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inferior to the imported Japanese rice. Some of the local well- 

 known Japanese, and also teachers and missionaries, have aided 

 in these examinations. The latter through long residence in 

 Japan have become quite expert in judging cooked rice, and they 

 have agreed with the Japanese in saying that the newly intro- 

 duced rices are greatly superior to any Hawaiian rices which 

 they have tasted heretofore, but that there is yet a slight infe- 

 riority. Whether or not this deterioration results in one year 

 or whether it is gradual through several years has not yet been 

 fully determined, but that there is a diflference was almost unan- 

 imously decided. 



In just what respects the Hawaiian rices are inferior was a 

 thing that was rather difficult to determine. Some said they 

 lacked in oiliness, or in richness, and all were agreed that the 

 drying out of Hawaiian rices when cold was the chief objection 

 which could be made to them. Recently more detailed state- 

 ments of the differences have been given to the writer, and from 

 these it will be noticed that the difference is in culinary and 

 physical properties, and in flavor, all of which properties depend 

 upon the taste of the judge and can not be determined as accu- 

 rately as can the differences in wheat by a chemist. The points 

 given were as follovvs : Hawaiian rice requires more water in 

 cooking ; it swells less ; it is harder than Japan rice ; it is not so 

 easily softened ; to the tongue it has a coarse, rough feeling like 

 cotton cloth to the skin, while Japan rice feels as silk: it has a 

 peculiar smell when cooked — not so agreeable as has the Japan 

 rice ; the grains do not stand out vertically nor have they the 

 luster which the grains of Japan rice have when cooked ; it does 

 not hold moisture when cold, but becomes dry and rubbery; it 

 has inferior flavor ; it has not the oily strength of the Japan rice. 



If the points could be reduced to the score card form and the 

 student could study rice by the card while tasting different sam- 

 ples, perhaps any one could be taught to be a good judge of rice 

 as well as they are now taught to be of butter and of other 

 products ; but as this has not been done these points can be used 

 by any one who desires to try and discover what is meant by 

 '■quality" in rice. 



These differences apply particularly to the Hawaiian Gold 

 Seed and to Chinese varieties of rice and to a lesser degree to the 

 Japan rice when grown in Hawaii ; and as stated above the latter 

 has in some cases been pronounced equal to the imported article, 

 but the consensus of opinion was that it was not equal. The 

 judges call attention to the fact that the manner of cooking has 

 much to do with the bringing out of the best qualities or prop- 

 erties of a rice and that a poor rice well cooked is better than 

 a good rice poorly cooked. Whereas many cooks use two or 

 three parts of water to one part of rice, it is stated that with 

 less water the rice will be "flakey" rather than "soggy." I am 

 indebted to Mr. H. Tsurashima of the Hawaiian Japanese Chron- 



