Rumor has it that there is a severe global rice shortage. Well, it may be true now, after Cyclone Nargis hit the Irrawaddy Delta in Myanmar just this past week. But prior to that...there is actually a surplus of rice. But due to bad weather, higher food costs due to rising fuel prices, and human neurosis, rice hoarding has started to occur, as well as export limitations/bans. Costco and Sam's Club has started limiting the amount of rice each customer can purchase. One could blame corn ethanol and drilling limitations as causes, but I highly doubt it. Corn is grown in different types of soil, and yields hardly enough fuel to replace oil. And increasing the number of oil drilling locations would be a very short-term solution at best. Destroy the environment, deplete the resources. Not a smart move. Instead, we need to keep on plugging away at finding a fuel alternative that is environmentally friendly, is efficient, and can be manufactured on a very large scale. Oh, and yes, we need to stop being so wasteful! Why do we need Hummers and SUVs? Why do we only eat one bite out of our meals? We are all the cause, and only we can solve it.PS. So today I got charged an additional $1 for the rice that came with my dinner tonight. Some places charge you for second servings. Some charge you for rice that goes with your takeout. Some charge you regardless. A few still don't. But remember that rice is a major component in many other basic ingredients, such as flour. And no flour means no cakes or pasta! There's proof that a rice shortage is coming into reality.
