[decimon]

Side of rice ping.

[chemical_boy]

Mortar, not a “Mortar”. Strangely I’m disappointed.

[Krankor]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjNRXfRXnoc

[bgill]

And you don’t have to order out for lunch!

[Doogle]

"someone shudda slip a few rice balls in with Odumbo's tarballs, that wudda had him mmmmming and ahhhhing"

[Jemian]

This does not surprise me in the least. I bet grits would make a good glue, too.

[Colvin]

A lot of folks involved in the restoration of brick homes here in the USA mistakenly use cement rather then mortar or re-pointing brick homes.
The cement is harder then the brick. During temperature changes the brick with expand at different rates then the brick. Because it is stronger then the brick, it will actually break the bricks hard face off.
I can see how cooked Rice would have not break the material it was used to mortar together.

[Blackhawk]

Not news to any cook who forgot to rinse out the rice pot till the following morning.

[JoeProBono]

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Had a little place on Caobao Lu try to serve me that sticky rice mortar... Me and the waitress had a little talk and got it sorted out, though...

[WayneM]

I’m so old I thought that Calgon Water Softener was the ancient Chinese secret.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Several trivia bits.

First of all, in the US, we know sticky rice as “short grain rice”, which is uncommon, compared to the “long grain rice” we typically eat. Short grain rice is favored by the better Oriental restaurants because of its sticky texture and moistness compared to long grain.

Second, the purpose of mortar is primarily to provide as flat a surface as possible for the stone, block or brick. This distributes the weight, and any bulge or gap in the mortar that causes uneven distribution acts as a force multiplier to damage the stone, block or brick.

Third, mortar determines the strength of the wall or building. The better the mortar, the longer it will last, and the easier ti will be to be repaired.

[Tainan]

Uuuhhhh...note to "scientists"....its been well-known that people, myself included, have been putting rice powder into mortar and cement/concrete mix regularly for quite a long time.
It helps the bond and if done in the right amount makes for a 'cleaner or slicker' surface that is more water-repellent. Also makes the mortar/concrete look 'whiter.'

[Quix]

XIE XIE!

[null and void]

Soooooo, we're going to use our corn for fuel, and China's going to use its rice for mortar.

What will people eat in the future?