Traditionally (in the old days), both in Japan and Iran, where rice is a staple of every meal, it was one of the qualifications for the new bride to know how to clean, wash and prepare this pricy ingredient so there would be no waste. In most homes, a meal is not a meal until there is rice served in the menu. As similar as these two cultures are in many ways, there is one difference when it comes to rice. In Japan, (again, in the old days) a Japanese wife’s marriage was at stake, God forbid, if she would over-cook the rice, and there would be a crust/burnt (o’ko’ge) at the bottom of the pot. Whereas in Iran, how beautifully the Persian wife brown the bottom of the rice (tah-dig) was highly praised. Not only does a Persian wife put every effort into making the perfect tah-dig, but also dishes out the tah-digright on top of the dished out rice, to brag about it.Tah-dig is the most popular item on every lunch/dinner table and fought over. In 1950s, several Iranian families moved to Japan for varieties of opportunities. Though my family left after 10 years, some have stayed and assimilated to the point that they have adopted Japanese citizenship. There were so few of us that we all knew each other and children grew up together. To this date, we are in touch and grown into our fourth generations. All our households had Japanese rice-cookers for when we made Japanese dishes. One of the Dads, an astute man, obviously a tah-dig lover, took his idea/invention to the largest home appliance maker in Japan. A brilliant idea of rice-cooker which can make tah-dig! Though a shocking concept to the Japanese at the beginning, very soon they saw the Yen signs!!! Since early 1960s, every Iranian household in the world has not one, but two, three or four tah-dig making rice-cookers, each housewife’s prized possessions!