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Monday, April 28, 2008
Where’s the Rice?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rice is like water — we assume there’s an endless supply of it when, of course, there isn’t.
My colleague, Liz Lee, is following a story on world rice shortages. This from her:
“Rice prices have shot up 70 percent in the last four months, and worldwide stocks are at their lowest level in nearly three decades. Some countries like India, Egypt and Pakistan, concerned about shortages of the dietary staple, have stopped or limited exports of rice. India is the world’s second-largest rice producer, and has stopped exports of all but its basmati rice.
The United States isn’t likely to face a shortage. Most of the rice consumed in America is grown here, except aromatic varieties like basmati and jasmine. Just 8 percent of rice eaten in the United States is imported, much of it basmati from India and Pakistan, or jasmine from Thailand.
But higher prices and tighter availability of those grains, popular in ethnic restaurants and with many Americans, is starting to show up. Sam’s Club and Costco put some purchasing restrictions on rice sales last week, for the big bags popular with restaurant owners.”
She asked me today if I’d seen a difference in the local dining scene in regard to rice. I haven’t seen any chefs in the city taking the stance that they might not be able to buy rice at a reasonable price in the next few months. In other words, things seem about the same.
Have you noticed a difference anywhere? Who serves your favorite rice dish? Is it the arancini at Maxim Prime? The forbidden rice at Beleza? Or the rice pudding at Palomilla’s?
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