Notoriously affordable, wholesome and capable of sticking to your ribs in 20 seconds flat, the high protein and grain combination of rice and beans may be regarded by some as a meal that only paupers resort to, but truth be told, it’s the best kept secret among those in the know. While the rest of the world continues to eat bacon and beef to their heart’s content (while crossing their fingers and knocking back a twice-daily chaser of Lipitor), there are some people who -- whether due to budgetary constraints, vegetarianism, health concerns or just plain enjoyment – actually choose to heap slowly-stewed legumes on a billowy bed of rice…not once, not twice, but multiple times each month!
It’s the meal that keeps on giving, and I mean that in the best possible way. In addition to being entirely forgiving on your wallet, it tastes good (especially when enhanced with the right spice combo), it’s great for the waistline and it’s pretty hard to screw up, so Iron Chefs need not apply. Those who are iffy on how to prepare beans in the quickest manner possible would do well to follow this simple process: Pour 1 pound of beans in an oven-safe pot with a tight fitting lid along with a dash of salt and enough water to measure 1 ½ inches past the beans. Bring the mixture to a boil on your stovetop (with the pot lid removed) and then cover the pot and place the whole thing in a 250 degree oven for 75 minutes, checking after 45 minutes and adding water if they look a little too dry). That’s it. No fuss, no muss.
Okay, so we know that rice and beans are great to eat, but did you know that they also happen to be the perfect biodegradable artistic medium, too? Students from San Francisco’s School of the Arts (SOTA) put a vast assortment of colored and shaped legumes and rice grains to the test when they assembled four seriously impressive 5 x4 wood-backed mosaic portraits of “individuals who represent the cycle of food in the Lowcounty” – including Green Grocer farmer Celeste Albers, shrimper Wayne Magwood, Louie's Kid 60 pound weight loss success story Auja Ravenel, and FIG restaurant chef Mike Lata (who is also the founding member of Slow Food Charleston). Using nothing more than stenciled likenesses of their subjects and liberal amounts of acrylic glue, the budding artists created all of the gorgeous pieces illustrating this blog post, which are seriously impressive to say the least.
Launched in conjunction with the Charleston Wine + Food Festival, Louie’s Kids (which fights childhood obesity) and Slow Food Charleston (which attempts to reestablish a healthy relationship between Americans and the way that real food is made), the results of the artistic students’ diligent attention to beantastic detail are either still in the process of being auctioned off or have already been sold, with the $1000/per portrait proceeds benefitting the latter two organizations. The art works were created in an effort to “help the community reconnect with their food and heritage in a sustainable way” and serve as a visual reminder that genuinely authentic food doesn’t come shrouded in Mylar wrappers. Bravo, SOTA students -- bring on da beans!
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