Arroz con cosas

Level 1 Spanish Perfect for beginners! (Novice | CEFR A1)

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VOCABULARY: Written in present tense with 89 word families and 61 cognates

THEMES: Food and Technology, Social Media Trends, and Paella Tradition

Remei is a 75-year-old cook and an expert in making the one and only paella: la paella valenciana. For Valencians — and for much of Spain — paella is a culinary icon. Remei is proud of her tradition and champions it at the top of her lungs. Because if you’re going to cook paella, you have to do it right! Her intentions are good, but she has a habit of sticking her nose where it’s not wanted and offering advice left and right.

Now retired, with a phone and plenty of time on her hands, Remei discovers that Instagram influencers are destroying the sacred tradition of paella. They’re making trendy versions: sushi paella, paella pizza, paella sandwiches, or paella with ingredients that make no sense — avocado, eggs, chorizo, fruit, ketchup… even paella in a can! Remei is outraged. “That’s not paella — it’s arroz con cosas!” How awful. This can’t be allowed.

With no internet experience, no followers, and no influence beyond her son, her restaurant, and her small town, Remei decides to become an Instagram influencer. She’s on a mission to teach the world what authentic paella really is. But at her age? And against the flood of “rice with things” that’s taking over social media?

Will she succeed?

Praise

A fun story, easy to read, great for all beginner-elementary learners of Spanish. Full of illustrations and can be enjoyed by anyone who wants to read a fun story and learn a bit more about Spanish culture.
The book is written with a lot of repetition of the key vocabulary and phrases to help remember them better. There is a dictionary at the end and notes with useful words and their English translations throughout the book, which helps English speakers understand and consolidate the vocabulary.

— Alexandra Davis

I have absolutely LOVED reading this book with my adult beginner Spanish students. It is so cleverly written and the language used is perfect for beginner learners. My students travel often to Spain, so it has been so fun for them to learn more about Valencia’s tradition of paella while gaining confidence by reading a fun story in Spanish. My students now email me when they come across “arroz con cosas” at restaurants! 🙂 As an instructor, I have used this book with absolute beginners. I think that any level 1 instructor could easily incorporate this into their curriculum

— Colleen S Ryan

This book is an incredible combination of tradition and modernity: it has the perfect ingredients to attract not only beginning Spanish students but of any level with understandable, fun, culturally rich and current content. “Rice with Things” is full of situations and expressions that students will want to talk about because they see them on social networks and that are accompanied by characters that add a rather particular and authentic vision.

— Maria Hinestroza