忍耐は美徳である。Patience is a virtue.

You may have seen my not-so-successful radish cake the other day. I tried again, and this time it worked out pretty well.

● work out well うまくいく (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

Rather than cook the radish cake in a wok on the stove, I used the rice cooker. That was not only easier to use, but it also turned out better. Here's a slice of it, with a bit of soy sauce on top.

● wok 【名】《料理》中華鍋◆取っ手が片手持ち型は北京鍋、両手持ちは広東鍋。鉄、アルミ、チタン製がある。アルミ・チタンは軽くて熱廻りが均一だが、価格は鉄の10倍。北京鍋の取っ手に持つのに熱くない木製のもある（木取っ手の押えねじが緩みやすいのでしっかり増し締めすること）。プレスで型打ちするのと、手打ちのがある（手打ちは多数の円形模様がある、熱廻りが均一）。(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

Cooking is really satisfying. You can finish the whole activity within a couple of hours and enjoy the result right away. I guess it's not quite instant gratification, but it's much closer to it than long-term activities like learning a foreign language or computer programming.

● instant gratification すぐに得られる喜び (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

That's important for us students of language to remember; since the results from study don't always come immediately, we've got to be patient. However, when you look back one year or more, you should be able to see the difference.

● Be patient. 我慢してください。 (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

As for my radish cake, it tasted good, and I enjoyed it, but I'm not a dim sum chef yet. Maybe some day. I'll patiently work on it.

● dim sum 《中華料理》点心 (definition from Eijiro on the Web)