People here in China are meticulous about washing their rice. 'Scrubbing' is probably a better description. They put the rice in the rice cooker bowl and fill it with water, then get their hands in there and rub every grain. Then pour off the water very carefully so as not to lose a single grain. Repeat up to five or six times.
Washing rice is important not only to clean it of dust and other pollutants, but to get rid of excess starch which will just give you cloggy rice.
For two years, I lived right next to a large rice paddy in Hunan. I watched the farmers planting and tending the plants. It is back-breaking hard work. That is why all kids are taught that to waste a single grain is a crime. Most kids in junior school are sent to spend at least a day planting rice to teach them of its importance and the sacrifice the farmers make to feed them.
