High Price of Rice Is Felt by New York Latinos - In Latino Enclaves, Less Arroz, More Beans

The food is so ubiquitous that the national lunchtime staple of rice, beans and meat is known as the Dominican flag. Some Dominican families hang decorated rice balls on their Christmas trees, and the grain shows up in appetizers, main dishes and desserts, among them the sweet, clove-scented rice pudding known as arroz con leche.

That may explain why Agripina Peralta, a manager at Jaya Restaurant on Audubon Avenue in Washington Heights, lowered her voice slightly when she admitted that the restaurant had begun thinning the beds of rice beneath its goat stews and roast chickens.

“We have diminished the portions a little,” Ms. Peralta said the other day, holding up a thumb and forefinger close together. “A little.””*

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