Heirloom rice & adlai

With these two grains, we can feed the country. But how will we pursue this if people are not aware of what they are; imagine two commentators on a popular radio opinion show not knowing what adlai or heirloom rice means. We have a lot of work to do, Slow Food folks.

In the Slow Food movement, we promote the consumption and production of heirloom grains like adlai and heirloom varieties like Jeykot, Minaangan or generally Tinawon (meaning once a year) rice. But for Alvin Elchico and Doris Bigornia to be unaware about these two grains, we need a lot of educating to do.

First, it need not be premium. Because premium means expensive. I remember first tasting red rice in Sagada in the 80s when I first trekked in the Cordillera during my college days. It tasted good and not  hard (matigas) or firm  as other people say it is. You just need to add more water as with rice that is not freshly-harvested but keeps well. We call old rice “laon” as some people like older or aged grains and some like new harvest or what is softer and clumps together like Japanese rice. You know why that is so? Because they eat with chopsticks and it is easier to move clumps to the mouth.

Just like coffee, aged beans need a different way of processing or brewing. It is the same with rice. Every batch of rice we buy has a different moisture level and a different variety. So cheers for heirloom rice because it has more vitamins than the white, refined or over-milled grain we are so used to eating. So I was told, try a small batch (one cup) when you have a new batch of rice – be it brown, red or white. Trial and error, especially when a grain is all-natural.

Then we suggested adlai and right away Alvin commented that it is expensive. It becomes expensive when we transport just a few sacks rather than a container load, one bus trip at a time. Small producers become victims of the “middleman” who has been vilified but in truth is just helping to  consolidate shipments so you the consumer will find adlai or heirloom rice priced reasonably. So don’t blame the middleman all the time. Blame hoarders and unscrupulous businessmen and women who take advantage of the window when demand is high and supplies are short.

It takes a little time and effort to think about supply chain, logistics and the reality of farmers who need to sell their produce immediately for cash flow. If you were a farmer with just enough funds to turn around, you need to harvest, sell quick and plant again. If you had more money, you become the vilified middleman who helps the farmer but releases goods when it is best value for your money. Simple economics. As a consumer, you can surely reach out to the farmer directly (as what is happening in coffee now) and give him or her the best price you would have paid the middleman. Are you willing to do that? If not, then pay the price at the last mile.

Why is it premium – adlai and heirloom rice? Because it does not use agro chemicals, the yields are lower and therefore production cost is higher. But it is good food, free from pesticides and chemical fertilizers. It is more premium because it is priced higher than NFA rice, the source of which is unknown and the production of which also is not organic or natural.

Why must we care about the price of rice, adlai and heirloom rice? Because it is an indicator of everyman’s ability to survive daily with these staples. My simple solution is to eat less rice – whether commercial, heirloom or a grain like adlai. After all, everyone and his uncle are watching their sugar levels. Diabetes is now prevalent in the younger population due to high consumption of sugar, and white rice is all sugar. Breads and fast food choices are all sugar and fat-laden.

I wish I could explain better why heirloom rice and adlai are better for you. The lady guest from International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) was not even sure of adlai. But she was very sure of her chemical-delivering drones that is safer because it does not expose the farmer to the deadly chemicals. What? Last time I checked, these drones deliver it to the air in the whole area and does not spare the farmer and the community from inhaling what is meant for our pests – or what we call pests in rice fields. It should be pest-control and pest management, not spray the whole area like Agent Orange in Vietnam. That kills even the farmer, eventually.

Filipinos, moderate your rice consumption and let us substitute corn, taro, cassava and sweet potato for our carbohydrate needs. Let us stop “Eat all you can” rice in buffets and extra rice in fast food stores.

Meantime, I hope to share with Alvin and Doris about heirloom rice and adlai. These are two grains we promote in the Ark of Taste where over 70 Philippine endangered species are listed so we can help save them. If we stop eating adlai and heirloom rice, the farmers will stop planting them. So I hope you can try these two “premium” grains, as you refer to them. It is premium because it is good for your health. It is premium because we are just sharing the farmers’ bounty and they lovingly share it with us who are city slickers.

It’s not about white rice and IRRI. It’s not about ginormous yields per hectare. It is about good food grown by healthy farmers and low sugar levels for Doris and Alvin as well as the rest of us.

Next time you eat rice, think about where it came from and how it was produced. You may just switch to heirloom, organic rice varieties. Or try adlai.