Rice and shine
Rice is such a staple in our diet, that it’s the very rare day that the average Filipino will not have at least one meal in a day that has rice as part of that meal. Henry Lim Bon Liong knows this all too well, and talking to him is like getting a crash course on Rice technology, the state of our domestic production vis-a-vis importation figures, and the market costs attached thereof. While the business community may know Henry better as the man behind Sterling Paper Products, it’s self-sufficiency in rice and rekindling our advances in the technology of rice production to the glory days of the International Rice Research Institute that rule his passions in life.
I first met Henry when I was editing the first GoNegosyo book and was duly impressed with the commitment he exemplified in making rice production something we Filipinos could crow about. It was a time when Thai imports could be sold at a more affordable price than locally produced varieties, and that was indeed a sad plight. Henry’s adventures in cheap, affordable quality rice has led to hybrid by-products which he felt provided a unique marketing opportunity in the premium rice niche and hence, the onslaught of the Doña Maria Premium rice ads that we’ve regularly seen in the broadsheets. Basically, we’re talking about two varieties — Jasponica and Miponica — and aware of the growing interest in the healthy food market, we have brown rice variants for both regular white rice hybrids.
Jasponica is a hybrid of Thai fragrant rice and Japanese rice; it’s longer in grain than our regular rice and has that aroma we associate with Thai rice. Miponica, on the other hand, is Japanese rice and our own Milagrosa. More sticky in characteristic than regular varieties, it’s a perfect choice for risottos, paellas and sushi. I am partial to brown rice myself, and can happily report that the characteristics of the two variants make eating Doña Maria brown rice an experience that most traditional white rice consumers will find surprisingly palatable. Too often, I’ve heard those who prefer white rice complain about how grainy or tough to the core brown rice can be, and a lot of this has been eliminated via the hybrid process.
At the recent launch at the Blue Leaf, an array of specially invited guests gave testimony, through their presence, of just how supportive they were of Henry’s efforts. Washington Sycip, former first lady Imelda Marcos, Nelia Gonzales, Jimmy Tang and Dr. Charles Chante were seated at the first row and it was touching to see Henry’s children — Michelle, Cherie, Brian, Hazel and Pauline (who even appears in the print ads) — all proudly help make the event a resounding success. There’s also a CSR element to the venture as Henry has contract growers for the rice, providing financing and income opportunities for owners of agricultural land. Look for Doña Maria in your favorite quality supermarket!
Pleased to make your reacquaintance
Common to the three novelists today is that I recently reviewed their previous works and uniformly enjoyed them. Am glad to report that these new novels still find them in top form, and like meeting old, dear friends, these new works gave me a pleasant feeling of deja vu.
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson (Available at National Bookstore): By now, most everyone into Contemporary Fiction will know how Swedish journalist Larsson completed his first three novels, delivered the manuscripts, and soon after, died of a massive heart attack. Now garnering literary awards posthumously, this is the second novel and once again, brings us the fascinating protagonists from the first novel, publisher/journalist Mikael Blomkvist and private investigator/hacker Lisbeth Salander. This time out, it’s sex trafficking that provides the overview, with murder, revenge and a deeper understanding of why Lisbeth is how she is being provided. Revelation after revelation keeps this fast-paced novel going, and makes the more than 500 pages fly right by. There is familiarity but no contempt, and I can’t wait for the third — the characters are so well fleshed out, and yet the action never flags!
The Domino Men by Jonathan Barnes (Ordered on Amazon): Author of last year’s quirky, Victorian fantasy novel The Somnabulist, Barnes now takes on contemporary London, and it’s a London where the Windsor family is the enemy — for having entered into a pact with a dark figure known as Leviathan over 180 years ago. Henry Lamb (and his grandfather’s secret persona) are our guides to this alternate London. Intricately created and always suffused with humor, Barnes has come up trumps again with this highly imaginative tale of world domination, evil conspiracies, and cartoon-like characters (the Domino Men are two criminals dressed as schoolboys who would topple London if ever released). It’s in the grafting of fantasy elements onto the very real, urban landscape that Barnes excels; and gives his works such a unique vision. For those who like their Neil Gaiman, sci-fi and fantasy, and want laughs to boot!
The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl (Available at National Bookstore): After taking on Edgar Allan Poe and Aligheri Dante in his previous novels, Pearl now sets his sights on Charles Dickens. As always, there’s a murder mystery at the core of this novel, and Pearl mixes his painstaking research and attention to period detail with the whodunit elements. Along the way, we’re given an eyeful about the world of early publishing in the USA, copyright laws, graft and corruption, and opium trading. Dan Simmon’s Drood also tackled this period of Dickens’ life, and the two novels can be seen as companion pieces to the question marks and gaps that characterize this period. The premise of Pearl’s work takes us to Boston, the problems that arise for the publishers of Dickens in the United States upon the death of the writer, and how his unfinished Edwin Drood novel becomes a topic of major conjecture.
