Rice isn’t a New World grain but its relationship to beans is so famous, it has to enter the conversation sooner or later. Like most people, I like it and prefer white to brown. I’ll eat the brown and it’s not like wearing a hairshirt but it can be darn close.
I’ll be honest. When I bought my first bag of Massa Organic Brown Rice at the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, where I sell my wares, it was mostly out of a sense of duty, and to be nice. The Massa family had just started selling and I wanted to support the new kids on the block, even if I thought I wasn’t going to particularly care about the rice one way or the other. I love when I’m wrong. You shouldn’t buy this rice because it’s better for you or gentler on the earth. You should buy this rice because it’s absolutely glorious. The Massa is moist and chewy and naturally goes great with heirloom beans but I find myself eating it plain just to really appreciate the flavor. I don’t want to oversell this but it’s really like nothing else.
I’m more convinced than ever that the hippie food movement was a blessing and a curse. On the one hand it promoted food and food values that are vital: organic, whole grain, un- or low-processed. On the other hand the food was mostly terrible! Bland, unbalanced, gritty, or worse.
But good brown rice does exist, as do flavorful farro, tender whole grain breads, and even excellent tofu!