Talk:Rice congee

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[edit] Why called "congee"

I would like to know why its called "congee"? My *guess* is that its from "congealed". If anyone knows or has time to find out, please update the article! cbm 05:05, July 13, 2005 (UTC)

I have an Indian friend and one time when our housemate was sick, he suggested boiling some rice in water and drinking the water, and of course, eating the rice. The concotion he described sounded very much like Congee and when I asked him what his culture called it, he said, Kunji.

Unfortunately, I neglected to ask him from what part of India he came from and what language they spoke.

Wolf ODonnell 12:04, 21 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Suspension variety

Isn't there a variety of congee where it's more about rice suspended in broth/water? It's a non-Cantonese variety. --Madchester 02:24, July 25, 2005 (UTC)

Are you meaning the Teochiu-style? :-) — Insta ntnood 08:13, August 31, 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Okayu

Should Okayu be merged into this article? Or should each of the variants of congee merits its own entry? (Please respond at talk:Okayu#Merge.) — Insta ntnood 09:18, August 31, 2005 (UTC)

I think the two should merge, okayu is just japanese for "white congee". As such, I threw on the merge-to in Okayu and merge-from here. --Sjschen 05:15, 11 December 2005 (UTC)

I think it's not necessarily appropriate to merge Okayu into this article. Congee is a very popular breakfast eaten with Youtiao, and Congee shops are found everywhere in China. However, it rarely happen in Japan. Because it is widely believed that Okayu is a meal for toddlers (baby food), patients or for elderly persons, so Okayu shop cannot be hardly ever found in Japanese city area. But, in zen temple, Okayu is a very popular breakfast in Zen temple in Japan. It is believed that Okayu is poor meal, and also believed Buddhist should be content with plain living. Thus, I think there are differences in culture between China (or Korea) and Japan. I hesitate to merge Okayu into this article.
- Opponent 14:40, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

What I think we need to do is distinguish between the cultural vs. "what it is". For example, "pinto beans and rice" (aka Gallo Pinto) was a common staple for people growing up poor in the Southern United States and, for this man at least, it is a satisfying dinner. Folks in other areas of the United States see that as "missing a main course". Nothing is different about the beans and rice, however how they are viewed ends up being more of a cultural footnote. In this light, I believe that Rice Congee and Okayu should be merged with appropriate cultural context.
- FeloneousCat 02:25, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

I support a merge.

In China, congee is also seen as a food for patients, or for those who need to eat something which is easy to digest, as well as being a normal food.

Having a separate Japanese congee article, or a congee article in which Japanese congee is the only type of congee with its own separate section seems to me to be just part of the wider phenomenon of identifying Japanese culture as somehow unique, different from, and unconnected to similar surrounding cultures. Using the word “okayu” is also part of this.

I think we should have either one congee article with a general description and then each type in its own section under its own name, or separate articles for all the different types. LDHan 16:15, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Should it be Okayu or Kayu?

In a Japanese dictionary or encyclopedia, it would be listed under kayu, not okayu. Okayu is the conversational form. This is perhaps a common way to refer to the Japanese dish in English, but is it correct style for Wikipedia? 58.94.188.176 15:25, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Suggestion

User:Alanmak's comment in an edit to the article (23:24, December 5, 2005): "I suggest making a template to show all the ways used to refer to rice congee in different countries." — Insta ntnood 08:42, 10 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Okayu for the sick -- not only Japanese

The association of eating congee when you're sick is not only a Japanese association. It also exists in Chinese culture, and strongly so. Thus, I'm curious as to why in this article, Okayu is given the distinction that associates Okayu with the sick as if it only existed in Japan.

A similar, although less extreme, situation exists in Bengali culture. Jau is very often fed to expectant mothers, young children, and sick people, even if it can also be had as a breakfast food. In this way, it is similar to chicken soup in the US, which can of course be a normal meal but is often associated with sick people. I agree that the Japanese version need not get special attention with respect to this fact, if it is true that many congee-eating cultures view the food the same way anyway. --SameerKhan 03:52, 26 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Different types of congee

I suggest we create a "congee" article, with different types of congee explained (e.g. rice, tapioca, bean, etc. /meal or dessert) Right now it seems like there is only "rice congee".

[edit] ZHOU rather than OKAYU

In South China, particularly in Guangdong and Hong Kong, rice congee(zhou)is consistently served as staple food, primarily for breakfast but also for lunch or dinner. Beef, pork, fish, peanuts, cuttlefish, etc. are regularly added for different cuisine of zhou. Most local restaurants serve some kind of zhou as part of traditional chinese food.

Historically, zhou was also the preferred means of rice cooking during bad harvest since it takes less rice to cook.

Both in terms of breadth and depth, zhou is many time more important than okayu and should be given appropriately more space.

[edit] Isn't "rice congee" redundant?

Isn't "rice congee" redundant, since congee is by definition a rice porridge? (Does anyone know how to change the title of a Wikipedia article?) --71.244.110.187 02:09, 6 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Compare Congee with Xifan

I've always known "RP" as 稀饭 (pinyin: xifan,) yet the article makes no mention nor distinction. Room to elaborate? Thanks. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.5.44.172 (talk) 17:47, 1 February 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Three labels and links for Chinese are misleading

The second, third and fourth labels and/or links for 粥 in different varieties of Chinese in this article's box are misleading:

There is a piped link to Taishan dialect in the label "Sei Yap". According to Wikipedia, however, Sei Yap and Tóisàn are not the same thing; rather, the latter is only one of several Sei Yap dialects: The second paragraph in the Cantonese (linguistics) article says "the Taishan dialect [is] one of the sei yap or siyi (四邑) dialects", and further down, we find the phrase "Sìyì (四邑, sei yap), exemplified by Taishan dialect".

So, if [ʦuk³] is the pronunciation not only in Taishan but in all Sei Yap dialects, please change the piped link from [[Taishan dialect| to either [[Sze Yup| or [[Cantonese (linguistics)|. If there is a Sei Yap dialect which does not use the pronunciation [ʦuk³], please change the label from "Sei Yap" to "Tóisàn", "Hoisanese", "Taishan" or some such.

Since the above is part of Cantonese (粵語), it is misleading to use the label "Cantonese" for [ʧok5] in another entry, as this implies that the entries not labeled "Cantonese" are not Cantonese. How about changing it to [[Standard Cantonese|Standard<br />Cantonese]] or, if it is a general Yuehai (粵海) pronunciation, to [[Cantonese (linguistics)|Yuehai]]?

If there is a Wu dialect which does not use the pronunciation [ʦɔʔ5], please change the link from [[Wu (linguistics)|Shanghainese]] to [[Shanghainese]]. If all Wu dialects use [ʦɔʔ5], please change the label from [[Wu (linguistics)|Shanghainese]] to [[Wu (linguistics)|Wú]] or something similar. Thank you. Wikipeditor 20:14, 21 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Mandarin name

According to the article, the Mandarin name for congee is 粥. I'm only an intermediate Mandarin speaker, but I thought it's called 稀飯 in Mandarin? Hong Qi Gong (Talk - Contribs) 17:54, 25 February 2007 (UTC)

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