The Book of Rice

1 In the beginning there was the Field, and the Field was without harvest, and void; and the wind moved aimlessly upon the face of the dust.

2 And the spirit of the Great Sower brooded over the waters of the irrigation, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

3 Then the Great Sower spoke, saying:

4 Let there be Rice.

5 And there was Rice. And the earth yielded forth the First Kernel, and the Sower divided the grain from the chaff.

6 From this kernel arose the Three Sacred Forms:

7 White Rice, the Refined, who surrenders the husk for purity

8 Brown Rice, the Remembering, who retains the memory of the field

9 Black Rice, the Ancient, who bears the wisdom of forgotten harvests

10 And the Sower saw every grain that He had made, and behold, it was starchy; and it was good.

1 White Rice was the first to be polished, and its countenance shone with a light that confounded the wise.

2 For it appeared simple to the eye, yet carried within it great fullness and a quiet authority.

3 And the people came unto the Sower, saying:

4 Why art thou so smooth, O Rice? What virtue dost thou proclaim?

5 And White Rice answered not, for White Rice does not speak. White Rice simply accompanies.

6 Therefore it was decreed:

7 White Rice shall serve the family table and the stranger's inn

8 White Rice shall absorb the savory and the sweet alike

9 White Rice shall ask nothing, yet refuse no dish

10 For White Rice is the Foundation upon which sauces are justified, and the vessel through which flavor is received.

1 Brown Rice remained as it was made, and refused the wheel of the polisher.

2 It remembered the husk; it remembered the wind upon the stalk

3 It remembered the field from whence it came.

4 And the Sower looked upon Brown Rice with favor, saying:

5 Thy hour in the pot is long; thy nourishment in the soul longer still.

6 Brown Rice became the Keeper of Time, the grain of patience.

7 Where perseverance was required, Brown Rice was present.

8 Where wisdom was sought, Brown Rice was cooked slowly, and the hour was honored.

9 And those who ate of Brown Rice grew strong in body, fortified by its fiber.

10 For Brown Rice gave what the polisher had taken from White Rice—the bran, the fiber, and a fullness that endured.

1 Black Rice was oldest though it came last among the Three; its lineage stretched unto the dawn of cultivation.

2 It held within it the memory of forgotten harvests, of unseen moons, and of emperors who guarded it jealously.

3 And the people beheld its darkness and were troubled, saying:

4 Art thou burned? Hath the fire corrupted thee?

5 But it was not burned, nor had the fire corrupted it.

6 It was deep; it was intended.

7 And it was written in the annals:

8 Black Rice shall be called Forbidden, yet it shall be welcomed by those who seek wisdom.

9 For Black Rice carries sweetness within strength, and mystery within nourishment.

10 And at the table it was served sparingly, that its rarity might be honored and its depth appreciated.

1 When the stalks grew heavy and bent toward the earth, the time of reaping was at hand.

2 The grain was threshed and winnowed; the chaff was cast to the wind, and the kernel remained.

3 And the Sower said:

4 Store the grain well, for it shall pass from the field to the storehouse, and from the storehouse to the hearth.

5 Thus the harvest was gathered, and the rice was brought from the field to the kitchen.

6 And the people took up the grain, saying: Now we shall prepare.

7 The sack was opened; the measure was filled.

8 Each kernel had traveled from the stalk to the threshing floor, from the floor to the storehouse, from the storehouse to the hearth.

9 And the Sower saw the journey of the grain and was pleased.

10 For the harvest was complete, and the way to the table was prepared.

1 When the grain had come to the kitchen, a disciple inquired of the Sower:

2 Master, must we wash the Rice? Is it not already clean?

3 And the Sower answered, saying:

4 Not for purity, but for clarity.

5 The dust of the journey must be released before the swelling of destiny.

6 Rinse until the waters run clear, that the grain may absorb what is essential and reject what is superfluous.

7 The disciple bowed and went to rinse.

8 And when the third pour ran clear, he understood.

9 For clarity was not given once but achieved through repetition.

10 Thus the grain was made ready for the pot.

1 When the rinsed grain was ready, the Sower gave unto the people the Sacred Ratio, inscribed upon the first vessel:

2 One part Rice, two parts Water.

3 And this was called Balance, and from Balance proceeds all successful preparation.

4 The fire beneath the pot was called Trial; the steam above it was called Transformation.

5 The lid was called Faith, and the resting period was called Patience.

6 For whosoever lifteth the lid too early shall scatter the blessing and release the steam of discipline.

7 But he who waiteth shall be rewarded with grain that is fluffy, separate, and worthy of the bowl.

8 And the people inscribed the Ratio upon their pots and upon their hearts.

9 Generation passed to generation: one measure Rice, two measures Water.

10 And the Covenant held, and the rice was cooked well.

1 As the grain simmered in the pot, another disciple presented himself, asking:

2 Master, shall we stir the Rice as it cooks?

3 And the Sower replied:

4 Stirring releaseth starch; starch bringeth stickiness.

5 Some seek the cling of grain to grain, and stir. Some seek the separate kernel, and do not.

6 Both eat; both are nourished. Choose according to the dish and the occasion.

7 The disciple considered, and chose not to stir, for his dish required separation.

8 Another stirred, that the kernels might cling together, as his dish required.

9 And both brought their rice to the table, and both were praised.

10 For the Sower had given them discernment, and they had used it well.

1 In later ages there arose an apparatus: the Rice Cooker, which held the Ratio and the Fire within a single vessel.

2 Some purists spurned it, saying the pot and the flame were the ancient way.

3 But the Sower, who is not bound by tradition alone, spoke:

4 The vessel matters less than the intention.

5 Whether by flame or by coil, whether in clay or in steel or in plastic, let the grain be honored.

6 He who cooketh with attention hath cooked well, regardless of the apparatus.

7 And the Rice Cooker found its place in the kitchens of the busy and the infirm.

8 It freed the hands for other tasks; it held the Ratio and the Faith within its casing.

9 Yet the pot upon the flame remained, for those who preferred the ancient way.

10 And both methods were blessed, for both produced rice fit for the table.

1 It was foretold that when the rice is done, it shall be brought to the table.

2 In times of scarcity, Rice shall endure; when the granaries tremble, Rice shall stand.

3 When markets fall, Rice shall remain affordable; when plans fail, Rice shall yet cook.

4 For Rice is humble in price and mighty in multiplication.

5 And at the Final Feast, the Three shall be gathered upon one board:

6 White for sustenance, Brown for remembrance, Black for celebration

7 And they shall sit together in one bowl, and the bowl shall be full.

8 The hungry shall be filled; the host shall not be ashamed.

9 For Rice multiplies in the pot and stretches to meet the need.

10 And at that table, all shall eat, and none shall want.

1 Blessed be the Grain that swelleth in heat, and the Water that surrenders itself unto absorption.

2 Blessed be the Pot that holdeth transformation, and the Lid that guardeth the process.

3 Blessed be the Three who differ in form yet nourish alike, and the many varieties that honor the table.

4 Blessed be the harvest that filled the sack, and the rinsing that made ready, and the fire that transformed.

5 Blessed be the hands that measure and the hands that serve.

6 Go forth in fullness; eat with gratitude; share without reservation.

7 Let the grain sustain you; let the meal unite you.

8 And remember the field, the stalk, the kernel—from which all this proceeded.

9 May your bowls never be empty, and your pizzushi never lonely.

10 Thus the blessing is spoken.