Introduction:

The book Like Chuleta to a Pig is written in a third person point of view and it retells the story of a young boy called Samuel, who is being bullied because of his facial feature of having a nose shaped like a pig. He is tired of being bullied and asks his friend the butcher Manuel for some advice. The butcher has an old book with recipes which he uses to make recipes of different foods that when Samuel eats them he gains a different power. Each installments narrates Samuel’s attempts to destroy his bullies. Every time he fails, he runs to the butcher for help. The butcher helps him by preparing him a different recipe which will allow Samuel to gain a different power. At the end, Samuel has the powers of strength, confidence, and speed, but something unexpected happens.  

Chapter One

Monday

Chuleta

Ingredients:

• 4 Thin bone pork chops
• 2 Limes
• ¼ tablespoon Garlic
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 3 Peppers
• ½ teaspoon Vinegar
• 1 packet seasoning
• 2 cups water
• ¼ tablespoon of oil

Preparation: Get a big container, add the pork chops, vinegar, and water. Also incorporate some seasoning, lime, garlic, salt, pepper and mix together until each pork chop gets enough of everything. Leave in refrigerator for it to soak up all the ingredients properly.

My grandfather, Samuel,  was able to smell a fried pork chop from a mile away. Before he was born, his mother would always crave fried pork chops, but since they were poor, she was never able to satisfy this desire. Since the day Samuel was born, all he could think about was fried pork chops. Growing up, Samuel went through many struggles both at school and at home. His nose was in the form of a pig and that’s why he was so sensitive to the smell of pork chops. This was also the reason why he was bullied at school and rejected at home.

Day in and day out, he felt miserable, lonely, and with no one to talk to except his best friend, the butcher. While he was in school, he would walk through the hallways and his classmates would throw any kind of food they had and would scream at him, “Pig, Pig, Pig.” All he wanted to do was have many friends to eat pork with. Even teachers would pick on him and would treat him like everyone else does. Everytime he would talk to someone, he would say “oink” at the end of his sentence. He felt like the most miserable kid in the world.

After having a horrible day in school, he went to see his friend, the butcher, the only one who understood him. He explained to him what happened at school.

“ Manuel, they threw food at me today, oink. They called me names, oink oink. They said that instead of going to school, I should live in a farm, oink.”

“Do you believe all that ?,” Manuel asked.

“Well yeah, they say it to me everyday.” Samuel replied.

“You will be only what you think you are.”

“What does that mean?”

“Well it means that if you think you are something, that’s who you’ll be. You have to learn to be positive. Life will knock you down and you have to learn how to get back up, nothing will be simple. But it’s ok,  I know something that will make you feel better,” he said while he handed Manuel some Chuleta.

“Thanks Butch, you know me so well.”

After Manuel gave Samuel a pork chop, they talked for a while and then Samuel went home. He was so tired that when he got home, he put his book bag down, took off his shoes and just fell down on his bed. Next morning, the alarm clock went off , as Samuel went to turn it off; he was so strong that he squished the clock. When he realized what just happened he quickly took a shower, brushed his teeth, put on clothes, and went to the Butcher instead of school.

“Butcher I broke the alarm, look! Oink” Samuel shows Butcher the alarm clock.

“Hold still, I’ll be right back.” Manuel goes running inside the house and comes back with an ancient book, still covered in dust. He blows and the little particles within the old book all go into his mouth.

“This book has been own by my family for about 100 years. It has been passed on from butcher to butcher to keep our family tradition alive.”

As Manuel looked through the book he found a recipe that made sense as to what Samuel is going through. Stress, anger, and a fried pork chop gives one strength.

Chapter Two

Tuesday

Sancocho

Ingredients: 1 pound chicken wings, breast, thighs or legs (if using breasts or thighs, chop into chunks)

• ½ teaspoon Adobo seasoning
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sofrito
• 1 packet Sazon seasoning with annatto
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon powdered chicken bouillon
• ¼ cup tomato sauce
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup potatoes, chopped
• ½ cup carrots, sliced
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Preparation:  Heat a Dutch oven on medium heat. Season the chicken with the Adobo seasoning, then add the olive oil and chicken to the pot. Let the pieces brown for 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside. Add the Sofrito, Sazon, tomato sauce, chicken bouillon, water potatoes, carrots, and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to the oil and then add the chicken back into the pot. Cook stew for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle the stew with the chopped cilantro and stir.

Now that Samuel feelt stronger, he was so excited to go to school . With his new power, he has become the strongest person in his village. Within class he will ask every student to arm wrestle him to see who is stronger. With not much effort, he beat everybody. The girls were impressed.

“You’re so strong,” the girls would tell him.

“I know. Would you like to feel my muscles?”

As the girls went to touch his muscles, he felt so embarrassed an OINK came out.

“Eww that was so disgusting. He just made some pig noise, that's is so weird.”

Samuel felt so ashamed that he ran out of school and went to look for the butcher. When he got to the store where Manuel works at, he found him making some Sancocho.

“Manuel, I feel so ashamed,” he cried to the butcher.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. Some girls laughed at me because I shouted oink when they touched my muscles.”

“Don’t worry. I think I know what you need,” Manuel said while looking through the ancient book.  

“All you need is a little confidence. It says here that the formula for confidence is embarrassment and Sancocho. You’re in luck. I have all the ingredients to make the perfect stew.”

“Thanks, butcher,  Oink” said Samuel excitedly.

When the butcher was done with the recipe. He poured some of the Sancocho in a container and gave it to Samuel.

“Before you go to sleep today, eat some of this.”

“Thanks, I knew I could count on you, Oink.”