Nowadays, we have a host of unbeknownst addictions and dependencies. Sometimes it requires intervention, and then sometimes not! Often subconsciously, these are things that surrounded us growing up. Addiction can be acquired through the influence of the company we keep and our environment. Children after all, take in what their parents say or do. It is no surprise that often the root of it all were the parents, or the parties which had an influence on their lives.
We have been railroaded into thinking size matters. Everything that smells of success ought to be big — your house, your car, your purse, albeit your ego, naturally comes along with it by force majeure. Size does not always matter, however, as the humble grain of rice will tell you if it spoke. “I maybe tiny but I am the needed by most people to survive.” Rice is the staple food of more than 3.5 billion people, particularly in Asia, Latin America, and parts of Africa. That is over 50 percent of the world population depends on rice for about 80 percent of its food requirements. Other countries like China, India, and Latin America, have other staples, such as noodles, chapattis, naan, and corn for their tortillas and burritos, respectively. Clearly, rice is an important grain in agriculture. The world’s largest populations rely on this humble tiny grain. Yes, some of them supplement rice with noodles, but many kinds of noodles are also derived from rice. Important derivatives as well such as sake, rice vinegar, and so on, staples of the Japanese culture.
In the Philippines, rice is a major player in the economy, and every Filipino household. If one is down and out, if there is rice to cook, all is not lost. It is not a desperate situation. But if there isn’t even a cup of rice to cook, then it is the worst financial predicament. Rice has a strong psychologically impact on the psyche of the Filipino people. If all entrée or viand has been cooked, but rice was forgotten, left out, then the meal does not start until the rice is cooked. It is a vital necessity and without it, nothing works. Rice cannot be replaced by potato, bread, corn, or any other ingredient which could well be pricier yet deemed inferior to the superior rice.
Lack of rice in the rice bin shows that one is at the bottom of the barrel. “Ni bigas, wala nga kami!” We don’t even have rice! When one is totally down and out the yardstick of how dire the situation is, is: “Ni bigas nga wala kaming pambili!” We don’t even have any money left to buy rice!
I remember whenever one is sick, one is given rice porridge. If one is really, really sick, one is given AM, boiled rice only with a pinch of salt for some flavor. Arroz Caldo rice porridge with chicken, or pork, or beef, has been known to be the choice for last meals, particularly the elderly nearing their end. So, even at the very last breath, rice is cherished — deemed important and necessary.
For some reason, when it’s cold, damp, and rainy, champorado with some salted fish is just perfect. It’s such a comfort food that seems out of place in the backdrop of being in the West, namely US and Canada. I once tried having champorado for breakfast and felt oddly weird! It somehow didn’t feel the same. But I do remember my Mom telling the maid to cook champorado for breakfast simply because it was getting cooler in the mornings. And it was just perfect for the occasion!
Back in the late ‘90s, while implementing an outreach in Zamboanga City, a teacher informed us that there is a twin who often asked their classmates if they could spare some of the lunches, obviously poor and malnourished. As a volunteer with Feed the Hungry, Inc., we went out to their house to enquire about the diet of the twins. We came upon a tiny make-shift squatter hut bare of any appreciable furniture. We found out that the parents have abandoned not only the twins, but the entire brood of five. First, it was to look for a job in Indonesia, then the mother started to have romantic relations and thus strayed. Then, it was followed by the father until the kids’ well-being was totally left with the grandparents. It was a sad outcome of an economic plight. The grandparents were embarrassed when we enquired about their daily fare. Defensively, the grandmother said, there is always food there, but the twins are picky eaters! I asked what food that might be, for example? She retorted, rice with patis (fish sauce), or soy sauce, or salt, if they really have nothing to serve! But that is seldom. Then if they have a bit more, they have dried fish (tuyo, dilis, etc.). I nearly lost it! I had to look away and changed the topic of conversation to the weather (always a good default).
A Scottish colleague was surprised to know that Filipinos do not flavor their rice as a rule. She said whenever she prepared rice (on special occasions), she added pine nuts, or pomegranate seeds, or raisins. That is because they seldom serve rice. The Japanese also spice up their rice with some sweet vinegar for their sushi, and sprinkles of nori to some of their rice preparations. The Koreans have kimchi rice as a special treat, but just like Filipinos, the regular rice at home is just boiled. However, lately a slew of inventions has appeared at restaurants such as: garlic rice, adobo rice, binagoongan rice and so on. There are really no hard and fast rules when it comes to rice preparation, as long as everyone comes out alive and well.
The small humble grain has a deep psychological impact from the wealthy down to the poor. Even in wealthy households, it is common for the mother or father to ask, “Me bigas pa ba tayo?” Do we still have rice? “Marami pa ba?” Do we have enough?
During World War II, I heard that people had to resort to eating roots crops like sweet potatoes, gabi, kamoteng kahoy, etc., to survive because the rice was not readily available. Understandably, the economy collapsed as well as avenues of trade. People who lived in those times consider that period a very dark part of their lives and the lack of rice was front and center in that dark nostalgic memory.
The average family takes things for granted when it comes to having rice in their kitchen to cook without fail. But the reality is many cannot afford rice any longer, especially those who have to provide for a big family.
Years back, it was a big attraction to join a company, when in the past, an employer (San Miguel Corporation) offered a sack of rice a month to their employees. People outside consider employees of SMC truly fortunate. After all, their supply of rice was guaranteed! However, as no one cannot please everyone, some complained that they prefer to eat better quality rice.
Back when I was working in the Philippines, I happen to see one of my coworkers unwrap from a banana leaf, a small pillow-size boiled rice, with just siling labuyo on top, as his entrée/viand. I was of course, speechless. How is that that just having rice and plenty of it was sufficient with just a few pieces of hot chili peppers to accompany it! He was from the Bicol region. People there very much like hot, spicy foods. But as long as there is rice, who cares what comes with it! All’s well! And the situation is not that bad!
Millions are definitely dependent on rice. Rice – our sublime addiction and heck, we didn’t even know it!
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