And...Something that WON'T Make you Jealous

Note to self...remember to always clean out the rice cooker of all the leftover rice after each meal.

So not everything is perfect in paradise, and here's one. In order to get all of those lovely palm trees and lush green mountains everywhere, there has to be a lot of rain here. And it rains quite often in Hawaii. And of course, lots of rain means lots of humidity. Lots of humidity means more moisture for fun little buddies like mold, mildew, etc, etc. (you may see where this is going).

So we forgot to empty out the rice cooker after one meal, and before dinner the other day, we decided to make some rice. Yoko put me in charge of making the rice, so like any other person would do, the first thing I did was open the rice cooker...

..big problem...

Instead of being greeted by a clean stainless steel surface, I was met with a monstrosity so horrible not even the contents of Pandora's Box (for those of you familiar with your Greek Mythology) could compete. As soon as I opened the lid, a poisonous fume exploded into the air like I was in the movie Backdraft. I quickly clammed the lid shut on the Mr. Hyde of leftover rice, a sight that looked like a concoction of broccoli, mashed potatoes, blue cheese, and Fido's fur- ingredients I don't recall being in our last pot of rice. The monster had nearly quadrupled it's original leftover rice size, and I swear if I had left the lid off long enough, the moldy corpse of our once scrumptious starch would've been alive enough to jump out of the pot and assimilate me into it's rotting mass. In short, it was disgusting.

So...not all is perfect in paradise. For those of you in much drier parts of the world, be thankful that your leftovers won't turn into monsters breathing poisonous gas. =P

(Note: I didn't take any pictures because the sight of the beast would've turned you into stone or cracked the lens of my camera. Believe me, it is for the better, and for your own safety)