Costco, the bulk item store known for selling drums of mayonnaise, does not seem like a business whose name would be connected with the word “rationing.” But according to recent news reports, Costco has been forced to do just that with it’s 50-pound bags of rice due to a global shortage that's just begun to affect the Bay Area. You can’t get long grain rice at the Berkeley Bowl. Sam’s Club, that other store that sells drums of mayonnaise, will only sell you five enormous bags of rice. Local restaurants may stop giving out free refills and at least one proprietor has raised the price of a bowl of rice by 30 cents. Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Ed Shafer insists that there is no shortage of rice in the US. That doesn’t stop at least one writer from asking the question on the tip of everyone’s tongue: is it time for US families to stockpile food? (Answer: Yes, totally.) First the matzo,now the rice. What’s next, an It’s-It shortage? -Andy Wright
Picture Credit: eng.ritsumei.ac.jp
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