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Considers the delights of cold pasta salad for the summer table. Efforts of the authors to match exciting flavors and textural contrasts to pasta's natural assets; Principles to keep in mind, including using restraint with the pasta; Advantages of using a high proportion of a crisp, crunchy vegetable as a counterpoint to the softness of the past; How to create a salad with energy; Recipes for ideal make-ahead salads, such as Rice Noodle Salad with Tuna and Snow Peas, Orecchiette Salad and Orzo Salad.

Using chopsticks to eat sushi? Wrong, wrong, wrong, says Trevor Corson, the author of ''The Story of Sushi'' (originally published as ''The Zen of Fish,'' Harper Perennial, 2008). Mr. Corson, standing above, who calls himself a sushi concierge, is holding classes at Jewel Bako in the East Village to show Americans how to navigate the sushi bar as Japanese connoisseurs do. He recommends finding a sushi bar you like, never sitting at a table and getting to know the chef, from whom you should request omakase, or chef's choice. Eat the sushi with your fingers, and if you want a little sauce, be sure to dip the fish, not the rice, and do not muddy it with wasabi (there may already be some under the fish). The class includes a sushi meal, prepared by the restaurant's staff. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

AN orzotto is like a risotto except that orzo, the rice-shaped pasta, is used instead of rice. And why might you want to do that? ''Orzo is easier to work with than rice, because the rice is much more delicate and easy to overcook,'' said Cesare Casella, the executive chef and a partner at Salumeria Rosi on the Upper West Side. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

So-called deepwater rice varieties have a special ability: when the going gets tough, the rice gets growing. The stems elongate rapidly as the paddy floods, keeping the top of the plant above the water, even to depths of 10 feet or more. The elongated, hollow stems act as a snorkel of sorts, allowing gas exchange between the plant tissues and the atmosphere. This kind of rice is useful in areas where the flooding of paddies is difficult to control. But deepwater varieties do not yield as much rice as some other varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

DELICATELY scented basmati rice spiced with cardamom, fluffy naan, rich curry sauces served with pungent pickles, and flavorful chutneys -- these delicious foods are known to just about anyone who has eaten at an Indian restaurant. But the ingredients used to achieve those exquisite blends of taste and texture may not be quite as familiar. Discovering them at a local Indian grocer can not only spice up the dinner plate at home but also provide some bargains. Many customers of the tiny Bengal Grocery in downtown White Plains had experienced the flavors of India at the Bengal Tiger Restaurant next door; both establishments are owned by members of the Kalathara family. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

IT is a long way, Kwan Bellhouse said last week, from planting rice in her parents' paddies in northeastern Thailand to roasting it in Kwan Thai, her small restaurant here in Rockland County. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

THE bright lights of the dining room at Saigon Restaurant are an antidote to a gray day, of which New Jersey has had more than its share this spring. The hot and juicy grilled meats, soft rice vermicelli and fresh produce at bargain prices are likely to warm you, but if not, the story behind the restaurant will. Christine Nguyen, 37, who works as a server in the restaurant owned by her brother, Jim, 35, tells how they escaped from Vietnam by boat in 1987, along with another brother, Victor, 32. They made their way to America a year later by way of Malaysia; their parents arrived in 1992, after their mother, Nghiem Le, closed her restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City. The family moved to South Plainfield when Jim landed a job there in finance in 2000. Eight years later, he opened the restaurant under their mother's direction. Mrs. Le, 62, sometimes helps in the restaurant, but her main contribution is her recipes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article reports on the announcement by a Thai official that the world's top rice exporters, Thailand and Vietnam, have agreed to cooperate to stabilize prices. According to Thai Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Pollabutr, a memorandum of understanding was signed by the nations in Hanoi, Vietnam, when a Thai delegation including government officials, exporters and farmers visited.

IN addition to such usual talents as nimble wine pouring and patient order coaching, the servers at Socarrat Paella Bar have to possess a gift for shoveling. Much of their evening is devoted to that task. Here's one of them now, hovering over my shoulder and my paella, telling me that I'm missing the best rice, the ever-so-slightly burned rice, those crunchy, sticky grains at the bottom of the pan that won't be pried loose with any lazy little flick of the wrist. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]