That's right, it is possible.
And in the old days, people often died of ruptured stomachs if they ate uncooked grains. CHildren might be very hungry and grains had to be stored so kids couldn't get at them.
Remember in the movie, 'Tree of the Wooden Clogs'? The little girl ruptured her stomach and died from eating uncooked wheat grains. And in fact I've heard of other homeless people doing similar things - eating uncooked food because they don't have anywhere to cook and uncooked grain in bags is cheap.
With very small birds, uncooked rice can get caught in their throat and crop, and even rupture their crop - their throat isn't like a duck's or chicken's. This is why we were told to throw bird seed and not rice.
From what I understand little birds love rice and will gorge on it.
As far as the man saying that birds don't come on his porch because he sprinkles rice and rice makes them explode, that sounds like more Impossible Logic.
Birds don't watch other birds die and think, 'DAY-UM, I better stop going to that guy's porch. Charlie did and look what happened to Charlie'. Birds don't think that way.
Further, there is an endless supply of birds (as far as the guy and his porch are concerned) to replace any birds that explode.
Except they don't explode. THey can get sick or starve to death with a blocked throat or rupture their crops, though.
But again, birds don't have a lot of Cultural Wisdom they go to bird school to learn.
And yes, many people from very warm areas of the world think it's just terrible to sleep in front of a fan - to eat ice cream, cold tea, etc. Many will not drink water with ice in it - 'Are you KIDDING? IT'S COLD ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!' When I traveled in those areas someone was always running around shutting all the windows of the house if it dropped below 80. I finally would go sleep on the open porch, much to their horror.
When I had some friends here, they put on their winter coats when the temperature in the house went below 80. I'd come home and they'd have the heat cranked up to about 85 and barely be ready to take off their coats.
