Rice

A big box was waiting for me this afternoon when I came home. On the mailing label it just said, “Rice”

My friend Hiroshi came back to Japan after working for a time in Central America for a charity, setting up a small school in rural Guatemala. While he is currently studying Spanish on the beaches of Thailand (all I can say is, that’s Hiroshi), he stays at my place whenever he is homeless in Tokyo. I remember he asked me if I like rice when he was on the phone with his parents somewhere in rural Japan and that his parents would send me some in thanks for housing him…

I didn’t imagine a box of close to 20kg of his family’s own harvest of rice (judging it roughly by comparison to my half eaten 2kg bag in the kitchen) would arrive on my doorstep, covered only by a large paper bag and a cardboard box!

Thanks Hiroshi! You have guaranteed that I can’t possibly go hungry here during my last 6 months here in Japan. I’m now accepting recipes for some good rice dishes!