Hi, hello everyone! We have simply adored reading Arsenic and Adobo this month, and we hope you have to! As usual, we’ve come up with a few discussion questions, so grab a cup of tea and get cozy! Let’s jump into it.
Question 1: On page 9 it says, “In typical Filipino fashion, my aunt expressed her love not through words of encouragement or affectionate embraces, but through food. Food was how she communicated. Food was how she found her place in the world.”
For the Macapagal family, and many immigrant families, a plate of food is more than just a plate of food, it represents and symbolizes rich family history, culture, and connection. Do you/your family have any dishes that are particularly important to you?
Caitlyn: The connection between food and family was one of the things that made me feel so seen and understood by Arsenic and Adobo the first time I read it. As a second generation Filipino-American, I resonated with so much of Lila’s story, and the way her family (especially Tita Rosie) expressed their love through food felt very reminiscent of my childhood. My grandmother would always be cooking — it didn’t matter what time of day it was, there was always something going on in the kitchen! She absolutely expressed her love through food, so I definitely understood the importance of food to the Macapagal family.
When I was a kid I absolutely loved lumpia — Filipino spring rolls — and they’re still one of my favorite foods to this day. No one made better lumpia than my grandmother (and the vinegar and garlic dipping sauce that goes with it!) and I loved whenever she would let me make them with her — she always said I was best at separating the wrappers. We also really love adobo in my house, and while my mom doesn’t really cook much Filipino food anymore, adobo is a staple in our household. Those two dishes especially feel like home to me.
Cossette: There were also a lot of aspects about Arsenic and Adobo that I could see my family reflected in! Just like what Caitlyn said, I really resonated with how Lila’s family expresses their love through food. Growing up, my older relatives were always trying to feed me with food — It was always “Have you had food? Are you hungry?” As someone who is considered more of a picky eater in my family, it’s really heartwarming whenever we go out to eat and my uncle will make sure that there’s something for me to eat. Sometimes he yells at his children to not eat from particular dishes so there’s more for me, which is very sweet but also unnecessary. Acts of service is definitely the primary love language in my family, and it was just so lovely to read about in Arsenic and Adobo.
My mom and I definitely prefer baking over cooking, so I think most of my answers for this question would actually be about desserts! Every year, my mom will make me black forest cake for my birthday (my favorite), and it’s my favorite thing! But there are definitely dishes that remind me more of home, such as tomato & egg stir fry, or congee!
Mary: We have a few gypsy dishes that really mean a lot to me, and I love when my dad cooks them. My granny and grandfer are/were gypsy, and sadly I never got to meet my granny so having these dishes makes me feel close to her. My dad always likes to say that if we got the chance to meet, I would be her favourite, so it really warms my heart whenever we have the same dishes she would have had.
Similarly, I have a dish that reminds me of my nan, too. I’m adamant that my mum makes the best Cornish pasties, and they always remind me of my nan. When I was a kid, we would make pasties (which are a labour of love in themselves) and go to a beach to sit by the seaside and eat them. It’s some of my favourite memories, and I recently got to go back to the same beach when I went home to England. Just being there and thinking of my nan was so incredibly special, so I love that I have a dish that will bring me the same feeling.
Question 2: As a second-generation Filipino American, Lila often struggles with identifying what that exactly means for her in regards to her connection with her heritage. How do you think that impacts her relationship with her family?
Caitlyn: Lila’s struggles with her identity as a second-generation Filipino American really resonated with me, as I am second-generation as well. There’s always this feeling of not belonging, or not being enough and it’s not something that you can easily get past. It takes years to work through all of the feelings around that, even if your family understands. I think that Lila’s struggles with her identity absolutely impact her relationship with her family.
It’s clear that while Lila deeply loves her family, their insistence at her being or not being a “real” Filipino has affected their relationship — which is understandable. When you’re a person of color you have plenty of people telling you that you’re “not enough” in one way or another, and it doesn’t help if you’ve got your family telling you that as well. It’s obvious that Lila’s family deeply loves her, and it’s clear that Lola Flor’s insistence on her being a “real” Filipino and having “authentically” Filipino food comes from a place of not wanting to lose her connections to her homeland, but it obviously hurts and impacts how Lila speaks and interacts with her grandmother. I appreciate that Manansala addresses this feeling of diaspora, and that it’s something explored throughout the series.
Cossette: One of the first things we learn about Lila is that she moved away, and then moved back. For Lila, I think it’s almost like trying to reconnect with her culture in a way. I think that a lot of immigrants have this tightrope to walk between assimilating while still holding onto their culture, and it’s never easy. Especially given that Shady Palms was pretty white when Lila was growing up — it’s a lot harder to hold onto your culture when the only people who look like you are people you’re related to. In the same way that Lila’s family shows their love and affection through food, we can see Lila’s relationship with her culture and identity through her fusion food!
Mary: I love that Arsenic and Adobo focuses a lot on Lila finding herself, and finding her identity. I think it’s discussed in such a beautiful way in the book, and I know it will mean a lot to so many people when they read it. While I can’t relate to the experiences she has, I can certainly sympathise.
Question 3: The ending with Mrs. Long, Derek’s mom, isn’t nice and neat. What are your feelings on this?
Caitlyn: I actually really like the ending with Mrs. Long! I think it makes sense that there is not a nice and neat ending since it’s a murder mystery. It made me really happy that Mrs. Long was able to find a way to move forward with her life after the trauma of losing her son. Especially with everything that Mr. Long put her through, I think that she deserved to move and start over somewhere new.
Cossette: I also really love that it’s not nice and neat, and just like Caitlyn, I’m glad that Mrs. Long is able to start fresh!
Mary: I agree with Caitlyn and Cossette! I think too often these days mystery books try so hard to have a neat ending that it oftentimes doesn’t make sense. I liked that this one, while not neat and wrapped up nicely, still made sense to the story and still gave readers some satisfaction.
Question 4: Did you figure out who was the killer? Did anything in Arsenic and Adobo take you by surprise?
Caitlyn: With this being a reread I already knew who the killer was, but I loved reading it this time and really taking notice of the hints that are dropped along the way!
Cossette: This was also a reread for me, although I didn’t entirely remember who the killer was. It took me about 50% before I fully remembered who the killer was, and it was really fun to pick up on some of the hints and foreshadowing that I missed the first time around.
Mary: I didn’t figure it out! I often don’t when reading mysteries, so it’s always a lot of fun for me when the plot twist happens.
Question 5: Were you rooting for any of the potential love interests throughout the book? If so, who and why?
Caitlyn: Since this is my third time reading this and I’ve read the second and third books in the series, my views of the potential love interests are a little different, but I remembered liking Jae from the very beginning. I just love his overall character and he’s so sweet! I especially love chapter thirty when he shows up to their house for dinner and he brings Lila lilacs. I just thought that was so sweet and it really endeared me to him! However, the book is about much more than Lila’s love interest, so it’s not something that I particularly focus on.
Cossette: I didn’t really root for a particular love interest! I think that Arsenic and Adobo was focused on more important things — namely, Lila’s relationship with her culture and identity, her relationship with her family and her best friend, and also solving the murder. Personally, I’m team Lila — whatever makes her happiest! I will say that if I had feelings for my best friend’s sibling, and I knew that that made them uncomfortable, I wouldn’t act on it at all.
Mary: Honestly now that I am reflecting on the book, it’s really hard to choose! I think both have different traits that compliment Lila, but I’m excited to see where it goes.
Question 6: Derek did many terrible things, but before his death, he was trying to atone for some of them. What are your thoughts on his character?
Caitlyn: I definitely appreciate that Derek was trying to atone for some of his sins before he died. I do believe that (most) people are capable of redemption. However, that doesn’t negate the fact that he treated Lila, her family, and many others in the community horribly. He was trying to move past his past wrongs, but he wasn’t actively working towards being a better and nicer person. So, while I appreciate that he was trying to make up for past wrongs, I’m not particularly upset at the fact that he died.
Cossette: Seconding what Caitlyn said! I think he was an interesting character, and I think that apologies and atonement vary significantly based on intention. Are you doing it for your own self-gain, or is it something that you truly believe in? What actions will you take to make sure others aren’t hurt again, or how will you fix these wrongs? I think that words and actions don’t mean anything either, unless there’s follow through, and I think that was evident in Derek. He was trying to fix some of his mistakes, but wasn’t actively trying to become a better person.
Mary: Again I agree with Caitlyn and Cossette! I think Derek was fascinating – and it was interesting to see how my opinion of him changed when the twist was revealed. Upon reflection, I can see now how his actions foreshadowed the ending, so it’s fascinating to think of his character now knowing what I know!
Thank you so much for reading our discussion questions, and reading Arsenic and Adobo with us! Until next time, happy reading!
