Why do so many survival shows feature rice?

I love rice. Used some last night. Went great with my smoked turkey, duck and rabbit gumbo. :D

Around here there are these little tube packets of rice (jasmine, Spanish, saffron, etc) in the grocery stores for about 40 cents a pop. I like to get a few every time I go in. They're great to pack into the woods. Very easy to pack a few days worth of rice. Saffron rice is amazing with fresh rabbit. The Spanish rice is great with white perch.

Found a link. http://www.mahatmarice.com/en-us/products/2/SaffronYellow.aspx

My family has always kept a 5 gallon bucket in the pantry full of long grain rice. We would eat rice 3-4 times a week. Now that I have my own house, I keep 3 5 gallon buckets full. Use one until empty, refill and rotate. It takes maybe 6 months to go through a 5 gallon bucket 3/4 of a cup at a time for my wife and I, using appx 3-4 scoops a week. Comes in handy for hurricane season as a lot of friends and family flock to us when SHTF.

Canned chicken, canned beef, red beans, black eyed peas, birds, fish....it's all good with rice. Few garlic cloves and some dried onion and cast iron pot over the fire pit in the back yard....heck, I could feed all the locals that I care to for quite a while. Especially if my family brings their buckets of rice. Just don't ask what all the little bones are from. Squirrel is mighty tasty with rice...
 
My future wife is a Filipina and I see a LOT of rice in my future :) I did not know there were so many varieties until I visited the Phils. She fixed it as a snack with simple viands- think seasoned soup stock. "If there is no rice, it is not a meal." :)

Sticky Rice w/coconut cream and ripe Mangos is a favorite desert of mine and my kids at the Thai restaurant.
Being of Irish heritage, I see potatoes and rice side by side. I will look into the mylar pouches to replace my ziplocs.
2Door
 
DavidO said:
But seriously, how long can you store rice? How would you store it? ... Any information would be appreciated.
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I buy jasmine rice by the bag (25lbs.) from the local Asian food store. Since it's just me and my SO, this 25 lbs. bag can literally last us a year.

It's more economical to buy it in bulk, and it's more likely to be there when you need it. Five pound bags of rice just means more trips to the store to get more.

As others have said, the main thing is to keep it dry. I store mine in a plastic container and that's about it!
 
I appreciate the information. A friend of mine told me that you have to worry about insects that are present in rice and beans and that they had a finite shelf life.
 
glee said:
A fundamental cultural difference is that many westerners think of rice, as an accompaniment to the main meal while oriental cultures think of rice as the main meal and everything else accompanies it.
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^^^

James Y said:
I'm Asian-American and also went and lived in Taiwan for nearly 8 years, and have never seen rice treated as the main meal, either in my family or over there. But instead, I've always seen it as one part of the meal. An important part, but a part nonetheless. There is a stress placed on balance in what you eat. And my experience in Taiwan was that soup is also considered essential with any meal.
Jim
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James Y:

Just a tad OT, but in a way, Glee's post is somewhat true. East Asians (like your Chinese ancestry) have evolved a far richer cuisine such as noodles, dimsum, savory pastries, etc.

An old saying goes that rice is actually the main meal and whatever viand you have is to made to make you eat more of it. I suppose this evolved from poorer countries wanting to exploit their resources better.
 
DavidO said:
I appreciate the information. A friend of mine told me that you have to worry about insects that are present in rice and beans and that they had a finite shelf life.
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Certain molds too, hence the importance of keeping it dry.
 
I love rice,we eat it all the time. Then we take the leftovers and eat it for breakfast. Add some butter milk/almond milk sugar and cinnamon,it's grate my kids love that stuff.
 
DavidO said:
Have you tried German Chinese food? It taste great! Only problem is, an hour later, you're hungry for power. But seriously, how long can you store rice? How would you store it? Does this apply to beans also? Any information would be appreciated.
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during 1950~80s when KMT facing Red China
the KMT soldier eating rice that's stored for +6 months
 
Untamed,
"An old saying goes that rice is actually the main meal and whatever viand you have is to made to make you eat more of it. I suppose this evolved from poorer countries wanting to exploit their resources better. "

Asians use rice, Irish used potatoes and US Southerners used Dumplings & grits :) You make do with what you have and season it well. I grew up in a traditional Irish kitchen- amazing how many ways you can fix potatoes. every cultures has their staple or "filler" as it were.

2Door
 
+1 - this is what i do with flour, oatmeal, etc... until I'm ready to open a new container.
 
I read about quinoa on here in some other threads about a year ago and went on a search to find it. I did locate some in a higher end grocery store, bought it, took it home and cooked some. Unfortunately, to me it tasted like I'd grabbed some bird seed out the feeder in the backyard and boiled it. I'll just stick with rice and potatoes. I'll give the quinoa another try if I run across someone who cooks it well. Maybe I did something wrong but I'm a pretty accomplished cook. I just didn't care for the birdseed flavor.
 
James Y said:
I'm Asian-American and also went and lived in Taiwan for nearly 8 years, and have never seen rice treated as the main meal, either in my family or over there. But instead, I've always seen it as one part of the meal. An important part, but a part nonetheless. There is a stress placed on balance in what you eat. And my experience in Taiwan was that soup is also considered essential with any meal.
Jim
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No, I'm a first generation Asian-American and I agree with his statement of rice being the primary dish. It may not be advertised as so but just think about it...almost every single dish is made to accompany rice. We can't eat or aren't supposed to without rice. I'm not telling anybody how to eat but sometimes I see people eat chinese/asian food without rice I can't understand. Also in my language "food" and "rice" is the same word.

I have friends who ask how I can eat rice all the time and i tell them that it's just like how they eat bread with every meal...they say no they don't and I say maybe not now but I bet your european ancestors did. Meat is America's corn.
 
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lmalterna said:
Asians use rice, Irish used potatoes and US Southerners used Dumplings & grits :) You make do with what you have and season it well. I grew up in a traditional Irish kitchen- amazing how many ways you can fix potatoes. every cultures has their staple or "filler" as it were.

2Door
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Oy pare! Making my mouth water with all of them regional staples you mentioned! Except your haggis of course :barf: :D

Yep, I suppose that's how humanity evolved. Looking at it from a somewhat cultural angle, customs are shaped more during "leaner" times rather than times of plenty. Hence, the "fillers" or staples of each to accompany the viand.

Though a staple in Europe, the potato technically came from the "New World" of the America's. Starchy roots and tubers are also world-wide staples (i.e. - cassava, yucca, taro, etc.) and are part of the Malay-Polynesian diet too.
 
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