My wife has a genuine, deep love for rice. If we were stranded on a deserted island, her top two foods would be rice and lemons. Not “and maybe a protein.” Rice and lemons. I’ve heard her say it more than once, and she means it.

I’m Paul. She’s Maida. This site exists because rice is not background food in our house — it’s the main character.

Maida will plan a whole dinner around the grain first and the rest of the plate second. Jasmine when she wants something soft and fragrant next to a stir-fry. Basmati when there’s curry and she wants every grain separate. Short-grain when she’s rolling sushi at the counter and pretending we’re not going to eat half of it before it hits a plate. Arborio on cold nights when risotto is the whole plan, not a side. I’ve learned not to ask “what’s for dinner?” until I’ve checked which bag is open on the shelf.

I’m the one who used to treat rice like filler. Something under the “real” food. Living with Maida fixed that. Rice is the part she looks forward to. The rest is just good company.

What I love about rice is, watching Maida love it.

My wife has a genuine, deep love for rice. If we were stranded on a deserted island, her top two foods would be rice and lemons. Not “and maybe a protein.” Rice and lemons. I’ve heard her say it more than once, and she means it.

I’m Paul. She’s Maida. This site exists because rice isn’t background food in our house, it’s the main character.

Maida plans dinner around the grain first. Jasmine with a stir-fry. Basmati with curry, every grain separate. Short-grain when she’s rolling sushi at the counter. Arborio on cold nights when risotto is the whole plan.

She cooks a lot of it, perfectly. For me, I’ve flooded the pot. I’ve under-watered it into gravel. Maida still trusts the finger method more than a measuring cup, and she’s usually right. Day-old rice in the fridge is sacred, not because we’re organized, but because fried rice is how leftovers get a second life.

What I love about rice is watching her love it, It’s cheap, it keeps, and it lets spices, lemons, soy, and butter do their work. Trends come and go. Rice stays.

So this site is simply about rice: how to cook it, what the varieties taste like, where it comes from, and what it’s good for. Some of it is research. A lot of it is us, two people, a kitchen, too many bags of grain, and one of us who would pack rice and lemons for the end of the world.

If you already get it, welcome.
If you used to think rice was boring, stay.

– Paul