By Charlotte King"Charlotte! Eat your rice, it's good for you!"
"But Mommmmmm....it doesn't taste....you know....good."
"But it's good for you, that's all that matters."
Many of my first exposures to rice as a kid, similar to many unfortunate kids I know, didn't kindle my affection for its abilities and tasty wonderfulness until I was older and learned how wonderful it could be. Like many families with working moms trying to provide the best for their kids we were exposed to the box flavored rice concepts that many could name, but they fell well short of tantalizing my taste buds. Since those unfortunate experiences, my appreciation for rice has grown, as I’ve tasted wonderful new options. It’s something I hope kids far and wide could enjoy, instead of some of the most popular but least enticing options in my opinion.
With the local food movement only gaining more traction all over the country it’s a wonderful time to be able to embrace your own personal food culture, and move away from processed products, that are not only not as nutritious but also not as tasty.
As a devoted foodie and Sacramento native I've been writing about food & wine for 5+ years, from foie gras to the best bacon cheeseburger out there. I’m fully focused on our local food culture; and it was only when my sister Amanda (a devoted cook in her own right) began working with the California Rice Commission did she start learning more and more about this unsung solider of the food pyramid.
Coming from an actively-disliking rice background she showed my entire family how to properly cook rice (steamer, rice cooker), the different things you could do with rice (risotto, pilaf, paella, sushi, steamed), and how many different kinds of rice there are out there - over 40,000 varieties worldwide. Now she’s a consistent educator of rice, from telling someone in the grocery store to a speaking about new techniques with celebrity sushi chefs. That’s the power of food knowledge, it goes viral, people want to share what they know with others.
So now that I’ve been properly educated by my sister, with chefs embracing rice more and more, and by tasting rice at events & dinners all the time, I have a 180 degree appreciation difference - rice tastes good! My mom was amazed at my transformation. But I’m a firm believer that it’s not the access or quantity that counts but the quality and where it was grown that makes a true difference in what ends up on the plate. Thankfully, we have plenty of rice grown just outside of Sacramento that serves as the start of many future memorable meals.
Charlotte King writes The Grand Adventure of a Food & Wine Diva. Her blogging has received coverage from the Sacramento Bee and Sacramento Magazine.
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