Search

In this article I will read Jordanian American author, Jasmine Warga's middle-grade verse-narrative Other Words for Home (2019) to examine how the young, twelve-year old protagonist, Jude, combats her loss and pain and how she retrieves her self-esteem in an emblematic manner as she migrates as a Syrian refugee to the United States. Drawing from my theoretical discussion on melancholia I will argue that introjecting any loss does not impoverish the ego, but can also invoke alternative ways toward emancipation and self-worth. Consequently, my discussion will highlight how children's voices are required to be heard to reimagine the complexities of migration and melancholia in promising ways. It will also emphasize the need for re-considering the unfortunate predicaments of forced migrations as it contains opportune ways of generating a sense of conviviality in the midst of similarities and differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide rice production totaled 481 million metric tons in 2011, including 7.1% in trade. Fragrant rice is estimated to account for 15-18% of the rice trade procuring the highest prices on the world market. Some new players are interested in entering this premium segment, including the US, Vietnam, and other rice growers and traders. The fragrant rice commodity chain is deciphered through a meta-analysis of data on rice cropping and trading. We conclude on a possible split between fragrant and coarse rice markets. The upcoming challenges for fragrant rice industry are discussed with the next release of genetically modified varieties; water scarcity in rice cropping; and land use trade-offs between fragrant and coarse rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines a representative sampling of canonical South Asian American texts - Bharati Mukherjee's Jasmine (1989), selections from Chitra Divakaruni's short story collection Arranged Marriage (1986), and two short stories - "When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine" and "Mrs. Sen's" - from Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies (2000). Although all three authors are increasingly taught within American classrooms, the pedagogical approach to their texts is often framed by binary oppositions that privilege a modern America over a traditional India. By viewing these localised US texts from a transnational perspective, my article disrupts their pre-occupation with an idealised American national identity. As my reading illustrates, it is imperative to foreground the transnational elements in these writers in order to show how each of their narratives can be read as counter to the hegemony of the overtly national paradigm it appears to uphold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BSTRACT: Physicochemical properties and acceptance by Asian consumers in the United States of 3 commercially U. S.-grown and 12 imported jasmine rice samples were evaluated. Rice kernels, flour, and starch were characterized for physical, chemical, pasting, and thermal properties. Amylose content, gel type, hardness-to-stickiness ratio, surface fat, protein, and pasting properties significantly affected the eating and cooking qualities and physical appearances of the rice samples; these variables were key to distinguishing the major quality differences and to differentiating U. S.-grown from imported jasmine rice. Data collected from this study could be useful to rice producers, importers, or rice breeders for understanding the physicochemical characteristics of aromatic jasmine rice and its acceptance by Asian consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three domestic and 12 imported commercial Jasmine rice varieties were evaluated by a trained sensory panel and by 105 Asian families who live in the State of Arkansas. Results showed that consumers preferred imported over domestic products. According to consumers, the sensory characteristics most important to the acceptance of cooked Jasmine rice were, in order of decreasing importance, color, favor, aroma, stickiness, and hardness. Using descriptive data, we evaluated predictive models of Jasmine rice's overall acceptance. These models allowed us to identify important sensory characteristics that encouraged Asian consumers to accept Jasmine rice. Such characteristics included flavor (that is, aroma, aromatics, feeling factors, and aftertaste), texture, and visual attributes. Data collected here could be useful to the U.S. rice industry in developing an understanding of the drivers of Jasmine rice acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]