From: Harvey Newstrom (mail@HarveyNewstrom.com)
Date: Tue May 14 2002 - 14:32:21 MDT
On Tuesday, May 14, 2002, at 02:43 pm, Dossy wrote:
>> You don't eat it raw. Cooked rice has already expanded and will not
>> expand any more.
>
> Clearly, you don't eat much rice, do you?
I eat tons of rice. I also know a little about nutrition, biology,
physical science, and urban legends.
Rice only expands in volume equal to the amount of water it absorbs.
Unless it gets fluffed up with air, the solids and liquids are merely
combining, but there is no change in volume. Rice only appears to
expand if you don't count the water volume before absoption, but you do
afterwards. In a liquid-filled stomach, the total volume of rice plus
water remains constant. Only gas formation can cause bloating like you
describe. Liquids and solids do not expand volumes.
This is the basis of old urban legends about birds or people exploding
after eating raw rice. It has been debunked by skeptics many times.
-- Harvey Newstrom, CISSP <www.HarveyNewstrom.com> Principal Security Consultant <www.Newstaff.com>
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