The term Asia is a problematic and highly artificial construct, because hardly anything - not language, religion, politics, or even geography - unites this huge area. Within the context of this study, however - which focuses on parts of South, Southeast, and East Asia (home to the vast majority of the population) - there exists a unifying factor of paramount significance: rice. Not only is rice the staple food in these regions, it is the focal point of a pervasive set of interrelated beliefs and practices. For those who consume it, this foodstuff is considered divinely given and is felt to sustain them in a special way, one that may be understood as constitutional and even spiritual.This volume explores beliefs and practices relating to rice as they are made manifest in the unique arts and material cultures of the various peoples considered. Incorporating essays by twenty-seven authorities representing a wide variety of cultures and writing from diverse perspectives, the book is astounding in its polyphony.The thirty-five lavishly illustrated essays describe rice-related rituals and beliefs in parts of Thailand, Nepal, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, China, and Korea. Throughout, the juxtaposition of magnificent photographs of works of art - paintings, prints, ceramics, textiles, lacquerware, and sculpture - with objects of a more humble nature - agricultural implements, rice-straw ornaments, cooking utensils, baskets, puppets, votive plaques, and more - serves to indicate the striking pervasiveness of rice in all aspects and all walks of life. Wedding ceremonies, parades, festivals, celebrations of birth, rites held to honour the rice goddess, and those performed to ensure success at every step in the rice-growing cycle are vividly described and illustrated with striking field photographs. The whole gives the reader the rare opportunity to compare similarities and differences in how a rich array of Asian cultures views the food that nourishes them.
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About the Author
Roy W. Hamilton is curator of Asian and Pacific collections at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History. His previous publications include From the Rainbow’s Varied Hue: Textiles of the Southern Philippines and Gift of the Cotton Maiden: Textiles of Flores and the Solor Islands.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
OPEN THIS RARE TREASURY & ABSORB ITS RICHES,
By
This review is from: The Art of Rice: Spirit and Sustenance in Asia (Paperback)
This is one of four books (& at 5.6 pounds, the heftiest!) that I highly recommend for those wishing to absorb some of the culture and art of south-east Asia. And of course, ART includes cooking! The area is loosely bound by RICE -- food of sustenance, and by beliefs & rituals that nourish the people's spirits.
1. It Rains Fishes (Thai cookery) # 0876543565 (1995) 2. Hot Sour Salty Sweet (Mekong River cuisine) # 1579651143 (2000) 3. Seductions of Rice (luxurious, delicious book!) # 1579652344 (2003) I have been pursuing the weath of information, rituals & folk tales from these volumes, but oh, so slowly. (Taking a break & watching the movie "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman" [# B00005JKG1] is a good prescription to follow.) Each book lifts up the Rice Goddess and the value of following an Asian diet with rice at its heart. Some of the recipes are as fascinating as the traditions & folk stories. "It Rains Fishes" has colorful BOLD watercolor paintings by T. Goodenough, & delicate companion drawings by M. DeSong which are delightful. The author is Kasma Loha-Unchit who teaches in the Bay Area & also leads discovery tours to Thailand each year. The two books by Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Duguid have handsome photographs and it is difficult to be content staying at home after browsing through these books. Aurora Ammayao is the author, and Roy Hamilton (UCLA museum curator) editor of "The Art of Rice." Ancient antiquities connected with rice are shown with contemporary crafts, all conveying the sense of cultures centuries old, and rich beyond description. Questions come to mind about what will be there after "civilization" has sucked all the art & rituals from these people, leaving only commerce with its greed, and greater poverty. Many writers have contributed to the scholarship of "THE ART OF RICE" - - You will follow your individual leadings but these are the chapters that piqued my greatest concentration: c.30, The Future of Rice: there is a photo of a freezer vault at the International Rice Genebank in the Philippines; also, a collage-like painting of "Golf" with a commentary on the loss of rice fields to those building new golf courses, mostly adjacent to the burgeoning cities of SE Asia. Someone should sell this as a poster to finance a campaign against the descecration of sacred lands. American-multinational food conglomerates continue to kill the future livelihood of native farmers. c.28, Wrapping the Body with Images of Rice (Kimono patterns from the Edo period; many show sheaves of rice & wooden noisemakers "naruko" to shoo ravenous sparrows away.) c.25, Straw Matters (beautiful, intricate craftsmanship) c.26, Rice, Self and State c. 8, The Granary: A Home for Rice Spirits c.31, Let's Hope the Bile is Good c.18, The Goddess of Rice c.12, The Gods Walk on Rice (Bali) c.14, The Ghost Fest of Dan Sai (Thailand) c.17, Of Mites and Men (Japan) This book is tremendously important. All the museums I can never visit, and the glorious countryside & markets and waterfronts! REVIEWER mcHAIKU says perhaps some of these people are benefiting from our "Tsunami Gifts" - - a thought that makes being a homebound traveler much 'easier to take' !
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible,
By Mateo (Mexico City) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Art of Rice: Spirit and Sustenance in Asia (Paperback)
The lame photo and the other review don't convey an accurate sense of just how amazing this book is. It's weighty. It's downright heavy. And every glossy page contains crucial art and information. The best analogy I can think of is that it's like going to the Met. I had low expectations for this book, given its relative obscurity; the book deserves better. 6 Stars from a critic who rarely gives 3 or 4.
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