Okay, so The Minimalist admits that there’s not much to congee — a bit of rice, a lot of water, whatever kitchen scraps are around, and a few hours to turn it into a glutinous mass. (But what? No mention of scallion pancakes or fried dough sticks?) Still, it’s strange to see this in the same section as William Grimes’ farewell paean to the spiraling prices of hamburgers on Manhattan Island ($50 at DB Bistro — and still climbing, apparently).