if you were going to eat rice, which is low in fiber and high in carbohydrates (i.e. not good for you), then it should be the lesser of two evils, which is brown. Brown good, white evil – that is the mantra of the fit and trendy.What’s the difference other than the obvious? I’m glad you asked. Brown rice is whole grain, only the outer layer, the husk is removed. To get white rice, you remove the bran layer and the germ as well. The result is brown rice is higher in fiber and slightly less refined. It’s not that it’s crude, rude and socially unacceptable, it’s just not as polished as its cousin.Brown rice also takes some getting used to. It’s chewier and is said to have a “nutty flavor.” I don’t know that I’d call it nutty or just different. I also almost always manage to forget that it takes nearly twice the time to cook, which is annoying. It’s annoying that I always forget, it’s not the rice’s fault.I also read that jasmine rice has a nutty flavor. I think that is the grain world’s equivalent of “it tastes like chicken.” Don’t know how to describe something? Give it a nutty taste.I think it leans more toward a perfumey, sesame taste. I love the smell, I love the taste, I love the creaminess of jasmine rice. Originally from Thailand, it is not to be confused with its cousin, basmati rice.I also like basmati rice, which is usually found more in Indian cooking. It’s similar to jasmine in that it has a lovely fragrance but it’s longer grain and not as sticky. You can also find brown basmati rice, which I will have to try next. Basmati, however, is more expensive than simple white, brown or even jasmine rice.But those are just the tip of the mammoth iceberg that is the world’s rice crop.I’d also like to try Colusari red rice, grown right here in the U.S., Himalayan red rice (also described as “nutty” tasting), purple Thai rice (sweeter than most) and Chinese black rice that looks more purple when it’s cooked.How can a veritable rainbow of rice be bad for you? How can half the world, which still relies on rice to make up a portion of their diet, be wrong? I think sometimes people need to forget about the glycemic index (unless, of course, it’s pertinent to your immediate health needs), stop worrying about whether something is whole grain or too refined or not trendy and just enjoy. Because eating jasmine rice, inhaling that fragrance, all in moderation, of course, was way more enjoyable and satisfying than being nutritiously right or trendy or whole (grain that is). Live a little, people.