How to Read “Even rice three times a day can be hard or soft”
Sando no meshi mo tsuyoshi yawarakashi
Meaning of “Even rice three times a day can be hard or soft”
This proverb means that even the most routine and ordinary things don’t always turn out as expected.
It depends on circumstances and luck. Just as rice eaten three times daily can turn out hard or soft depending on how it’s cooked, even the most certain things in life can change unexpectedly.
People use this proverb when things don’t go according to plan. They also use it when doing something the same way produces different results.
The proverb doesn’t deny the value of effort or preparation. Instead, it teaches the importance of flexibility.
It reminds us not to seek perfection and to accept change. Even today, everyone experiences this in work and relationships.
Sometimes the same approach gets different reactions from people. Sometimes your usual method doesn’t work. When this happens, this proverb reminds us that “this is natural.”
Origin and Etymology
No clear written records explain the origin of this proverb. However, we can make interesting observations from how the phrase is constructed.
“Three times a day rice” refers to eating meals three times daily – morning, noon, and night. This eating pattern became common among ordinary people after the Edo period.
It symbolizes the most basic human activity we do every single day without fail. The expression “hard or soft” likely refers to how well the rice is cooked.
Even when you cook the same rice with the same amount of water the same way, it can turn out different. Temperature, humidity, and slight differences in heat control affect the result.
It becomes hard or soft. People in the past experienced this daily when they cooked rice in traditional stoves. Even this everyday task didn’t always go as planned.
This real-life experience crystallized into a proverb.
What’s especially noteworthy is this point: even “eating,” which seems most familiar and certain, cannot be completely controlled. Elements beyond human control lurk even in trivial daily matters.
Our ancestors discovered life’s uncertainty from the most familiar place – the kitchen. Their power of observation shows deep insight.
Usage Examples
- I leave home at the same time every morning, but “even rice three times a day can be hard or soft” – the train crowding is completely different each day
- I made it with the same recipe as always, but the taste isn’t right today – truly “even rice three times a day can be hard or soft”
Universal Wisdom
The proverb “Even rice three times a day can be hard or soft” speaks to an eternal theme. It addresses “our longing for certainty” versus “reality’s uncertainty.”
We instinctively want to make the world predictable. We want to believe that doing the same thing the same way should produce the same result.
But reality is different. Countless factors interact in complex ways to produce results. Temperature, humidity, heat control, rice condition, water quality.
Even cooking rice involves this many variables. Life involves even more. Not just your own effort, but other people’s moods, social situations, chance timing – countless elements affect outcomes.
This proverb has been passed down for so long because humans have always faced this uncertainty. In agricultural societies, they faced uncertainty in weather.
In commercial societies, they faced uncertainty in markets. In modern society, we face uncertainty in information and relationships.
Times change, but life’s essential nature of “not going as planned” remains constant.
Our ancestors didn’t lament this uncertainty. Instead, they left us wisdom about accepting it. Don’t seek perfection.
Don’t fear change. Respond flexibly. This proverb quietly teaches us that this is the true strength for surviving an unpredictable world.
When AI Hears This
Rice becomes hard when it cools and soft when heated. Behind this simple phenomenon lies a physical change called starch molecule phase transition.
Starch is a substance whose molecular arrangement changes with temperature. Above 60 degrees Celsius, molecules unravel and absorb water, becoming a soft gel state.
Conversely, when cooled, molecules recrystallize and harden. In other words, the same rice dramatically changes its physical properties depending on external conditions like temperature.
Even more interesting is the non-Newtonian fluid behavior shown by foods like mochi and udon. Mochi stretches when you apply force slowly, but breaks when pulled suddenly.
This property is called thixotropy – viscosity changes depending on the speed of applied force. Cornstarch dissolved in water acts like liquid when touched slowly, but becomes hard like a solid when struck.
This is the opposite property called dilatancy.
Ancient people understood through daily experience with “three times a day rice” what modern physics calls “shear rate dependency.” Freshly cooked soft rice, hardened cold rice, rice porridge recooked with added water.
The same rice material shows completely different textures depending on temperature, moisture content, and applied force. This proverb captures the essence of rheology – that material states aren’t singular but determined by interaction with environment.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people “liberation from perfectionism.” We live in a society where efficiency and standardization have advanced.
We somehow believe that following the same steps should produce the same results. That’s why when things don’t go as planned, we blame ourselves too much or get frustrated.
But think about it. Even daily rice cannot be perfectly controlled. If that’s true, isn’t it natural that more complex work and relationships don’t go as planned?
What matters is accepting this uncertainty not as “failure” but as “normal reality.” When things don’t go according to plan, understand it’s not your lack of ability.
It’s a manifestation of the world’s complexity. Thinking this way creates mental space.
And because you have that space, you can respond flexibly to situations. If rice is hard, add water. If it’s soft, adjust next time.
Similarly, accept unexpected changes and think about the best response each time. This flexibility becomes the power to survive in our uncertain modern society.
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