Moldy Rice In Just 90 Seconds

Generally speaking, I am not a fan of any food that is identified as “instant”.  Usually what makes instant food instant is some form of chemicals that I usually cannot pronounce.  These chemicals generally include some form of preservative like the ones that can enable food to survive a nuclear war.  Instant foods are the everyday person version of “prepper”, as you can load your pantry to the top with the air free sealed packages that are only an inch thick.  You just pop them in the wave and 90 to120 seconds later you have chow.

I decided to try one of the instant foods, a microwaveable rice product available from those corporate chefs who lie awake at night dreaming up new, poisonous garbage for customers to buy.  The rice in the package was presented as the Basmati variety of which I am a big fan.  This is surely one of the more simple, easier to perfect instant foods as there is no mixture of ingredients or nothing of a complex nature.  It is bland rice that just needs to be heated and served, nothing too complex, how could it possibly get screwed up?

After heating the package for the required 90 seconds, I carefully opened it and was promptly greeted by an aroma that reminded me of a mildewed basement.  The moldy smell was so overwhelming that I instantly lost my appetite and threw the package into the trash can.  Out of curiosity, I began to wonder if this package of rice had somehow found its way onto a recall list.  Doing my online diligence, I discovered that there had been many recalls of this type of packaged rice and other varieties as well.  My particular stock number was not listed in the mix but that same company has had many recalls over the last 5 years.  Many of the recalled products were suspected to have been contaminated with salmonella that had somehow found its way into the packaging facility.  I have written about the packaging process in the past.

I have an idea for the rice companies to be able to completely avoid the recall hassle.  They should start a cross-marketing campaign with a laxative company, not only can you solve your hunger needs but also cure constipation.  Or maybe the rice companies could partner with one of the fad diet corporations, they could truly make the claim of being able to lose weight when you eat our diet food selection.  Maybe the U.S. could sell this product to its many enemies, it would certainly be a kinder, gentler form of chemical warfare.

I was not able to confirm that the rice contained mold, I can only go by my experience having confronted mold in other situations.  I would have to send the package into an independent lab but that would cost a lot of money and would probably expose myself to lawsuits or other legal actions.  If the smell of that cooked rice package is normal, then the company that markets it has a truly bizarre strategy of appealing to customers.  I can’t imagine anyone who would have found that smell appetizing.  I did check the use-by date by the way and it was well within their prescribed safety zone.

I know that I should completely avoid this processed food bull-shite altogether but sometimes the convenience factor overrides all forms of common sense.  We live in an instant society that we have crafted for ourselves, everything has to be right now, no waiting. We share in the guilt of this societal ill as we no longer allow for time to cook real food.  However, this does not absolve our government or the corporate bastards who run it, from their responsibility to the people to provide safe food products for their hard-earned dollars.  We are constantly told that we must be more vigilant and watch out for ourselves.  Ok, I don’t disagree with that theory, but we still have to rely on regulatory agencies to do their jobs.  The solution would be for everyone in the country to have a “living wage” and be able to afford fresh-grown food or maybe we start growing our own.

But the fact remains that the quality of food that we are buying today in these corporate brokerage traps continues to decline.  Whether it is the manufacturer or possibly the distribution system that is the culprit remains to be seen.  The customer is going to continue to be the victim, spending our hard-earned money on shite instead of quality.  One thing is for sure, as long as this trend continues, sewer workers will have job security.

Talk to Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved