Rice is Nice

Summary

Stuff You Should Know: “Rice is Nice”

Podcast: Stuff You Should Know
Hosts: Josh & Chuck
Date: November 25, 2025
Episode Overview:
In this episode, Josh and Chuck unravel the history, science, cultivation, cultural significance, and global impact of rice—the world's most eaten food. They share fascinating facts about rice varieties, its nutritional value, environmental implications, and the many beloved dishes that feature rice. As always, their tone is lighthearted, occasionally irreverent, and full of personal anecdotes.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Global Importance of Rice

• Stats & Scale

  • Rice is among the top two most consumed foods globally, alongside wheat.
  • Feeds around 3.5 billion people — about half the world’s population ([02:15]).
  • Accounts for 20% of global calories, and up to 50% in some Asian countries ([02:17]).
  • Supports 200 million households in developing countries ([03:03]).

• Quote:

  "To say that rice is an important crop here on planet Earth is kind of an understatement." – Josh ([03:17])

---

2. What Is Rice, Really?

• Rice is a Seed and a Cereal
  • The edible portion is the seed of the rice plant, classified as a cereal (a seed from a grass plant) ([03:35]).
• Fun experiment:
  • You can plant store-bought rice and it will grow into a rice plant.
• Persona Joke:
  • Chuck briefly jokes about a new "obnoxious persona" who over-explains, to Josh’s amusement ([03:45]).

---

3. Types of Rice: White vs. Brown (and More)

• White Rice:

  • Has the bran and germ removed; less nutritious ([05:36]).
  • Most white rice is “enriched” by adding nutrients back in ([05:55]).
    • Methods for enrichment include powder coating, layering, and extruding fake rice grains ([06:28]).

• Brown, Red & Black Rice:

  • Retain the bran and germ; much healthier ([05:36]).
  • Brown rice is an ‘acquired taste’ for Chuck, who jokes, "I cannot stomach it." ([05:35])

• Nutritional Note:

  • The nutrients are mostly in the bran and germ - so white rice is stripped almost entirely of nutritional value ([05:55]).
  • "A lot of rice is actually fortified. They mix the vitamins and minerals that they strip out back in in different ways." – Josh ([05:55])

---

4. Rice Varieties & Their Unique Features

• Domestication

  • Most common rice: Oryza sativa, domesticated in China between 8,250–13,500 years ago ([07:25]).
  • Two major subspecies: Indica (long grain/starched with amylose, non-sticky) and Japonica (shorter, sticky with amylopectin) ([08:06]).

• African Rice:

  • Oryza glaberrima still grown in Africa, hardier but lower yield and harder to mill ([08:38]).

Notable Varieties Mentioned

• Basmati & Jasmine: Aromatic, long-grain, staples of South and Southeast Asian cuisine; Jasmine’s scent is natural ([09:47]).
• Sushi Rice: Japonica, sticky, "my favorite," says Josh ([10:14]). Its characteristic texture is helped by the addition of vinegar mixture after cooking.
• Risotto Rices (Arborio, Carnaroli): Medium grain, creamy texture, "delicious, but a dish you've got to babysit" ([11:55]).
• Paella Rices (Bomba, Calasparra): Spanish, short grain, expand as they cook ([12:39]).
• Carolina Gold: An American heirloom rice, cultivated in the Carolinas thanks to knowledge brought by enslaved Africans ([14:11]).
• Black (Forbidden) Rice: High in antioxidants, historically eaten only by Chinese royalty ([16:27]).
• Wild Rice: Native American, from a different grass, “actually even healthier than brown rice” ([16:43]).

"Apparently it was called forbidden rice in ancient China because only royalty could eat it." – Josh ([16:41])

---

5. Rice Cultivation: Methods & History

• Origins:

  • Began in China's Yangtze River basin, possibly as long as 14,000 years ago ([20:43]).

• Paddy vs. Upland Cultivation:

  • Most associate rice with flooded paddies, but it can be grown on terraces (upland rice) ([21:47]).

• Planting, Growing, Harvesting:

  • Varied methods: hand transplanting, machine planting, even airdropping seeds ([22:37]).
  • Harvested as “rough rice,” then dried and milled ([23:42]).
  • Brown rice is the dehulled version; white rice is further milled and polished ([24:48]).

• Environmental Impact:

  • High water usage, yet less than meat or nuts ([26:09]).
  • Flooded paddies create methane due to decaying plant matter, a significant greenhouse gas ([26:41]).
  • Draining paddies to reduce methane emits more nitrous oxide—another greenhouse gas ([27:06]).
  • Rice-fish farming: Growing fish in paddies can reduce both methane and pests, and increase rice yields by 10–15% ([28:24]).
  • Efforts to create salt-tolerant "seawater rice" offer hope for future expansion ([29:44]).

---

6. Rice & Health: Toxins and Nutritional Considerations

• Arsenic & Other Toxins:
  • Rice absorbs more arsenic, lead, and cadmium than most crops, especially in the bran/germ ([30:19]).
  • Brown rice, despite health benefits, contains more arsenic than white rice ([30:28]).
  • Studies equivocate about the risk for most adults, but children and infants are more vulnerable ([30:59]).
  • Rinsing/cooking technique can reduce arsenic somewhat ([32:09]).

"The type of rice that's most beneficial for you, health wise, brown rice, is also the ones that have the most arsenic." – Josh ([30:50])

• Lower-Arsenic Rice
  • White basmati (California, India, Pakistan) and U.S.-grown sushi rice are lower in arsenic ([31:19]).
  • Rice from Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas is higher because of legacy industrial contamination ([31:48]).

---

7. Production and Consumption Around the World

• Top Producers:

  • Asia dominates, with China and India leading, followed by Bangladesh ([37:14]).

• In the U.S.:

  • Major producers: California, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas ([37:51]).
  • 80% of rice sold/eaten in the U.S. is domestic. 95% of sushi rice eaten in the U.S. is American-grown ([38:20]).

• Top Consumers:

  • All top 10 are Asian, with China, India, Bangladesh atop ([38:34]).
  • Per capita: Bangladesh leads—almost two pounds of rice per person per day ([38:55]).
  • High rice consumption often correlates to developing economies ([39:57]).

• Memorable School Lunch Story:

  • Josh recalls eating a small bowl of plain white rice and butter to teach kids about global food inequality ([40:01]).

---

8. Cultural & Culinary Diversity of Rice

• Rice as Base & in Specialty Dishes:
  • Jollof Rice (West African) – tomatoes, onion, peppers ("It's good on its own." – Chuck [44:08])
  • Biryani (Indian) – rice, spices, meat, drier than curry
  • Paella (Spanish) – seafood, saffron, tomatoes, cooked in distinctive pan ([45:11])
  • Sushi & Nare-Sushi (Japanese)
  • Saag Paneer & Chicken Saag (Indian)
  • Rice Puddings, Mochi (Japanese sweet with glutinous rice), Mango Sticky Rice (Thai), Horchata (Mexican drink)
• Notable Quotes:
  • “A really nice rice pudding, to me, is one of the more delicious things you can eat.” – Chuck ([47:23])
  • “You could pickle an old shoe. And I'd be like, I'll eat a little of that. Sure.” – Josh ([47:07])

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Rice’s Impact:

  "To say that rice is an important crop here on planet Earth is kind of an understatement." – Josh ([03:17])

• On Brown Rice:

  "I can't stand the taste." – Chuck ([05:35])

• On White Rice Nutrition:

  “If you're eating white rice, it's basically stripped of any nutritional value whatsoever.” – Josh ([05:55])

• On Arsenic and Brown Rice:

  “The type of rice that's most beneficial for you, health wise, brown rice, is also the ones that have the most arsenic.” – Josh ([30:50])

• On Personal Favorite Rice Varieties:

  “My favorite is sushi rice.” – Josh ([10:14]) “Carolina Gold … one of my favorite rices.” – Chuck ([14:11])

• On Sustainability Fixes:

  “Growing fish with your rice is like the way to save the planet.” – Josh ([29:16])

• On Dropping Consumption:

  “… rice consumption is dropping off in Asian countries because wealth is expanding... They're saying, hey, we love rice, but we also want that steak.” – Josh ([42:11])

---

Timestamps of Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------|-------------| | Introduction, global stats, what is rice? | 01:52–04:11 | | Types: brown vs. white/enrichment | 05:11–07:25 | | Rice varieties, Basmati, Sushi, Paella, etc.| 09:26–16:43 | | Carolina Gold rice, U.S. history | 14:08–16:11 | | Wild and "forbidden" black rice | 16:27–17:02 | | Cultivation methods, paddy vs upland | 20:43–23:42 | | Environmental impact, rice/fish farming | 25:45–29:44 | | Toxins, arsenic, health effects | 30:12–33:16 | | Global production and consumption | 37:01–39:57 | | Personal/cultural rice dishes | 43:18–49:51 | | Fun with desserts (mochi, horchata, etc.) | 47:23–50:13 | | Closing banter, Pop-Tarts, listener mail | 50:28–54:27 |

---

Final Thoughts & Recommendations

• Try New Varieties: Expand your rice repertoire beyond white—seek out basmati, jasmine, sushi rice, Carolina Gold, and even wild rice.
• Rinse Your Rice: Rinsing before and after cooking can reduce arsenic content.
• Explore Dishes: Try cooking jollof rice, biryani, paella, or even homemade horchata.
• Be Mindful of Environmental Impact: Support sustainable rice farming methods when possible.

---

Hosts' Note:
"Go grow some rice. Make your own horchata. Make some sushi. Make some sticky rice. Make some curries. Just do all that stuff. Some jollof rice. Get to it." – Josh ([51:38])

---

Episode in a Nutshell

Rice is ancient, indispensable, sometimes problematic for health and the environment, but above all, it's delicious and central to cuisines across the world. Respect your rice, choose wisely, and be adventurous in enjoying it.

Transcript

[Chuck]

This is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human.

[Josh]

Living with a rare autoimmune condition comes with challenges but also incredible strength. Especially for those living with conditions like myasthenia gravis or mg, and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, otherwise known as cidp, finding empowerment in the community is critical. Untold Stories Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, a Ruby Studio production and in partnership with Argenics, explores people discovering strength in the most unexpected places. Listen to untold Stories on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One bank guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Thanks, Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capitalone.com bank capital1na member fdic our.

[Chuck]

Listeners love puzzles, paradoxes, and hidden patterns almost as much as we do. On TikTok, those fascinations come to life. People are breaking down physics, exploring geology, and explaining why the world works the way it does. You'll see impressive experiments, explanations that finally make sense, and connections you didn't expect. It's like having a lab, a lecture hall, and science museum in your pocket. TikTok is where wonder is shared, where curiosity turns into discovery, and where millions learn something new every day. Welcome to Stuff youf Should Know, a production of iHeartradio.

[Josh]

Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh, and there's Chuck, and Jerry's here, too. And this is a podcast called Stuff youf Should Know About Rice.

[Chuck]

That's right. Can I just throw out a couple of stats real quick at the onset? I would love that, because this is about rice, the food, just in case it was confusing at all.

[Josh]

What other kind of rice is there?

[Chuck]

Jesus, I don't know. I just wondered. I mean, for all I know, it's some weird new sex term.

[Josh]

Oh, that's riche.

[Chuck]

Okay.

[Josh]

Yeah, you've clearly only seen it written before.

[Chuck]

I guess so. All right, so rice generally is looked at as the most eaten food in the world. I think some people might have wheat just ahead of it, but it's either one or number two. It's grown on every continent except Antarctica. About three and a half billion people. It's a staple food. Accounting for 20% of the calories consumed all over the world is rice, which is A staggering number. And. And In Asian countries, 50% of the calories. That's amazing. 50% is rice.

[Josh]

Yeah, it is. Until you realize that pork cracklings make up another 20% of all the calories consumed worldwide.

[Chuck]

Yum.

[Josh]

There's also, like, something that's worth mentioning, too. That rice production supports 200 million households in developing countries. That's how they make their living. Yeah. So to say that rice is an important crop here on planet Earth is kind of an understatement.

[Chuck]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Okay, good. I'm glad you agree. There's one thing I want to cover before we move on, because it bothered me, so hopefully it will bother somebody else. And that's why I want to satisfy that itch.

[Chuck]

Okay.

[Josh]

I wondered what rice is when we're eating rice. What is it? It's a seed. The rice is the seed of the rice plant. Did you know that?

[Chuck]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Okay, well, what if that was just my new Persona?

[Chuck]

How obnoxious is that?

[Josh]

Here's how we know that rice is a seed. Aside from. You don't have to be a botanist for this. You can go to the store and buy rice and plant it, and it will grow a rice plant. So it's the seed. But it's classified as a cereal, which is a seed from a grass plant. And so rice is a seed. Everybody, calm down.

[Chuck]

That's right. I'm clearly joking, by the way. I can't imagine how many people I turned off with the new Persona.

[Josh]

I liked it.

[Chuck]

I figured people would be like, is that what Chuck shaved his beard for Halloween? Is that new Chuck? I don't like it.

[Josh]

Oh, yeah, that's right. You did. I think you should have grown the mustache back real quick after Halloween, buddy.

[Chuck]

If I could, I would. I miss that beard so much already.

[Josh]

Are you growing it back?

[Chuck]

I mean, I told Ruby. Ruby hated it, of course, but I said, ruby, it's already growing back. I've already started. The second I finished shaving, I started growing it back.

[Josh]

Nice. You're like, I gotta hurry up and squeeze Halloween in.

[Chuck]

But the stash looked pretty good, though, right?

[Josh]

It did. I liked it a lot. You looked like a construction worker slash porn star slash yacht rock musician all rolled into one. Like Kenny Loggins, I guess.

[Chuck]

Yeah. Anytime you have a stash like that, you're 20% more police officer, too.

[Josh]

Oh, don't forget that. Yeah.

[Chuck]

Yeah.

[Josh]

But you looked a little more like Village People police officer.

[Chuck]

Hey, I'll take that any day.

[Josh]

Okay.

[Chuck]

That just sounded like Kim Cattrall.

[Josh]

You should have been like, oh, I'll take that any day.

[Chuck]

All right, back to rice. Because this is a bulky one, we can't goof around. We're going to break down types of rice. If you look sort of at the top of the dividing point, you're probably gonna go white rice or brown rice. I really don't care for brown rice. I'm not yucking yum. I can't stand the taste.

[Josh]

It's an acquired taste.

[Chuck]

It's much better for you. They are not different varieties, but white rice is rice with the bran and the germ removed. Brown rice and also red and black rice still has the bran and the germ. And it's much, much, much better for you than white rice. I just cannot stomach it.

[Josh]

Yeah. The reason why is because the bran and the germ are the thing that have all the nutrients. So if you're eating white rice, it's basically stripped of any nutritional value whatsoever. So much so that a lot of rice is actually fortified. They mix the vitamins and minerals that they strip out back in in different ways that's enriched, right? Yeah. Let's talk about that real quick. Okay. Did you see the different ways that you can enrich white rice?

[Chuck]

I mean, can't they just kind of like powder coat it?

[Josh]

Sure. Powder coating's one, but they don't powder coat all of it. They pick out select grains of rice powder, coat them, and then mix them back in with unpowder coated rice at a ratio of about 1 to 100.

[Chuck]

What? Really? And that provides enough good stuff?

[Josh]

I guess. So do you have any other guesses of how you could enrich rice?

[Chuck]

I'm trying to think how I would do it. No, I have no other guesses.

[Josh]

You could coat it in layers, base coat, nutrient coat, protective top coat, and then the last one is you can extrude it. So you take rice flour and you actually make fake rice grains and you've mixed the rice powder with the nutrient powder and you mix those in with real rice or regular rice. That's how you do it. I don't know why, but I could not find out how you would enrich rice. It just got me. So I had to go figure it out and I wanted to share that. Just like sharing the fact that rice is seed.

[Chuck]

That's right. I love it. Most of the rice that we kind of buy in stores and know about is a descendant from the O R Y Z, a capital O, I guess the Oriza sativa that was domesticated in China, you know, somewhere between 8,250, 13 and a half thousand years ago. There are two main subspecies, indica indicout, am I right? And Japonica. I think the Indica is more likely to be long grain. The Japonica is more likely to be short, even though there are exceptions and the starch levels are different in the two. Right?

[Josh]

Yeah. I think Japonica has more starch, A certain kind called amylopectin, which is water soluble, so it makes the rice sticky. Indica is chock full of amylose, which is a starch, but it keeps the rice separate. Or the rice doesn't stick together. It doesn't actually keep it separate. And so knowing that and knowing long grain and short grain, you can kind of start to guess what different varieties of rice belong to which family.

[Chuck]

Yeah, for sure. We don't want to leave out the Orza glaberima. That's African rice and that is grown in Africa still. It is not as popular as the Asian orza variety, but they have tried to mix the two because there are good and bad points for both. I think the African variety is a little hardier and more resistant to disease and pests and climate issues, which is great. I think water depth and soil, it just seems like a better all around sort of grower. But the yields aren't as great and it's harder to mill without breaking. So maybe cross breeding these two, you could come up with like a super rice.

[Josh]

Yeah, I don't know what you'd call it. Maybe Glaberima japonica. Poof.

[Chuck]

Yeah, that sounds great.

[Josh]

Let's talk some varieties, shall we?

[Chuck]

Yeah, we can kind of quickly go through. Basmati is one of my faves. It's a long grain indica rice. South Asian cuisine, a lot of time will have basmati or maybe jasmine. Also a long grain indica rice. It's a little stickier than basmati and a little more floral.

[Josh]

Did you know, I'd always thought like they added something to give jasmine rice that smell. Apparently that's natural to the rice. Did you know that?

[Chuck]

I kind of figured that because I just didn't think they would add a scent to a rice.

[Josh]

I could see that. I could see somebody adding a scent, especially the Thai. They love like orchids and stuff like that. They love things that are lovely and so adding a lovely scent to rice makes sense.

[Chuck]

Yeah. Two of my favorite rices right off the bat.

[Josh]

All right. Well, one of my favorites actually. Let's just go ahead and say it. My favorite is sushi rice. It's a type of japonica. Not surprisingly, it's sticky, but it's not as sticky as another kind of rice called sticky rice or glutinous rice. And they're not to be confused. Even though they're both pretty sticky and glutinous, rice is naturally sticky because it's got so much amylopectin starch in it that it actually. The grains actually kind of crumble together and it almost turns into, like, a porridge. Like when you make a batch of sticky rice, it's almost like just a big clump that sticks to your fingers. It's all over the place you can use to hang wallpaper. Sushi rice is sticky. It'll stick together. But if you ever really look at sushi, like a piece of nigiri, you can see the individual grains of rice. Yeah. But it still sticks together. And the reason why it really sticks together is because of the treatment it gets with a little bit of vinegar, salt and sugar concoction that's mixed in with the rice after it cooks.

[Chuck]

That's right. Maybe a mani pedi.

[Josh]

I don't get that one.

[Chuck]

You know, the treatment.

[Josh]

Oh, okay. Do you ever get those?

[Chuck]

No.

[Josh]

Chuck, treat yourself at least to a pedicure. You will never not get one again.

[Chuck]

We'll talk off air.

[Josh]

Okay. But I'm just saying, you can't surprise those people or offend them. Somebody who's a professional pedicurist. It doesn't matter what your feet look like. They will do it and they will not crack a smile.

[Chuck]

It's not a hammertoe issue.

[Josh]

Oh, okay.

[Chuck]

Can we move on to risotto? Because if you love risotto, you're probably looking at one of a couple of things. Both japonica versions, either arborio or carnaroli rice risotto. They're both medium grain. Delicious. I've made risotto before, but it's really tough to perfect. Yeah, but one of my favorite dishes, if it's done right, I made it.

[Josh]

Once or twice too, and it actually turned out both times. But it is very time consuming because you add, like, the broth a little bit at a time. And you basically have to stir until the rice absorbs the broth and over and over and over again. But when it turns out it is delicious. It's just much easier to order out, though.

[Chuck]

Yeah, It's a dish you gotta babysit. You know, you can't walk away.

[Josh]

Similarly, paella is a dish that you have to babysit, too, and that uses a couple of specific kinds of rice. Bomba, which means bomb because it expands into little bombs. The grains of rice do when you. They encounter water and kalispara and they're both short grain rices, which is strange. They should be long grain because of the dish kind of calls for it. But you do not want to use other short grain rices as substitutes in paella because they're not the actually indica type rices like those other two are. And they'll just cook different and you'll basically ruin your paella. And who wants ruined paella now?

[Chuck]

I used to make paella and I never babysat it. Was I doing it wrong?

[Josh]

Oh, yeah. I thought like you typically made it outdoors and you basically had to hang around it while it was cooking.

[Chuck]

I always just baked it in the oven in the proper pan.

[Josh]

Maybe that was just a cooking show I saw once and they were doing that to seem cool.

[Chuck]

It was like one of those cooking challenges. They give them a bunch of restrictions.

[Josh]

No, weirdly, it was a cooking show. I don't remember the chef, but Gwyneth Paltrow was standing around there and it was like first thing in the morning. And they were both bleary eyed and clearly messed up still from the night before. But they decided to film that episode of the cooking show that day.

[Chuck]

I'm probably not doing it in the traditional style or something, but it always turned out pretty good. I want to talk a little bit about Carolina gold. It's one of my favorite Bryces. It's an heirloom long grain. Oh, you've had it, Japonica. You haven't had it?

[Josh]

No, I've never had it.

[Chuck]

Oh, man.

[Josh]

Is it good for yourself?

[Chuck]

Yeah, it's great. When I go to Charleston, I'll pick up a bag of the local stuff.

[Josh]

Well, pick up two.

[Chuck]

I will. Big boy comes in a cool looking little soft bag too.

[Josh]

You know, I saw. Oh, like a kind of a little burlap bag.

[Chuck]

Yeah, like a clothing.

[Josh]

I saw there's a company called Anson Mills that they started making it in the 1990s, I guess, at least for national sale. And their prices aren't terribly bad. I didn't get to the shipping stage. That probably jacks the price up. But it was like eight bucks for a pound of this. Apparently the best rice you'll ever have.

[Chuck]

I mean, I think you can just buy it in publix here, can't you?

[Josh]

I've never looked for it. Maybe I will.

[Chuck]

I'm not sure. I mean, in Charleston, certainly you can buy it at Just Harris Teeter or whatever, because it's local. And that's the deal. It was. You know, it comes from the Carolinas, the lowlands of South Carolina and North Carolina. I think it was the first commercial rice in the United States and genetically goes back to South Asia, Although the seeds reportedly arrived to Charleston in the 1600s from Madagascar, went away after the Civil War, and then came back into fashion, like you said in the 90s when Anson Mill started making it again. But this was a rice where English colonists, they came here, they hadn't grown rice very significantly, so they didn't really know what they were doing. But enslaved Africans arrived. They had that experience on how to grow rice, which. It's a tricky crop, and we'll get to all that later. They had some lowland wetland cultivation areas in West Africa, so they came with that knowledge, and. And that's how it became a thing in South Carolina. Like how to cultivate it and grow it there.

[Josh]

Yep. Now we have Carolina Gold.

[Chuck]

That's right.

[Josh]

I have to go try, because this article. Thanks to Dr. Clau for helping us with this, too. Made me very hungry for rice.

[Chuck]

How many of these others do you want to go over?

[Josh]

I don't know that there's much to go over. There's black rice, which apparently has anthocyanins, the same pigment in blueberries. So it's high in antioxidants. Apparently, it was called forbidden rice in ancient China because only royalty could eat it.

[Chuck]

It's black rice, I think, right?

[Josh]

Yeah, black rice. And then I think it's worth mentioning wild rice. It's not technically rice, because it doesn't come from a rice plant. Comes from a different type of grass that's native to North America. But from what I see, it's actually even healthier than brown rice.

[Chuck]

Okay.

[Josh]

And it's not bad.

[Chuck]

I love it.

[Josh]

Do you like it?

[Chuck]

And, you know, I'll quickly shout out Calrose. Cause when I used to roll my own sushi, that's what I would use. Even though it's not exactly sushi rice. I was told by a chef like that it does pretty good.

[Josh]

Okay, that's a nice little tip from Chuck's Kitchen.

[Chuck]

All right, well, let's take a break then. It's a good start. And we'll come back and talk about that cultivation I spoke of right after this. Attention parents and grandparents. If you're looking for a gift that's more than just a toy, give them something that inspires confidence and adventure all year long. Give them a guardian bike. The easiest safest and number one kids bike on the market.

[Josh]

Yeah. With USA Made Kids specific frames and patented safety technology, kids are learning to ride in just one day with no training wheels needed. It's why Guardian is America's favorite kids bike and the New York Times and Wirecutters top pick three years in a row.

[Chuck]

That's right. My daughter has a Guardian bike and she loves it and that thing was really easy to put together. And get this this holiday season, Guardian is offering their biggest deal of the year. Over 40% in savings on all bikes plus $100 in free accessories. Guardian bikes have become one of the most sought after gifts of the season and inventory is going fast. So don't wait. Join over a half a million families who've discovered the magic of guardian. Visit guardianbikes.com to shop now.

[Josh]

Hey everybody, we want to talk to you about Squarespace and in particular, if you have a great idea that you want to sell on the web. Well, Squarespace makes it easy to sell access to content on your websites.

[Chuck]

That's right. You can do online courses. You can do blogs, videos, memberships. You can even earn recurring revenue by gating your content behind a paywall. Simply set the price and choose whether to charge a one time fee or a subscription for access.

[Josh]

That's right. And you can get your content discovered fast with integrated SEO tools. Every Squarespace website optimized to be indexed with meta descriptions, an auto generated sitemap and more so you show up more often to more people in global search engine results.

[Chuck]

Just go to squarespace.com stuff and you can get a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, use our offer code stuffstuff to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or a domain.

[Josh]

Imagine a vacation where everything's taken care of. Virgin Voyages all in Voyage pricing includes over $1,000 in value with Wi Fi 20 plus dining options, group fitness classes and entertainment all included.

[Chuck]

That's right, it's luxury without the hidden charges. These are kid free cruises built for adults where wellness, nightlife and unforgettable experiences come together. Set sail this winter from Miami for week long Caribbean escapes to Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic. Plus soak up sun at their exclusive beach club in Bimin.

[Josh]

2025 and 2026, they're going even further. Think Aruba, St. Lucia and even new routes from New York, LA and Seattle aboard their newest ship, Brilliant Lady. With themed sailings, music and parties all year long, there's never a dull moment on board. It's no wonder they're award winning again. Book now@virgin voyages.com or contact your travel advisor.

[Chuck]

All right. Rice cultivation, like we mentioned earlier, started in China, specifically the Yangtze river basin. Could have been like as much as 14,000 years ago. Definitely at least nine or 10,000 years ago. And it's the kind of thing that happened over time from like wild rice growing just in the wild after heavy rains to them saying, hey, like, let's actually try and farm this stuff. And, you know, valleys would flood and they would say, hey, this is, this is how you grow rice in water. Flooded patties. I imagine it was quite a revelation.

[Josh]

Yeah. I think it made it to South Asia, that is India, by, I think, 8,300 years ago. And it made it to southeast Asia about 4400 years ago. And the whole idea of growing rice, like anybody who ever thinks about growing rice, you know, when you're sitting around thinking about growing rice. Yeah. You think of it in paddies. Like you're talking about like little flooded fields usually surrounded by slightly raised dikes or walkways or buns.

[Chuck]

Yeah.

[Josh]

And that is a way that rice grows. But it doesn't actually need a flooded field to grow. It needs a lot of irrigation, a lot of rainfall. But it can also be grown on like mountainsides, terrace mountainsides. That's called upland farming. But I never knew that part. I didn't either. Usually that's for subsistence, the upland stuff, because it's so much more productive using the lowland method, which is using flooded patties. But it only needs flooding a couple of times during growing, the growing season. And they actually drain the patty for harvesting. But a lot of, a lot of people who cultivate rice just keep it flooded the whole time because it's a lot easier to not put water in and out when you need it.

[Chuck]

Yeah, for sure. As far as, you know, farming it, you can be old school. It can be done by hand. Obviously they have machinery that can do that stuff now in a lot of places. The rice plants, you can like a lot of plants and vegetables and things like that and herbs. You can start them out in like a nursery bed, transfer them over to a patty. Or it could be a big mechanized system of seed drilling. Or you can drop rice, you can air drop it into a flooded field. And it doesn't take that long, a few months, about 120 days. And you know, different varieties. It depends on like the depth of water for the different varieties and stuff like that. And they will drain as needed, but just a few months to grow a successful rice yield.

[Josh]

Yeah. I was watching some mesmerizing videos on growing rice. One of them was in Vietnam. I couldn't tell where the other one was, but it was really interesting for some reason. I find a rice paddy fascinating.

[Chuck]

Oh, same.

[Josh]

It's just way, way more interesting than your typical crop field.

[Chuck]

Yeah, agreed.

[Josh]

In water.

[Chuck]

Yeah. And I thought until yesterday that was the only way to do it.

[Josh]

Nope. That's right.

[Chuck]

It's like cranberries, isn't it? Cranberries that grow in water.

[Josh]

Yeah. And like a bog. Yeah. That's deep water. You have to wear waders to harvest cranberries. As far as the commercials for ocean Spray that I've seen. Yeah. So after you harvest the rice, there's a lot of ways to harvest it. One of the traditional ways is just use hand sickles and cut the. Probably the top half of the plant off. After that, you dry the rice, and what you have is called rough rice. And that still has the hull on it. It's got the protective husk, which you'll sometimes see if you buy a plant. There's these little holes. Those are rice hux husks. I guess they put them in for drainage. Maybe. I don't know why else they would. But when you remove just the husk and leave the rest of the rice alone, like shucking an ear of corn, but really tiny. That's essentially the rice husk. Once you take the husk off, you got brown rice. Yeah.

[Chuck]

Little tiny bits of cardboard ready for eating.

[Josh]

I mean, I'm with you. It takes a lot for me to make myself make brown rice when I have the option of making sushi rice. Yeah, but it is so much better for you.

[Chuck]

I know it's crazy. It really is.

[Josh]

But I don't know if either of us eat enough rice to really matter. I don't know.

[Chuck]

No, I mean, any health problems I have are not from eating white rice, you know?

[Josh]

Yeah, but what about white rice? How do you get white rice from brown rice? Because that's where you get it from.

[Chuck]

Well, another. You got to go through another round of work basically called the milling process that's going to remove the bran. Sometimes they. Even if you see rice that looks like just super pristine and shiny, that might have been polished in a factory somewhere with glucose.

[Josh]

Isn't that weird?

[Chuck]

And then we talked about, you know, some rice even goes through the enriching process.

[Josh]

Would you like to go over those three ways again?

[Chuck]

Oh, that's all right.

[Josh]

Okay.

[Chuck]

But you know, we're gonna Talk a little bit about the downside of rice because anytime you're talking about like these major crops or farm situations, it's not always the greatest for the environment. And it takes a lot of water to grow rice. Like you said, if it's not done in a patty, just tons and tons of irrigation. Which makes it surprising that California, which suffers a lot of drought, has about half a million acres of rice.

[Josh]

Yeah, if you listen to our Salton Sea episode, that should be an eye popping number to you.

[Chuck]

Yeah.

[Josh]

That said, though, rice production still requires less water than any kind of meat production, any kind of nut production from what I understand. And a lot of vegetables still use more water than rice cultivation, I guess worldwide. So water use is a thing. Land use is another thing too. But greenhouse gases seem to be probably the biggest problem with rice production.

[Chuck]

Yeah, this kind of is something that I would not have considered. Again, I was just sort of naive to that. I usually think of like factory farming of animals and stuff as being big methane contributors. But when you have a big flooded rice field, you're also going to have a lot of microbes in there feeding off of decaying plant matter, and that's going to create a lot of methane. I didn't realize it was that big of a problem, but apparently it is.

[Josh]

It must be because so much rice is cultivated worldwide that all combined makes it a problem. One of the things you can do to reduce methane emissions is to drain the patties when the rice is at a growing stage where it doesn't need to be flooded. And then when it needs it again, you can reintroduce the water and then you dry it again for harvesting. The problem is this, and I love stuff like this. Even though it's terrible. I love it when you solve one problem and it creates an equal and opposite problem. That's exactly what happens with rice cultivation. When you dry out that patty, it exposes the soil and a bunch of nitrous oxide, which is another greenhouse gas, gets emitted. And so if you just grow it just with soil, it's going to emit nitrous oxide. It's going to be covered up with the water in the patty, and then when you dry it again, it's going to release more nitrous oxide. So they're trying to figure out like the balance of which one's worse. You know, would it be better to just leave it flooded all the time? Would it be better to dry it? Because you can take care of the methane. Nitrous oxide goes up, take care of the Nitrous oxide, the methane goes up. But did you see that thing about rice fish farming?

[Chuck]

Is that like the seawater farming?

[Josh]

No, this is. It's a little different. It's where you actually. You grow fish. You, like, farm fish in your rice paddy, and they actually help take care of the methane problem by eating a lot of the algae that would otherwise decompose. So the methane goes down, the nitrous oxide emissions go down because the patty's always flooded, because, you know, the fish need the water. And I saw that it increases yields by 10 to 15% because the fish are pooping. And so the nitrogen cycle is going a lot more frequently. You don't need to add as much fertilizer, if any, and they're eating a lot of the pests. So there's a 50% reduction in pests. And I think in some. If you do it right, you don't even need to use pesticides in rice production. So growing fish with your rice is like the way to save the planet.

[Chuck]

What kind of fish do you know? I don't.

[Josh]

I don't think it matters. Probably a smallish fish, because there's only a few inches of water that you need for rice paddy. So it wouldn't have. It wouldn't be like a giant carp. You'd be. You'd be up the creek, I think. Or the carp would be. If you tried to grow carp in a fish patty.

[Chuck]

Right. It wouldn't be, say, a marlin or great white shark.

[Josh]

No, no. But it would be something to see.

[Chuck]

I did mention seawater rice. There are people efforting to do that kind of thing, to grow it in seawater. Obviously, it's got to be a situation where they can get a rice variety that can tolerate that salt content and the alkaline soil. But it's something that they're looking into that has got a little bit of promise, I think.

[Josh]

Yeah. Because it reduces the land use. Right. Because you're not using really valuable land for cultivating rice.

[Chuck]

Yeah.

[Josh]

There's also the matter of toxins, too. I didn't realize rice was such a downer, did you?

[Chuck]

I did not. I didn't know about the toxins. And I think specifically arsenic is one of the. I think, like lead and cadmium also. But arsenic seems to be the major offender.

[Josh]

Yeah. And the reason why it's such a deal with rice is rice absorbs it more than most crops for some reason. The big downer about the whole thing is that arsenic is most present in the germ and the bran. So the type of rice that's most beneficial for you, health wise, brown rice is also the ones that have the most arsenic.

[Chuck]

Aha.

[Josh]

I found an article that asks if the benefits outweigh the risk as far as arsenic and brown rice is concerned.

[Chuck]

Yeah.

[Josh]

I wouldn't say 2023 edition of Frontiers in Nutrition, and they basically said, I don't know, we should do more study on it.

[Chuck]

Said, eat what you want, bub.

[Josh]

Yeah, I guess basically they were like, we don't know why Would you even read this article, chump?

[Chuck]

If you're seeking out safer rice, there are people who have done studies. Consumer Reports, I think, did some testing for arsenic. Specifically, they found white basmati in California, India and Pakistan. And sushi rice from the United States, maybe not intuitively, has the least amount of arsenic. If you get rice from Arkansas, Louisiana or Texas, it's going to have higher levels of arsenic.

[Josh]

Yeah. If your soil is more likely to be contaminated by industrial metals, that rice is going to suck it up. And apparently California's soil is less contaminated by industrial metals than some other states. So from what I could tell, your best bet is California rice as far as arsenic is concerned.

[Chuck]

Yeah. And, you know, rinsing the rice helps before you cook it. Cooking it in the water and then draining and even rinsing afterward can reduce the arsenic count even more. But it's not like, apparently it's not enough arsenic to really do a ton of damage to you. But the problem is, is children that eat, like, a lot of times you'll have the processed rice meal and baby food, and I think that stuff, you can't ever tell how much that has been rinsed or not, as my orthodontist Dr. Blake used to say. So, yeah, it can be problematic for little BBs and toddlers.

[Josh]

It can be problematic for you, too, as a grownup. And yeah, it's not like you would have to eat a lot of rice to hurt yourself with, say, arsenic. But if you eat rice every day, which a lot of people do, you can. And arsenic is associated with multiple kinds of cancer, diabetes, cardio issues, and obesity. So you don't really want a lot of arsenic. So that is an issue with rice. Everybody, let's face it.

[Chuck]

Should we take a second break?

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Chuck]

All right, we'll take another break. Go over some lists of countries who eat rice a lot. Probably not a very surprising list, but that and other stuff right after this. Attention parents and grandparents. If you're looking for a gift that's more than just a toy, give them something that inspires confidence and adventure all year long. Give them a Guardian Bike. The easiest, safest and number one kids bike on the market.

[Josh]

Yeah. With USA Made Kids specific frames and patented safety technology, kids are learning to ride in just one day with no training wheels needed. It's why Guardian is America's favorite kids bike and the New York Times and Wirecutters top pick three years in a row.

[Chuck]

That's right. My daughter has a Guardian bike and she loves it and that thing was really easy to put together. And get this this holiday season, Guardian is offering their biggest deal of the year. Over 40% in savings on all bikes plus $100 in free accessories. Guardian bikes have become one of the most sought after gifts of the season and inventory is going fast. So don't wait. Join over a half a million families who've discovered the magic of guardian. Visit guardianbikes.com to shop now.

[Josh]

Imagine a vacation where everything's taken care of. Virgin Voyages all in Voyage pricing includes over $1,000 in value with Wi Fi 20 plus dining options, group fitness classes and entertainment all included.

[Chuck]

That's right, it's luxury without the hidden charges. These are kid free cruises built for adults where wellness, nightlife, unforgettable experiences come together. Set sail this winter from Miami for week long Caribbean escapes to Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic. Plus soak up sun at their exclusive beach club in bimini.

[Josh]

And in 2025 and 2026, they're going even further. Think Aruba, St. Lucia, and even new routes from New York, LA and Seattle aboard their newest ship, Brilliant Lady. With themed sailings, music and parties all year long. There's never a dull moment on board. It's no wonder they're award winning again. Book now@virgin voyages.com or contact your travel advisor. We've all had the experience of calling a business and just wanting to talk to a real person. Not an automated voice pretending to be human. An actual person who can listen and understand and offer help.

[Chuck]

That's exactly what you can do with Ruby. Ruby is the virtual receptionist company that takes care of your callers when you're unavailable, in the middle of something or simply don't want to pick up.

[Josh]

That's right. They can answer screen transfer calls. They can take messages, collect payments, book appointments, and more, all while making the people you serve feel special.

[Chuck]

And best of all, it can help you be more productive. For example, 9 out of 10 lawyers who use Ruby log more billable hours per day than the national average.

[Josh]

And other professionals like plumbers and technicians Win more customers while being able to stay focused on the job. But whatever kind of small business you run, Ruby is built to save you time, earn you more customers or clients, and make meaningful connections with the people you serve.

[Chuck]

It's available 24, 7, 365 days a year and 100% based in the U.S. see why more than 15,000 small businesses use Ruby? Visit Ruby.com or better yet, call them @900Ruby.

[Josh]

Okay, Chuck, I'll give you 10 guesses what continent produces the most rice.

[Chuck]

Is this production?

[Josh]

Yes, production.

[Chuck]

My guess is China.

[Josh]

No continent.

[Chuck]

Oh, Asia.

[Josh]

Yes, you got it right out of the gate.

[Chuck]

Within that I would say China.

[Josh]

Yeah, you'd be right. China is the number one rice producing country in Asia, followed by India. That makes sense because they both have a lot of land mass. Bangladesh is a big eye popper because it's not very big, but it's the third highest producing rice country in the world.

[Chuck]

Yeah, that's impressive.

[Josh]

But all 10 top 10 are Asian, whether Southeast Asian, South Asian, or Asian proper, I guess.

[Chuck]

Yeah, I mentioned those states. California, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Missouri and Arkansas produce almost all the rice in the US which is about 20 billion pounds a year more than I thought. Obviously nowhere close to being a top 10 producer. But as far as eating rice in the United States, you're probably eating American rice. Unless you're going to a specialty store. Because about 80% of the rice sold and eaten in the US and 95% of sushi rice eaten in the US comes from US farms.

[Josh]

That's why when you go to a izakaya in America, you'll frequently see somebody with a mouthful of rice chanting usa. That's right. Okay, what about the countries that eat the most rice?

[Chuck]

That eat the most?

[Josh]

What continent would those be on all 10?

[Chuck]

Well, I'm gonna say Asia, but I'm also gonna drill down and say China just because of the sheer amount of people.

[Josh]

Okay. Yep. China's number one. India is number two. Both because they have a lot of people there. Bangladesh is number three. Again, they really love the rice.

[Chuck]

Yeah.

[Josh]

But in the top 10 list, Nigeria is number 10 of the countries that eat the most rice. And there's something about eating a lot of rice. It's impressive. Number one. Bangladesh is number one for eating rice. The per capita rice consumption per year equals 592 pounds of rice per person, which is almost 2 pounds of rice a day. And that's dry, uncooked rice that they're counting. This isn't like the wet stuff. Yeah, and like I said, it's impressive. But it also goes to, it goes to point out or underscore the developing status of a country like Bangladesh. Because if you eat tons of rice and you're getting a lot of your calories from rice, it's because a lot of other foods aren't available to you because your country is lower income. So that's why Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, they all eat the most rice in part because it's widely available, but also in part because their economies are still developing or aren't as developed as countries that eat less rice.

[Chuck]

Yeah. And that's again, those are per capita numbers for that last list.

[Josh]

Yeah. That reminds me though of when I was a kid in like first, second, third grade maybe we would once a year at school, the school lunch would be a cup of white rice with a little pad of butter on it so that it drove home like what other kids around the world were eating for lunch that day.

[Chuck]

Oh, interesting.

[Josh]

Yeah, I thought it was kind of nice in principle, but there were always at least one or two kids who ate that and then also ate their lunch that they brought from home too. Like little bastards.

[Chuck]

Yeah. And I would say that pad of butter is a bit of a cheat.

[Josh]

Probably. Probably. But still, I mean, I definitely. It gave me pause.

[Chuck]

Yeah, I mean, I like a little butter and some rice. I mean, not when I'm cooking any kind of like, you know, Asian style foods and stuff like that. I'm not gonna put butter on sushi rice. But if you give me a, you know, a steak and a big old glob of Carolina gold, you can bet your bibby I'm going to throw a little butter on that. Salt and pepper.

[Josh]

Yeah, I never got into. This was definitely not Carolina gold rice that they were feeding us in styrofoam cups in first grade.

[Chuck]

It was probably. What's the stuff in the bag? The minute rice or whatever.

[Josh]

Yeah, like Uncle Ben's or something.

[Chuck]

Yeah. I mean, the only time we see that in our house we keep a stash for when the dogs are tummy sick and you have to boil chicken and just have chicken and plain rice. And so we have those bags that. And like camping when I was a kid that evokes those memories.

[Josh]

All right, would you just have your pockets full of loose rice? That's how you'd hike it in.

[Chuck]

That's how I'd hike it in.

[Josh]

Let's see, what else, anything else about this? Oh, I want to point something out. There is a study in 2005, remember? I talked about how people eating rice. The countries that eat the most rice also tend to be developing. Well, there was a study from Tottori University, and the reason that stood out to me is because Yumi taught English in Tottori at a high school.

[Chuck]

No way.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Chuck]

Oh, cool.

[Josh]

It's a very rural area. She taught it at, like, a technical school. Technical high school. But she loved it. She went over there for a year as part of this program. But this Totori University study basically found that rice consumption is dropping off in Asian countries because wealth is expanding in Asian countries. And they're saying, hey, we love rice, but we also want that steak. Like Chuck said, you know, every time.

[Chuck]

You throw a little Another Yumi tidbit out, she becomes that much more interesting.

[Josh]

Yes, she's very interesting.

[Chuck]

And I realize how much more interesting both Yumi and Emily are than either one of us.

[Josh]

Yes, it's true. I'm kind of a schlub compared to Yumi, for sure.

[Chuck]

Yeah. I mean, yeah. Congratulations to both of us because they're both wonderful, interesting women. I mean, Yumi had her graffiti tag was apothecary, for God's sake.

[Josh]

Pretty great.

[Chuck]

That's amazing.

[Josh]

We already took a second break, Right? This is the third act we're in.

[Chuck]

Yeah, we're in the third act. So we can have a little fun with some of these rice dishes if you want.

[Josh]

Okay, go ahead and fire that gun.

[Chuck]

Well, rice, obviously, in a lot of dishes worldwide is going to be like a base layer for something. Maybe a curry, maybe a stewed meat or vegetable. Maybe you're going to stir fry something and throw it on top of that rice. That's a great way to eat rice, not just as just a regular old plain side dish, Even though that's fine, too. But I've had quite a few of these. I have had jollof rice at African restaurants. Yeah, it's got. It's, you know, got like stewed tomatoes, onions, you know, peppers. A lot of these are kind of similar around the world because it's, you know, it's meager, honest ingredients like, you know, garlic and thyme and ginger and rice and tomatoes and onions, like stuff you get from the ground. Sometimes you can add meat and vegetables, but jollof rice is good on its own.

[Josh]

Yeah. I looked up a recipe of that, and I'm like, that is something I'm going to try.

[Chuck]

Yeah.

[Josh]

There's also biryani.

[Chuck]

Love it.

[Josh]

I am not more. I'm more of a curry guy, so I don't get biryani. When I go to Indian restaurants, because it's a little drier.

[Chuck]

Yeah.

[Josh]

But it's got some nice flavors to it for sure, when I have had it. But it's a rice dish. It's got rice, spices, some vegetables, usually some kind of meat in there. Yeah, it's good.

[Chuck]

You're a red curry guy. Green.

[Josh]

Red. Green. Maybe if I'm at a Thai place. But I'm a tikka masala and butter chicken person.

[Chuck]

Oh, man.

[Josh]

God, I could eat that all day long, every day.

[Chuck]

Yeah. No, I mean, I've said it before, and I think it was our Chinese food episode. Like, I could subsist entirely on Asian cuisine 100% of the time and be as happy as I've ever been.

[Josh]

For real.

[Chuck]

I don't need the other foods.

[Josh]

Also, shout out sog. Saag paneer is fine, but chicken sog is. Oh, it's the best.

[Chuck]

Yeah. I did mention paella earlier. I love it. If you aren't familiar, it is a Spanish dish. I think the moors brought it over.

[Josh]

The moops.

[Chuck]

And it is. Yeah, that's right. Oh, my God. What was that?

[Josh]

That was from Seinfeld when George played Trivial Pursuit with the bubble boy.

[Chuck]

That's right, that's right, the moops.

[Josh]

No, I'm sorry.

[Chuck]

The moops paella is delicious, though. You cook it in a very specific flat bottom round pan. If you don't have one, I've cooked it in just cast iron skillets. It's got that clam juice. That's where a lot of that seafoody flavor comes from. Depending on what kind of seafood you want in there, it could be clams, could be shrimp, could be scallops, could be all that stuff. Some saffron, some tomatoes that stew up nicely. It's just delicious. I love a paella. It's usually not the kind of thing you can just get a serving of. You get like a larger paella for a table.

[Josh]

That clam juice thing didn't. That reminded me. Didn't you used to make, or maybe still do make, Bloody Marys with clamato?

[Chuck]

Yeah, that's the only way for me.

[Josh]

And that's a Canadian thing. And I can't remember what they call it. Bloody Caesar. That's what it is.

[Chuck]

Oh, I've heard of that. I didn't know it was Canadian.

[Josh]

There's something. There's another rice dish that I've had before. I don't know if you've ever had it. It's called sushi and it's made with that short Grain rice seasoned with some vinegar, like I said. But it actually. And I know we talked about this in the sushi episode. It grew out of a way of preserving fish in vinegar. They would jam some uncooked rice in there with it too. Pack it in there.

[Chuck]

That's right.

[Josh]

And I guess somebody said, there's a better way to do this, and that's where sushi came from. But you can still get that original version called nare sushi, which I really want to try. I like pickled anything, man. You could pickle an old shoe. And I'd be like, I'll eat a little of that. Sure.

[Chuck]

We're not going to go down the list of rice noodle dishes, but we should point out that rice noodles are a thing. We should mention a few rice desserts because a really, really nice rice pudding, to me, is one of the more delicious things you can eat.

[Josh]

Yeah, I'm more of a bread pudding guy, but yeah, I'll eat rice pudding as well.

[Chuck]

That's when you cook the rice with the milk and sugar. And usually there's like vanilla or cinnamon or something like that in there.

[Josh]

I would eat just about anything with condensed milk.

[Chuck]

Yeah, that's good stuff.

[Josh]

Oh, I have a little tip for you, Chuck. Yumi found this stuff. It's UBE condensed milk. Okay. It is the greatest flavor you will ever put in your mouth. It's insane how good it tastes.

[Chuck]

Is it. Do I have to go to, like, an Asian mart to get it? Or is it.

[Josh]

You could probably order it online, but yeah, you're gonna find it at an Asian store more than maybe Target.

[Chuck]

Okay.

[Josh]

There's also mango sticky rice, which uses that sticky glutinous rice, which, by the way, it doesn't have gluten. It's just glutinous, meaning sticky, starchy gluten.

[Chuck]

With an I. Yeah.

[Josh]

Have you heard of Polish rice cake or Polish rice cake? I'm not sure I had.

[Chuck]

Not until this.

[Josh]

It's basically rice and condensed milk and some other stuff, but it's a cake with rice. It looks pretty good.

[Chuck]

Well, we should talk about mochi at least, because mochi is a cake and that is made from the glutinous rice as well. And if you've ever had mochi in the US it's probably a little different from Japan. Cause it's not always a sweet thing. There's. But in the US it's usually wrapped around ice cream, as most things are. Yeah. And you can buy like the little mochi ice cream balls or whatever here.

[Josh]

Yeah, they're good. A lot of times in Japan, they'll have, like, sweet red bean paste inside. That's a traditional mochi there too, but apparently it references the rabbit in the moon. In Japan, it's a rabbit in the moon rather than a man in the moon, but he's making mochi up there.

[Chuck]

Oh, I never knew that.

[Josh]

Yep. And we can't not mention horchata real quick. Okay.

[Chuck]

Yeah, I went to a. I had a horchata flight in Mexico City one time on a food tour.

[Josh]

Oh, nice.

[Chuck]

And it was my first kind of real exposure to it that I think maybe my first real exposure. And, man, it was so different and delicious.

[Josh]

Yeah, it's rice soaked in evaporated milk. So, you know, I'd like it. Add some cinnamon, some vanilla, and then you. Eventually, after it's mush, you strain it so that it gets any of the grit out. So it's kind of a thickish, milky, ish drink that's amazing on its own. But if you're into things like rum or bourbon, they mix really well with horchata, especially in wintertime.

[Chuck]

Very interesting.

[Josh]

Oh, yeah. You'll thank me later.

[Chuck]

Okay. Okay, I'll pre thank you now because. Yeah, I didn't know that was a thing.

[Josh]

Oh.

[Chuck]

I mean, where do you get horchata here?

[Josh]

You can buy horchata. People make it and sell it here in the United States, meaning companies or whatever. But it's actually not that hard to make. You might be better off making it yourself.

[Chuck]

All right, I'll give it a shot. I know that the stuff we had in Mexico City was, like, really, really authentic and great.

[Josh]

Yep, plenty. There's plenty of recipes. There's like, five or six ingredients, all of them easily obtainable. So I say make your own, Chuck.

[Chuck]

All right, I'll give it a try.

[Josh]

That reminds me. What did you think of cherry pop tarts? Cherry frosted pop tarts.

[Chuck]

Ah, yes. Follow up. I texted Josh photos. I immediately went to the store. I bought the cherry frosted Pop Tarts, and of course, I had to get the cinnamon. Brown sugar cinnamon, of course. Boy, those cherries are beeping. Delicious.

[Josh]

Yeah, I told you. They're way better than strawberry, aren't they?

[Chuck]

Yeah, I mean, they are. They're way better. I did my butter trick, believe it or not. I think there were four packs in each, so eight total packs, 16 total pop tarts. And I've only eaten six total pop tarts, so three packs.

[Josh]

That's nice.

[Chuck]

Since then, I'm really. You just can't Go in there and house those things in two days.

[Josh]

You. You can pretty easily, but I think you're showing a lot of restraint here.

[Chuck]

I. I feel like I'm showing restraint.

[Josh]

Yeah. Way to go, man. And you. Are you enjoying them more than if you just ate them all at once? No, it's awesome. You got anything else?

[Chuck]

I got nothing else. Grow rice.

[Josh]

Yeah, go grow some rice. Make your own horchata. Make some sushi. Make some sticky rice. Make some. Some curries. Just do all that stuff. Some jollof rice. Get to it. And while you're making all that, we'll just go ahead and read some listener mail.

[Chuck]

Well, this is from Ted. Ted wrote in. Because Ted. I'll just read it. You've responded to Ted. You're gonna send Ted something, which is very nice of you.

[Josh]

Nice.

[Chuck]

Hey, guys, I recently finished listening to the full Stuff youf Should Know catalog. Eh, big deal. For the fifth time. That's a big deal, Ted, for sure.

[Josh]

I think it's a big deal if you listen to it all once. Yeah. Oh. Oh, yeah. You're doing your new thing.

[Chuck]

Yeah, my new thing.

[Josh]

Okay. I like it.

[Chuck]

See us attached screenshot for proof. Ted, we didn't need proof. We take you at your word. At least I finished my most recent. Listen, guys, thanks for all the wonderful hours. As an appreciation, here are the five things I most like about stuff you should know. Number one, Josh and Chuck have character arcs as their lives have changed over the 17 years and they're not afraid to share some of that personal stuff. I'd say big time character arcs.

[Josh]

Yeah. I mean, 17 years.

[Chuck]

Yeah. Like, think about what's happened to anyone over the last 17 years is a lot of. Lot of stuff.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Chuck]

Number two, Josh and Chuck don't talk over each other like many other podcasters do. We don't often. Sometimes we do, but. Yeah, we usually let each other go, right?

[Josh]

Yeah, we try to. I mean, every once in a while there's a stumble here or there, but we're pretty good about that. We always have been.

[Chuck]

Yeah. But boy, some podcasts, even some of my favorite ones, at times I'm like, what is going on? There's like three or four people talking.

[Josh]

Oh, you can't do that. Can't do that.

[Chuck]

Number three, I've learned more about movies and popular music by listening to stuff you should know than actually by watching movies or listening to music.

[Josh]

Yeah, I like to think that we have imparted some pretty cool recommendations over the years.

[Chuck]

Yeah, I just noticed Ted said he'd Send in five things he loved the most. There's only four, so I guess.

[Josh]

Oh, Ted, this is beautiful because I know what the last one is.

[Chuck]

Oh, I bet that's why he did it.

[Josh]

Duh.

[Chuck]

Number four, Josh and Chuck never make it all the way through a list. Of course. Ted. I'm so dense. I didn't even get the joke.

[Josh]

It was a great. That was a great arcane in joke for Stuff you should know. Ted. Bravo. I'm listening to the entire catalog five times and we are trying to figure out something special to get you for it. So thank you for letting us know.

[Chuck]

That's right. Thanks, Ted.

[Josh]

Thanks, Ted. If you want to be like Ted and talk about how much you like stuff you should know or how many times you listen to stuff you should know or whatever you want to say, you can send it in an email to stuff [e-mail].

[Chuck]

Stuff youf Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts My Heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app. Apple Podcasts are wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Attention parents and grandparents. If you're looking for a gift that's more than just a toy, give them something that inspires confidence and adventure all year long. Give them a Guardian bike. The easiest, safest and number one kids bike on the market.

[Josh]

Yeah. With USA Made Kids specific frames and patented safety technology, kids are learning to ride in just one day with no training wheels needed. It's why Guardian is America's favorite kids bike and the New York Times and Wirecutters top pick three years in a row.

[Chuck]

That's right. My daughter has a Guardian bike and she loves it. And that thing was really easy to put together. And get this. This holiday season, Guardian is offering their biggest deal of the year. Over 40% in savings on all bikes plus $100 in free accessories. Guardian bikes have become one of the most sought after gifts of the season. And inventory is going fast. So don't wait. Join over a half a million families who've discovered the magic of guardian. Visit guardianbikes.com to shop now.

[Josh]

Living with a rare autoimmune condition comes with challenges but also incredible strength. Especially for those living with conditions like myasthenia gravis or mg, and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, otherwise known as cidp. Finding empowerment in the community is critical. Untold Stories Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, a Ruby Studio production in partnership with Argenics, explores people discovering strength in the most unexpected places. Listen to Untold Stories on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft. Fe Just ask the Capital One Bank Guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Thanks Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capital1.com bank capital1na member FDIC this.

[Chuck]

Is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.