The Story of a Bowl of Rice

As an Indonesian, the view of rice fields is something usual for me. It takes only 15 minutes by motorcycle from my city and there it is, green rice fields~

I've seen rice fields so many times, but still, it never bores me. When it already grows around two or three months, the wind blow will move the green straw beautifully. Ah...simple thing that brings peace in mind. Don't forget the birds' and crickets' chant.  Also, you can deny the beauty of fireflies' illumination in the night~

Village girl posing on the rice field

 However, not all people knows where the rice comes from. Does it grow on a tree? Or is it a fruit? Or does it come from the root? The answers for those questions are no, no, and no. Rice is grains, just like wheat.

For planting it, it needs around 4 months. And, (in my region) it is all done by hand. So, for a bowl of rice, it needs hard work of many people...


PREPARATION
First, we have to put the seed of the rice (it is the grain itself) and put it in water. There will be the sinking and also the floating one. Take only the sinking one, that's the good one. The floating one is empty so you can't use it for planting.

Then, plant the seed on a small area on the corner of the rice field. This small area, we call it nursery field. 

Q: why do you plant it in small area first and not directly on the rice field itself?
A: because... you have to cover the seed with hay so the birds will not eat the seed. If you plant it directly in the field, you will need A LOT of hay.

Q: how long it takes for the seed to grow and become a plant?
A: three weeks. After that, we pull the plant out (the baby-rice) and then re-plant it in the rice field

While we are waiting three weeks, we plow the rice field~

Q: How do you plow it? With cows pulling a plowing tool?
A: ummm... that's correct. But that's the old-fashioned one. In this millennium era, the farmers use tractor-machine. It's easier and quicker, you know.

PLANTING
So, we already have baby-rice after three weeks of waiting. So excited!!
Now is the time for the REAL planting. Jump on the mud within the rice field, grab the baby rice, and then plant 3-4 of it in one spot! Push it with your thumb so it will stand up straight.

We plant the rice in line. It makes us easier to walk through it when it's already grow; for spreading the fertilizer or look for unwanted animals or plants. 

To make it in line, we use bamboo stick with marks. So, we move the bamboo stick backwards and plant the baby-rice according the marks.

What? Back-pain? Hahaha, that's the risk for working in the rice field. For your information, the farmers usually work from 6am till 3pm. Can you imagine their struggle: bow their body almost all the time to plant the rice while the sun of tropical weather burns their skin. I can imagine it. Well, I experienced it also. And I tell you, that was not easy thing to do.  


Okidoki, have you filled the whole rice field already? Yes? Great! Wait for three months for harvesting time (don't forget to give it some fertilizer) :D

HARVESTING TIME
Wow, there it is! The brown-color grains from the straw of rice-plants. Yep, when it's ready to be harvested, the grain color will turn from green to brown. Besides that, the grains will go downward because of the weight of the rice inside.

Then, we cut the straw and separate the grains form the straw.

Q: How do you separate it? One by one with hands?
A: No no no. All you have to do is hit it on a board of wood.

Once upon a time, a guy went to rice field with me. He tried to help the farmers separate the grains from the straw. He hold a pile of rice straw and started to hit on the wood. Then, (maybe) he remembered his ex. And his hand movement became faster and stronger. Good for the farmers (extra energy to help them) :D and it's good for him too. It was like ummm... therapy to release his emotions.

After the grains are separated, we dry it under the sun. A couple days is enough but it depends on the sun.

The last thing to do is peel the skin of the rice~

Q: How do you peel it?
A: We peel the skin with HANDS, one by one...

 Hahahaha kidding :D

We peel the skin with a milling-machine. We bring the dry-grains to the milling place, wait a moment, and tadaaa~ we have the rice already. Yummy! 

Oh wait! You have to cook it before you eat it :D 


So, that's the story behind a bowl of rice. A lot of hands contribute until it's ready to be eaten. Your hands give contribution as well, to transport it from the bowl to your digestion system :D

Happy eating!