52 pages • 1 hour read
Mia P. ManansalaArsenic and Adobo
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Cultural Context: Filipino Cuisine
Arsenic and Adobo focuses on the food of the Philippines. Before the first chapter, the author provides a glossary and pronunciation guide that gives information about the dishes that Lila and her family cook. The titular adobo is a sauce made with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and black peppercorns, according to Manansala’s glossary. However, she notes that there are regional differences. The Philippines is comprised of more than 7,000 islands, resulting in a large diversity in Filipino cooking. Another dish listed in the glossary is ginataang bilo-bilo, which is “[a]ny dish cooked with coconut milk, sweet or savory” (x). In Chapter 2, this dish is described as “[p]ure coziness and warmth in a bowl” (13). The glossary gives non-Filipino readers more information about the basic composition of the dishes, which allows the prose to convey the emotional significance of the food. In addition to appearing on the menu of Tita Rosie’s Kitchen, food is used as a pet name. Lila’s dachshund is named Longganisa, after the Filipino sausage. At the end of the book, Manansala includes recipes for some of the dishes that appear in the novel.
Though the town of Shady Palms, Illinois is fictional, the nearby city of Chicago has a large Filipino American population. According to the United States Census, over 120,000 Filipino Americans and multiracial Filipino Americans were estimated to live in the Chicago metropolitan area in 2022 (“Selected Population Profile in the United States.” United States Census). The city is home to Kasama (which means “together” in Tagalog), the world’s first Filipino restaurant to be awarded a prestigious Michelin star (“Together with Kasama, the World’s First MICHELIN-Starred Filipino Restaurant.” Michelin Guide). Boonie’s, another Chicago-based Filipino restaurant, received a 2023 Michelin Bib Gourmand award (“Boonie’s.” Michelin Guide).
Literary Context: Recipes, Crime Novels, and Cozy Mysteries
Manansala’s novel draws inspiration from classic cozy mysteries, crime novels, and culinary-based fiction. Incorporating food and recipes with fiction, Arsenic and Adobe mirrors other acclaimed novels like Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes, and Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. The title Arsenic and Adobo also evokes Sue Grafton’s legendary Alphabet series of crime novels, which began with A is for Alibi. The next book in Manansala’s series, Homicide and Halo-Halo, continues this alliterative trend. These kinds of stylistic naming conventions are common in competitive genres, such as mystery and romance, and help connect series to the roots in their genre. Grafton’s Alphabet series juxtaposed childlike expressions used for learning the alphabet with gruesome terminology for crimes. The Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series takes up this trend by comparing comforting, homemade food with murder weapons.
However, as a cozy mystery, Arsenic and Adobo has several key differences from the Alphabet series. In the 2010s and 2020s, the cozy mystery subgenre expanded dramatically, becoming a favorite of book clubs and social media platforms. The cozy genre had existed for decades, perhaps best defined by Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series. The Alphabet series is considered a hard-boiled or traditional mystery, with a private eye protagonist investigating suspicious murders under contract. The Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries series, on the other hand, has an amateur detective, depicts far less violence than traditional mysteries, and emphasizes positive rather than adversarial relationships. These elements combine to portray a world where hope and comfort are the norm despite the presence of a criminal element.
