The Symbolism of Pastelitos in How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water

In Angie Cruz’s How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water, the humble pastelito—a fried Dominican pastry—carries deep emotional weight. More than a mere snack, the pastelitos that protagonist Cara Romero bakes and shares become a tangible expression of her generosity, her longing for connection, and her quiet resilience. This page examines where pastelitos appear in the novel, how their meaning shifts between scenes, and what they reveal about Cara’s relationships and struggles.

What Are Pastelitos?

Pastelitos are savory or sweet turnovers made from wheat flour dough, filled with seasoned ground meat, cheese, or sometimes fruit, then deep-fried until golden. In the Dominican context they are a staple of home cooking, often prepared for family gatherings or offered as a welcoming gesture. Cara makes them from scratch and fries them fresh, as she tells her interviewer in Session Twelve: “I fried them this morning, so they’re fresh” (chapter 12). She also brings a café con leche from a local restaurant, noting it costs less and tastes better than café sold in “white people café”—a small act of cultural pride and practicality.

Recurrences of Pastelitos in the Novel

The symbol appears twice in the story, each time in a moment of emotional stakes.

1. An Attempt at Reconciliation with Ángela (Session Nine)

In Session Nine, Cara describes trying to mend her fractured relationship with her sister Ángela. After a bitter argument, Cara makes pastelitos with raisins —a detail that matters because Cara herself detests raisins. She says, “I made her the pastelitos with raisins! And I hate the raisins. But for her, I put the raisins.” The act is a sacrifice of her own preference to please her sister, a gesture of love and apology. Yet Ángela rejects the offering: “She left them in a bag, hanging on the door of my apartment!” The pastelitos here become a symbol of rejected reconciliation. Cara’s effort is met with cold silence, and the pastelitos hang untouched on the door, a visual reminder of the distance between the sisters.

2. A Gift of Gratitude to the Job Counselor (Two Months Later)

In the final chapter, two months after her last session, Cara visits her job counselor with a fresh batch of pastelitos—this time without raisins —and café con leche. She says, “I have been wanting to stop by with Fidel to bring you some pastelitos without raisins because I don’t like raisins.” Here the pastelitos are freely given, with no expectation of mending a rift. Instead, they express gratitude: Cara thanks the counselor for continuing to fight for an extension of her unemployment benefits. The counselor accepts the offering, eats one, and compliments it: “I promise that you have never tasted a pastelito like this. Right? It’s good!” The successful reception of the pastelitos contrasts sharply with Ángela’s rejection, marking a moment of authentic connection and mutual respect.

How the Meaning of Pastelitos Changes

The shift in meaning is tied to the relationship. With Ángela, pastelitos are a vulnerable attempt at repair, burdened by family history and resentment. Their rejection deepens the sense of estrangement. With the counselor, pastelitos are a pure, unburdened gesture of thanks. The counselor is a figure outside Cara’s family system, someone who has listened without judgment. The food is shared, tasted, and appreciated—symbolizing a new kind of bond built not on obligation but on voluntary kindness.

Character and Theme Connections

Cara Romero: Generosity Through Food

Throughout the novel, Cara expresses love and care through cooking. She sells cakes, makes pastelitos, and brings food to others even when resources are tight. In Session Two, she recalls cleaning a taxi after vomiting, always carrying napkins and “plastic bags for emergencies.” That same preparedness extends to food: she is always ready to feed someone. Pastelitos are one example of her relentless generosity, a trait that defines her character.

Family Obligation and Sacrifice

The raisin-laden pastelitos for Ángela highlight the theme of family obligation and sacrifice. Cara sacrifices her own taste—and the extra effort of adding an ingredient she dislikes—to try to please her sister. This mirrors the larger sacrifice she made by supporting Ángela’s education and career, often at the expense of her own comfort. When Ángela rejects the pastelitos, it echoes the rejection Cara feels for having given so much without reciprocal gratitude.

Survival and Resilience

Cara’s ability to “manage” financially—through cake sales, a loan from Ángela, and rent help from Lulú—shows her resourcefulness. Pastelitos are part of that survival toolkit. In her final visit, she lists her income sources and still finds room to offer a homemade gift. The pastelitos thus become a symbol of resilience: she continues to give and connect even while navigating financial precarity.

Immigration and Displacement

Food is a powerful link to heritage for many immigrants. Cara’s pastelitos root her in Dominican culinary tradition, and her comment about the café con leche prices (“costs three times less than the ones they sell in the white people café”) draws a line between her world and a gentrified one. In a city where she feels displaced—her neighborhood changing, her factory closed—making pastelitos is an act of cultural preservation.

Study Questions with Answers

Question 1

Why does Cara put raisins in the pastelitos she makes for Ángela, even though she hates raisins? Answer: Cara puts raisins in the pastelitos as a sacrifice of her own preference to please her sister. It demonstrates her willingness to go out of her way to show love and attempt reconciliation, despite her personal distaste. The raisins are a concrete symbol of self-sacrifice for family harmony.

Question 2

How does the reception of pastelitos differ between the two scenes, and what does that tell us about Cara’s relationships? Answer: In Session Nine, Ángela rejects the pastelitos by leaving them hanging on the door, indicating continued estrangement and unwillingness to forgive. In the final chapter, the job counselor accepts the pastelitos, eats them, and compliments them, signaling successful connection and gratitude. The contrast shows that Cara’s family bonds are more fraught and require ongoing work, while newer, more open relationships can be built on mutual respect.

Question 3

What do pastelitos reveal about Cara’s character in the context of financial hardship? Answer: Pastelitos show that even when struggling financially, Cara prioritizes generosity and connection. She spends time and resources to fry fresh pastelitos and brings them as a gift. This aligns with her resilient nature: she finds small ways to give, maintain dignity, and foster relationships, countering the narrative of victimhood.

Question 4

In what way are pastelitos linked to the theme of “survival and resilience” in the novel? Answer: Cara bakes and sells cakes and pastelitos to supplement her income after losing her factory job. They are part of her survival strategy. More symbolically, the act of making pastelitos for others—even when she is emotionally or financially drained—reflects her refusal to be defeated. By sharing food, she builds a support network (Lulú, Patricia, the counselor) that helps her keep going.