The day was April 27th, 1521, and Chef Cat was on Ponce de León’s boat headed for the New World! His owner, Jose, was going to be one of the first Spanish colonists to settle in the New World. He was sad to have to leave his old life behind, but as Jose’s best friend, it was his duty to remain by his side.

The boat docked in an unfamiliar port in modern day Florida, and all of the passengers got off and stretched their legs after two long months spent cramped on the wooden ship. Chef Cat followed Jose towards the settlement where he would be swept away in all of the commotion.

El Gato Cocinero y Jose vinieron a América en bote.

Chef Cat and Jose came to America by boat.

El Gato Cocinero no conocía a nadie en el extranjero.

Chef Cat did not know anyone abroad.

"I’m starving! I can’t wait to cook a meal for myself,” Chef Cat thought to himself. The excited cat whipped out his precious flour and made a tasty loaf of bread. When he sat down to chow, he realized that with the aroma of his fresh bread, he had attracted a small audience of animals. Among them was an angry squirrel.

“Who do you think you are? Cooking with such strange technique on our land! You must know nothing about being a cook!” the squirrel shrieked.

“Well actually, this was just the last of my wheat flour I had from the voyage to your land. Also, I am a very accomplished chef from Spain,” Chef Cat retorted. “Who are you?” he inquired.

“I am Chef Squirrel! I am the best chef of this land! Before you call yourself a chef again, prove it! Let’s have a cook off! I will show you that you know nothing about the art of cooking.”

“Okay, I accept your challenge. There’s nothing wrong with a little friendly competition,” Chef Cat replied. After Chef Squirrel and the other animals left his camp, Chef Cat began to worry. He realized that he was out of his element in the New World. He saw the way his owners treated the people that were there before them, and knew he didn’t belong there. Right after they set up their camp, Chef Cat watched, frozen in shock, a Spaniard kicking a small native boy out of his way. Chef Cat had never seen someone treat a child that way. The little boy broke out in tears and ran away from the Spaniard and straight to his mother.

Chef Cat was so preoccupied with the poor treatment of the natives that he didn’t realize he had finished the last of his wheat flour supply, and the other foods did not last for the voyage. He would have to learn a new recipe and fast!  

The next day, Chef Cat wandered away from the settlement into nature. He felt quite nervous about the cook off that he had agreed to. Along his stroll, Chef Cat found some strange plants. He picked them up and placed them into his bag. While relaxing in a clearing in the forest, a loud crunching sound of twigs startled Chef Cat.

"Is somebody there?" Chef Cat turned around.

"Hello there little fellow, I mean no harm," boomed a deep voice from inside the trees. Out of the shadows, a large woolly bison appeared. "What are you doing out here? I haven't seen others in this part of the land in quite a while..."

"Well, I am out here looking for some ingredients. I am a colonist here from Spain and I was looking for some ingredients to use in my upcoming cook off!" Chef Cat explained.

"That sounds quite nice. I have been cooking since I was a young bison myself. Luckily our land has many wonderful things to offer. Are you familiar with any of them?" said the bison.

"Not at all. Would you teach me about them? I would love to fuse both cultures together. I think that could be how I win the competition," Chef Cat replied.

 "Why of course! I would love to pass on my passion for cooking to another. But I see the new settlers in our land. If you wish to integrate yourself into our world, you cannot be a part of the things they do. They steal from and hurt the other humans here, and all of us animals have moved further into the wilderness to avoid them." Chef Cat gulped and nodded his head, giving him a remorseful look. He knew exactly what the bison was talking about and it made him uneasy.

The Wise Bison nudged a green ball towards Chef Cat. "This is an avocado! It is a healthy vegetable with a rich texture," he informed.

Chef Cat thought he had heard of this vegetable before. He pondered, "¿Qué ingredientes son esos? (What ingredients are those?)"

"Oh!" Chef Cat exclaimed. "I've heard of this new vegetable. At the Spanish colony, we call them aguacates.

Why are they such similar names?" Chef Cat asked. The wise bison seemed to know everything.

"Well, in different languages there are words that sound very similar and share the same meaning. Those words are called cognates." The wise bison sat down. "You probably know more cognates and use them without knowing."

“I think I know exactly what you are talking about. In Spanish, the word we use for a tomato is tomate. Chili is chile and vegetables are vegetales!”

“Yes Chef Cat! That’s great! Cognates make learning other languages much easier, but don’t be fooled! There is a such thing as false cognates,” warned the wise bison.

“Wow, I’ve never heard of these words. Are they like opposites?” Chef Cat scratched his head; all his life he thought that similar words would have similar meanings.

“Ah, Chef Cat, you have much to learn,” the wise bison sighed. He then explained how the Spanish word ropa does not actually mean rope, but instead means clothing.

Spanish and English Cognates!

False Cognates!

Match the Spanish word to the image!

geografía

ropa

artista

Definite Spanish Articles

Chef Cat is really curious about English vs. Spanish! In Spanish, the definite article has four different forms that describe quantity or gender. The Spanish words 'el', 'la', 'los', and 'las', are just like the English word 'the'. In Spanish, the word you use depends on what you talk about.

el niño

the boy child

los niños

the boy children

las niñas

the girl children

los niños

the children

la niña

the girl child

Definite Article Activity

Fill in the blank with the correct definite article! Pay attention to gender and number.

___ chica

____ chicos

___ gato

____ ardillas

____ árbol

The two animals sat peacefully in the forest exchanging recipes, stories, and language until dark.

After the wise bison returned home to go to sleep, Chef Cat went back to his settlement. He experimented and practiced with all of the new ingredients and ideas that the wise bison had shared with him. Once he felt confident for the cook off, Chef Cat set down his spatula and hat and curled up with Jose.

Chef Cat loves to drink milk before he goes to sleep! But when he came to the New World, he had no idea how to ask for some milk. The Spanish word for milk is "leche," and to ask for some milk you would say, "¿Me puedes dar leche?"

Chef Cat spent the next morning gathering fresh ingredients for the new meal he would unveil at the cook off. Chef Cat organized his food and quickly started preparing his ingredients.

The first ingredient was the dried corn kernels which he ground in a bowl.

Corn had been cultivated in in the New World for thousands of years and was one of the most important foods for the natives. It is strong in warmer weather and can be stored and eaten in many different ways.

Chef Cat then added water to the cornmeal and pressed multiple thin tortillas to be heated up.

The next ingredient was red tomatoes. He started chopping away at the tomatoes, making little squares.