Rice-rice
In comparison to the potato, price difference of the rice is much wider,
especially if we count the price of the Japanese rice in Japan. There is no
secret that the Japanese eating the best rice in the world, swallowing the most
expensive price comes with it. (If you are interested in to know how much the
price over there, you can look into the list. (though, they are in Japanese) )
Photo above Left, is one of the most expensive, among the expensive
Japanese rice, “Kosihikari” I paid £3 for this 500g bag here in London.
Still, even in Japan, people expecting to pay for this rice £20~£25 for 10Kg.
To get Japanese rice over here, the price would be doubled = so that, the
Californian rice grower found the market in Japanese residents here and
sell their “Japanese variety rice” 10Kg for £25 price (with huge profit).
So that, to buy Californian rice was a bit of luxury if not a status symbol.
While, Japanese food, Sushi etc becoming a fashion, the sale of Sushi-rice
became a competitive market. Now, even a Californian rice was sold less
than £20 for 10Kg. (photo middle) and even Chinese started to grow
Japanese rice and selling as “Sushi-rice” £15 in Chinese shop (Photo right)
but, I found the quality was pretty low — if not Cadmium contaminated.
(It is a well known story, Chinese don’t eat Chinese rice if they can afford.)
And the Chinese Supermarket does know the situation, so, they are selling
a Spanish grown Japanese rice, or Italian grown one both about £12 for
10Kg. (Second Photo, middle and right)
—– I found Italian was a bit better even though their naming “Shinode” (got
to be “Hinode”) was too funny. Still, taste and the texture wasn’t too bad. 🙂
In fact, the Japanese rice grown outside of Japan, they didn’t make so much
difference = the way how it was cooked makes more difference. So that,
the cheaper the better and find the best way to cook is more important.
(I mean, if not using automatic electric cooker.)
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Yoshizen's Blog 
I love rice, but have maybe not yet tasted the Japanese rice. Thanks for the advise.
If you ever eaten good sushi (somewhere like in a Japanese restaurant) rice has to be Japanese variety,
at least from California if not from Japan. (otherwise, sushi would be disintegrated = not sticky enough)
So-called long rice is used in the Indian curry, Italian risotto, Chinese fried rice, Spanish paella
— in fact in most of the cooking other than Japanese use long rice.
Long rice never stick together even cooked long time — or they would just disintegrates.
That’s why they were eaten with spoon. 🙂
I had no idea!
M m m ? did I make plain rice complicated ?
Thank you very much. I live in Germany and here the Chinese/Vietnamese sell Italian sushi (Japanese) rice at low price. So I would like someone to clarify, if low cost is from minimum import costs or from low quality or both?
Thank you 🙂
Jane
The cost of the rice was defined by the life cost of the farmer of each country. Obviously, Italian life cost more than Chinese (still cheaper than the Japanese) Japanese rice is expensive even for the Japanese, so less young people eat rice = more farmer give up the farming. (not mention, the farmers are getting too old now) = headache for the goverment. —– Since I couldn’t find the Itlian, I was forced to eat Chinese — so far, I didn’t get ill (yet)