Dreaming of Rice Pudding

Rice pudding is a divisive food. Like tapioca pudding, it has its diehard fans and determined detractors. I am firmly on team rice pudding. In fact I have been a devotee of rice pudding for most of my life. I find myself dreaming of its luxurious texture and mild, nutty flavour regularly, especially when I can’t sleep. But for my family, rice pudding has been a symbol of comfort, too—a beacon of warmth and kindness during dark and difficult times.

When I was nine years old, my grandpa died. His death wasn’t the only bout of bad news to hit our family in 1994, but that event has always felt like a monumental place marker. By the end of that year, the accumulated losses began to feel like an endless barrage of sadness—and no one was immune to its aftermath.

In the midst of all the darkness, there were glimpses of good—small but powerful lights flickering in the fog. Annie, my mom’s best friend, was a bastion of compassion. Annie would take my younger sister and me for the weekend, giving my impossibly hard- working, newly single mom some semblance of breathing room. The three of us would go to the movies or out for dinner or sometimes even both (an official, all capital letters BIG DEAL at the time).

This is where the rice pudding comes in. Annie would come over and make it for my mom when she needed to feel supported and comforted. And what better food for comforting? Rice pudding is, like many other forms of comfort food, uncomplicated and deeply satisfying. Even the cooking method is soothing; all it requires is patience and the occasional stir. Making rice pudding is therapeutic—an activity that encourages conscious breathing and mindfulness without you even being aware of their presence.

I now make rice pudding at least once a month, usually on a Sunday afternoon and always when I’m experiencing pre-Monday jitters. After all, measuring out rice and sugar, pouring the milk, and slowly stirring the ingredients until they’ve become the familiar, dreamy rice pudding I love is the most soothing activity I can think of.