Magazine F Issue 5 (Rice) is available now on loremnotipsum.com. Rice is more than a simple grain. This ingredient tells stories about cultures in the ways that it’s prepared, shared and revered. F covers rice rituals and traditions that have hardly changed over a millennia. A renowned Japanese chef teaches the proper way to make sushi rice, and scientists discuss the changes in agricultural technology.
Magazine F: Rice, tells the story of one of the world’s most widely used foods. It’s the essential grain that is the bedrock of Asian culinary culture. The remarkable economic transformation of South Korea and Japan is often attributed to the exceptional diligence and collective consciousness that have been culturally ingrained in Asian cultures since pre-modern rice farming days. Some read more deeply into the meaning, saying that the Chinese character for rice, mĭ (米), can be dissected into bā shi bā (八十八), which is the number 88. This significant number represents the 88 manual tasks it takes to produce rice from seed to edible grain on the dinner table. From sowing to harvesting, rice is incredibly labor intensive and holds multifaceted meanings to humans.
About the Ingredient: Rice, a key ingredient in Asian food culture, has been directly linked to survival itself as a daily staple food. Along with corn and wheat, it is one of the world’s top food crops. More than half of the world’s population relies on rice. Rice farming has helped to form societies with community-centered consciousness in Asian countries, and symbolizes the value of protecting tradition. Foods like pilaf, risotto, sushi, and rice cakes have derived from various cultivars and recipes. Recent patterns of reduced consumption have been overcome with development in agricultural technology. Growing, preparing, eating and sharing rice remains one of the world’s most common themes.
Magazine F is a food documentary magazine co-created by Magazine B and Baemin, which introduces one particular ingredient that has had a significant impact on people’s table. Baemin has become a critical mover and shaker in South Korean contemporary food culture, and B provides a balanced view on brands through multi-layered stories. This collaboration brings together these two areas of expertise in F, which is hoped to become a record of essential ingredients and food culture of our time. Magazine B’s sister publication, Magazine F enriches your experience with everyday ingredients. Each issue explores how an ingredient is grown, prepared, and shared in different cultures around the world, through in-depth interviews, inspiring stories, and beautiful photos.
Content
DESTINATION
Diverse beauty of rice paddies that vary by geographical features and lifestyles
INTO THE ORIGIN
Religious philosophy and community values embedded in Balinese rice terraces
RICE ROAD
From Indonesia: Indonesian rice dishes in Bali infused with time-honored traditions and spirit
To Japan: History and meaning of rice as seen through iconic rice dishes of Japan
ACADEMIC MANUAL
History, traditions, and trends of rice— a rising transitional food to substitute flour and meat
INTERVIEW
Henry Alexie Bloem: An Indonesian cuisine master who skillfully integrates the colors of Bali into a dish of rice
Tobio Fukumoto: A modest Japanese sushi master who has maintained a Michelin star for 11 years for elaborate details
ON THE TABLE
Global rice recipes that reinvigorate the charms of rice
EXPERIMENT
Simple but tricky rice cooking secrets by Eunjung Ko, instructor at a cooking school on Mount Jirisan
F CUT
Indigenous rice varieties harvested across the eight provinces of Korea
THE FUTURE OF RICE
Native rice breeds and the instant rice market: turning points for the future of Korean rice
INTERVIEW
Atsuo Otsuka – CEO of Okomeya, presenting a new lifestyle through rice
USER SCENE
The tables of three people from three different cities who all live on rice
RETAIL
Worldwide rice shops introducing healthy, delicious products that shift paradigms on the taste of rice
MARKET
Processed rice products equipped with taste, quality, and marketability
REFERENCES
Books and videos about rice and agriculture recommended by Magazine F editors
Details: Magazine F – Issue 5 (Rice)
148 pages, 24 x 16 cm, English edition
