Razavi

Movie Canela
Please print answer as you follow along the movie.

Part 1: Read through these cultural notes BEFORE you watch the movie.
1. Feliz cumpleaos(Happy Birthday): In Mexico, families and neighbors get together to
celebrate birthdays. Popular birthday activities include breaking piatas and sharing birthday
cake.
2. Mole : A spicy chocolate sauce that is served with meat (often chicken). Mole poblano
contains about 20 ingredients, including chili peppers and (unsweetened) chocolate. Many
people consider mole poblano to be the national dish of Mexico.
3. Molcajete: A stone tool, used like a mortar and pestle, to grind foods. They are used to grind
spices, to grind corn for making tortillas, and for making salsas and guacamoles.
4. Chiles: There are over 150 different types of chiles (chili peppers) in Mexico. Although each
cook has their own recipe, the three most common types of chiles that are found in mole poblano
are: ancho, pasilla, and mulato. It can be very difficult to find the right dried chiles here in the
US (depeding on where you live), so many people buy the spice paste from DoaMara in the
grocery store.
5. Mercado de aire libre: While we Americans are used to buying our foods at a grocery store,
most Mexicans do their shopping at open air markets. Some markets have only produce and
other ingredients, while at other markets you can find clothing, jewelry, accessories, art or handcrafted items.
6. Agua fresca: (fresh water) A typical non-alcoholic drink that is popular with Mexicans of all
ages. Water (sometimes ice) and sugar combined with fruits, grains or flowers to create a
refreshing light drink. Popular flavors include: watermelon, tamarind (a sweet/sour fruit), lime,
cucumber, and horchata (an agua frescamade with chufa nuts or rice).
Match the following terms with their definition:
____ breaking a piata
____ chiles
____ agua fresca
____ mole

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____ molcajete
____ open-air markets
A. A spicy chocolate sauce
B. A refreshing drink
C. The place to buy ingredients
D. A typical birthday tradition
E. Hot peppers
F. A stone tool

Page 2 of 3
Part 2: Answer these questions WHILE you watch the movie.
1. What does Mara ask for as her birthday present?
a. New shoes b. A puppy c. To cook together
2. Which important person plans a trip to the restaurant?
a. Her grandma b. Jocelyn, a food critic c. The president
3. Who does Mara cook for?
a. Her stuffed animals b. Her grandmother c. Her friends
4. Which of the following does she receive as a gift?
a. A book b. A molcajete c. Both A&B
5. How does Mara get Neto in trouble?
a. She gets him to skip school b. She spills his soup c. She blames him for
breaking a glass

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6. Doa Tere doesnt like the new menu because there is.. a. Too much English b. No Mexican
food c. Too much French
7. Mara buys ingredients from Don Beto? What are they for?
a. A soup for Neto b. Making a mole c. A chocolate cake
8. What does Beatriz tell Doa Tere and Rosi to do?
a. Go to separate restaurants b. Work in the same kitchen
9. What does Rosi do when she sees Mara talking to the food critic?
a. She thanks her b. She threatens her c. She hugs her
10. What does Rosi do when she sees others eating Doa Teres mole?
a. She takes the plate b. She goes home c. She eats it, too
11. What happens next?
a. Rosi slips on a banana b. Rosi slips on a tomato
12. What does Rosi ask Gordi to do?
a. To fire everyone b. To steal the recipe c. To take the restaurant
13. What happens when Doa Tere and Mara leave the restaurant?
a. Mara gets sick b. Doa Tere has a medical emergency
14. Which mole does Jocelyn choose as the best?
a. Rosis b. Doa Teres
15. Who does Mara meet at the hospital?
a. Rosis mom b. Her father c. Gordi

Page 3 of 3
16. What happens at the end of the movie?

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Part 3: Answer these questions AFTER you watch the movie.
1. Which character did you identify with the most? Why?
2. Which food(s) from this movie would you like to try the most?
3. The following quote comes from the movie:
Cocinar bien no es cuestin de edad pero de talento.
(To cook well is not a question of age, but of talent.)
Do you agree? Why or why not?
Can you think of other situations where this quote would make sense?
4. Tradition vs. New is a theme in this movie. Have you ever had a situation in your life where
you had to choose between traditions and doing something in a new way? Was it difficult? What
did you decide to do?