Recipe for Rice

Today was a really HOT day. Don’t know quite what the temperature was, but certainly it was quite high. Our house seems to stay quite cool though, particularly downstairs, it’s only when one ventures outside that it’s noticed. I popped out for bread this morning, sans boys, and so while I was out I thought I’d try to see if I could spend some money I had drawn from our Nedbank account – I withdrew £30 about a week or two ago, just to see what would happen, and it came to just over R400. I bought an eyelet maker last week, and then couldn’t find anything else anywhere to buy – how disappointing! Imagine me having money and nothing to buy with it. I had been looking for a pair of red sandals, even before we left SA and couldn’t find anything suitable. I had also been looking on the island for something, but of course there’s not much choice here. Well, today, I actually found exactly what I was looking for, and at only £4.95, very reasonable. I was so pleased! I also bought a St Helena cook book, with interesting recipes like Octopus Stew and Shark Mince, very localized, and another book called “Exploring St Helena: A Walker’s Guide”. This, I hope, will be well utilized! But let me quote something from the Cookbook: “A Chinaman’s recipe for drying rice: - ‘Wash him well, much wash in cold water, the rice flour make him stick. Water boil all ready very fast. Throw him in, rice can’t burn, water shake him too much. Boil ¼ hour or little more, rub one rice in thumb and finger; if all rub away quite done. Put rice in colander, hot water run away. Pour cup of cold water on him, put back rice in saucepan, keep him covered near the fire, then rice all ready EAT HIM UP!’” We enjoyed that.