In Japan it came in many forms. My favorite was the bulk vending machine type. Bring a 3 gallon bucket insert 500 yen (US$4.75) and it fills.

[culinary geek moment]

To prepare white long or short grain rice, the best method is to rinse the crap out of it until the water is no longer a milky color. Using either a colander or placing the rice in a large pot you rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, and rinse. When that milky color is gone, you want to soak the rice under about a nuckle of water for 12 hours.

I steam my rice on a bamboo steamer and the cheesecloth comes in handy throughout the entire process. First, it keeps the rice contained and managable while rinsing; I've mastered rinsing in a colander. Then you let it soak for about 12 hours in a bowl; again the cheesecloth keeps everything together. And finally, when steaming the rice, the cheesecloth keeps everything together and from falling through the slats in the steamer. My rice comes out super sticky and fluffy. By pre-soaking the rice, also, the cooking time is down to about 5 minutes.

Cooking it this way requires some planning and preperation but the quality is much better, and you can get rice cheaper when it's uncooked. For flavor, rice takes on the flavor of whatever you put in it. It's the ultimate starch.

[/culinary geekery]

Cooking is a passionate hobby of mine, can you tell? I like eating good food, and if I can get supurb taste cheaply I'll do it.

I dunno. My parents could only afford that cheap black plastic you use for painting projects. We only used a hose and more often than not the plastic - being black - was super hot regardless of how much water we put on it. It was good until about the 5th or 6th slide when it would tear and we'd have a rock go through our chest - living in the desert isn't really conducive for lawns. We had one, but it was thin and brown most of the time.

My pool involved a 1/4 mile walk to a pond. This pond had multiple vehicles - cars, jeeps, motorcycles, 4-wheelers, and a school bus - in it. I didn't swim much there. No one in my subdivision of 250 houses had a pool. If you could call it a pool, it was more than likely a horse trough, or one of those 10" deep plastic thingys.

spent my fair share of time in those as a kid. It was my job to make sure they were always full, so I made sure to enjoy my work from time to time.

'course, there was always the pool I'd make myself when I dammed up the creek flowing through the front 40. No diving allowed, and that water was COLD!

Interesting. My sister married a japanese and she makes sushi and cooks rice in a rice cooker. It always comes out good. They have rice like we have potatoes. ALL the time. I will have to tell her your way and have her try it.

And epok, you will make someone a good wife someday!

Where the hell was this place you called home? Sounds like somewhere in Mexico to me

I wonder if I got called a psycho bitch when I was in the hospital. Er.....I wasn't what you'd call an idea patiant those first couple of weeks.

I had a rice cooker too. That was left behind when I was divorced. I learned how to steam my rice on the wok and haven't gone back. Hell, I've learned to cook anything on the wok. My next venture with it is baking - which can be done.

I also cook some good Mexican, French, and German dishes. Living in Asia, though, has given me the upper hand on making things the authentic way.

It's possible, but I don't think you were a bitch to them. Just out of it. The nurse in ER just said you were "combative"

No I don't. Just the really stupid ones.

Normally I stay out of it. I don't want to get in the middle of problems between my husband and my friend.

This from a graft to the canadian tree.

Oh, and I've tried the Domestic Engineer thing. It didn't work out so well. I like that my current GF isn't looking to ever get married again - she had a reallly bad experience - and I think that we are mutually in agreance about long-term comittments.

obviously what I said wasn't important

When there was water to be had it was nice. The best pond around, though, was a 2 mile bike ride. It was fed by a wonderful cool spring. The water was clean enough that a few goldfish that were released into the pond lived for years. That place I miss. The other one, not so much.

I had a rice cooker too. That was left behind when I was divorced. I learned how to steam my rice on the wok and haven't gone back. Hell, I've learned to cook anything on the wok. My next venture with it is baking - which can be done.

I also cook some good Mexican, French, and German dishes. Living in Asia, though, has given me the upper hand on making things the authentic way.

I wonder if I got called a psycho bitch when I was in the hospital. Er.....I wasn't what you'd call an idea patiant those first couple of weeks.

Party at Wanders house. Can you grill us some steaks too?

I thought you guys were boys?!?!?! When I was a boy I tried a lot of things, including putting detergent on my plastic slide.... and if results were favorable, like in this case, I kept doing it until my mother decided the lawn was clean enough... it was definitely a pre-emptive strike on the grass stains though.... and the biggest bonus of all.... BUBBLES!!! Lots of them!! You guys missed out!

No, I meant his people. Japanese, not the other half of his people, Americans.

Didn't getany pics, ice ,or both?

for most? Only for you and Beccs.

What did you say, cause your statement is confusing.

It's possible, but I don't think you were a bitch to them. Just out of it. The nurse in ER just said you were "combative"

An above ground pool?

You do go do target practice while out climbing.