---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s like when you put instant rice…"
description: "\"“It’s like when you put instant rice pudding mix in a bowl in the microwave and push the button, and you take the cover off when it rings, and there yo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/haruki-murakami-21_quote_it-s-like-when-you-put-instant-rice-pudd_1280847.jpg"
---

#  It’s like when you put instant rice pudding mix in a bowl…

![“It’s like when you put instant rice pudding mix in a bowl in the microwave and push the button, and you take the cover off when it rings, and there you’ve got ricing pudding. I mean, what happens in between the time when you push the switch and when the microwave rings? You can’t tell what’s going…” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/haruki-murakami-21_quote_it-s-like-when-you-put-instant-rice-pudd_1280847.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/haruki-murakami-21_quote_it-s-like-when-you-put-instant-rice-pudd_1280847.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/haruki-murakami-21_quote_it-s-like-when-you-put-instant-rice-pudd_1280847.jpg)

> ““It’s like when you put instant rice pudding mix in a bowl in the microwave and push the button, and you take the cover off when it rings, and there you’ve got ricing pudding. I mean, what happens in between the time when you push the switch and when the microwave rings? You can’t tell what’s going on under the cover. Maybe the instant rice pudding first turns into macaroni gratin in the darkness when nobody’s looking and only then turns back into rice pudding. We think it’s only natural to get rice pudding after we put rice pudding mix in the microwave and the bell rings, but to me, that is just a presumption. I would be kind of relieved if, every once in a while, after you put rice pudding mix in the microwave and it rang and you opened the top, you got macaroni gratin. I suppose I’d be shocked, of course, but I don’t know, I think I’d be kind of relieved too. Or at least I think I wouldn’t be so upset, because that would feel, in some ways, a whole lot more real.””

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The unknown processes behind outcomes can be surprising; embracing uncertainty can lessen disappointment when expectations fail.

**In simple terms:** Accept uncertainty.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the unknown.

Themes

uncertainty expectation creativity

Mood

curious thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- cooking
- project management
- personal growth
- artistic practice

Key Concepts

probability mindfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- What hidden steps shape your results?
- How do you react to surprising outcomes?

A Different Perspective

Unexpected results can cause anxiety; not everyone tolerates ambiguity.

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[Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Pudding Mix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pudding-mix-1296837/) [Pudding Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pudding-rice-4138731/) [Pudding Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pudding-turns-4138733/) [Rice pudding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rice-pudding/) [Ricing Pudding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ricing-pudding-4138732/)

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