I think just about everyone who is Asian has been closely watching the news from all over the world about rice shortages. It’s kind of everywhere there are Asians — San Francisco, The Philippines, Malaysia, Southern California, Seattle. Last week, stories were being traded about people hoarding rice from area Costcos (especially in Alhambra, where there is a large surrounding Asian community) and limits being put on large bags of rice.

So it occurred to me — what are the new rice habits of young Asian Americans like myself? Certainly, they have changed since childhood, when rice was a staple with every meal. And seeing as how its Asian Pacific American Heritage month, the timing is perfect to discuss rice memories.

So I’ll start.

Obviously, you all know that I’m Filipino, that I’m about to be 30, I’m married and live in Agoura Hills. That’s just for some background.

While you were growing up, what were you taught about rice?
When I was a child, being taught to eat my food with a fork and spoon as Filipinos do, it was of utmost importance that I always clean my plate. It didn’t matter if I didn’t like the food — “clean your plate!” It’s now one of those things that I’m a bit OCD about. In fact, when my husband had dinner with my family for the first time, I gave him a bit of a complex, and of course, he cleaned his plate. Because, heheh, usually he does not. Anyway, trying to clean your plate full of rice is actually not that easy with just a fork, so I’m often seen scraping my lunch containers uselessly. But I think everyone at work is used to my weirdness.

Were you taught to cook rice? How?
I was taught to cook rice, using a rice cooker. My mom was very painstaking with what she taught me — scoop two or three cups of rice into the rice cooker’s pot and wash it thoroughly, running your fingers through, dumping the water, filling it up again and repeating the process until the water was as clean as possible. Measure the water by putting your fingertips to the bottom and using your thumb to mark the level of the rice. Then, smoothing out the rice, using your fingers to measure so that there was half the amount of water on top to the amount of rice you have. After measuring it, pop it in the rice cooker and set to cook.

What type of rice do you prefer?
I love Jasmine rice. In the absence of Jasmine, I go for long-grain, white rice. I have a bad habit of turning up my nose at brown rice — its just not the same.

Do you have an embarrassing rice moment?
I’ve had many embarrassing rice moments. The cooking technique I described took me years to actually master. There were many nights when I found soggy rice, and it was absolutely mortifying. Also, when I was a teenager, I had a bad habit of simply forgetting to hit the button so it would cook. So, 20 minutes later, when my mom would ask, “is the rice ready?” I’d go and see the light at “warm” and have an immediate sinking feeling in my stomach — rice not ready and what was in the pot would be a waste!

What is your rice consumption like now?
I do not eat as much rice as I did when I was a child, that’s for sure. My non-Asian husband isn’t a fan of eating the same thing over and over, so I’ve had to expand my repertoire into other types of carbohydrates, like pasta, potatoes and other types of rice, like wild rice. Usually, the only time I eat rice is when I cook a Filipino dish (like earlier this week, when I cooked sinigang, a sour soup packed with meat and vegetables) or a simple dish like fish. My mom used to buy rice in bulk from the Filipino market, but there’s no need for that at my house, seeing as how its just the two of us. Maybe later, when we have kids — later.