Disclaimer: I do not own Encanto. All rights belong to Disney.
From the day Julieta acquired her Gift, la cocina was an area of the Casita she was majorly occupied in. Thirty-five years were committed to prepping and cooking food, serving the family and community. Like any other Madrigal, her role held significant value since the tragedy resulted in the miracle granted to them, a miracle so extraordinary and, perhaps, rare. This huge fortune had led the Madrigals to respect it by using their talents for the virtue of the Encanto. Helping others was prominent among the magical family and a sign of their noble tone. A true nurturer, Julieta spread compassion everywhere she went; she was a pure woman who withheld a kind heart. But the mother could not be blind to the fact that, out of all her family, she was the busiest. If not at her village stand, Julieta stayed in the kitchen, working strenuously at her job filling stomachs as well as preparing for the needy. She cooked long hours, from very early until suppertime, while her relatives were primarily the most active outside Casita. Daily tasks at hand were usually done alone, which could be tiring on some days, to say the least. Everyone understood how much effort she contributed and was highly thankful for what she did overall. Her ever-so-loving daughters assisted in making meals sometimes. Her endearing husband managed to help on one occasion, but his klutziness went a smidge too far, proving why the man wasn't seen often with Julieta in her space. However, he wasn't afraid to encourage breaks every now and then so that she could have enough quality time with their loved ones. Julieta was serious about using them when needed, as family was her greatest treasure.
Despite having to work constantly, she genuinely adored her power because cooking was her specialty. The Gift she received let her treat others through the activity she had always favored rather than doing it in an entirely different way. Julieta felt lucky to frequently cook for the better, not to mention it gave her the opportunity to express more burning love for that skill. Happiness from within accompanied the intense feeling, shown by Julieta's content smile. Cooking made her happy generally, whether mandatory or whenever she pleased. Even something small like baking chocolate chip cookies just radiated a good mood. And she definitely adored crafting food for the people who savored it. They simply could not get enough of her food, and Julieta would gladly accept requests, with the buñuelos and arepas being popular. The younger Madrigals requested a lot. Camilo liked basically anything, and bandeja paisa was Luisa's favorite. Knowing that, Julieta would at times cook that dish without an offer. All in all, Julieta very much indulged her position.
After setting the most recent batch of arepas aside, Julieta pulled out a bowl and cracked several eggs on its edge. She then added the usual seasonings and whisked the contents together before emptying them into the frying pan. As she began dicing a tomato, she glanced behind her shoulder at the majority of progress made. On the left side of the table sat bountiful baskets meant for the village. The other side showed breakfast food, meant for a large family. Only one more basket of arepas needed to be done, and this morning's meal would be ready soon.
"Tía?"
Proceeding to chop the tomato, she turned her head back in response to the small voice. Standing nearby the entrance was Pepa and Félix's four-year-old lively son, Camilo. He had a particularly cheerful expression from, what she assumed, the strong aroma he scented. Typical for him, hence his big appetite.
"Buenos días, Camilo," she greeted warmly.
"When is breakfast ready? I'm hungry!" Camilo walked up to the table and eagerly eyed the breakfast food.
Julieta tossed the diced tomato into the pan, grabbed a spatula, and scrambled the eggs. "It'll be ready soon, dear. I suppose you want something to eat until then?"
Her nephew nodded energetically. "Oh, yes!"
Grinning, she chose an arepa from the last basket she finished, then handed it to Camilo. She couldn't retain her chuckle when he gobbled it up. It was amusing how the boy reacted to food. She swore that if two eating contests were held on the same day, he would win both of them effortlessly. Camilo sure did eat plenty for being this young, beating his sister, cousins, and even the adults. Not surprisingly, he was the main person asking her for food. And Julieta really admired his avid devotion to her cooking; she would give him all the treats in the world. Camilo's appetite could get him into trouble, though. There were a couple of times when he feigned an injury in order to receive additional food, much to his parents' dismay. But in truth, he could become quite clever about what he wanted. Camilo had a daring and mischievous side to him.
"Yummy in my tummy!" he said joyously as he rubbed his belly.
Julieta pinched his cheek lightly before returning to the eggs, only to feel the little tyke pull on her apron. She crouched low and said, "yes, Milo?"
"More arepas, please," he simply begged.
"Very well, then." She gave him another arepa and walked back to slide the scrambled eggs inside a wide bowl. She was going to prepare her second set until…
"More arepas, please."
She let out a laugh. "You ate that one very fast, Camilo."
"I want more arepas, please," he said matter-of-factly.
"All right, all right." Julieta once again stopped at the table, silently hoping the arepa she got would satisfy him. His hunger was like a pig's.
When the arepa was in Camilo's hand, Julieta immediately worked on continuing breakfast, diligent about getting everything ready punctually. The more distractions, the longer it would take her, and she was not the type to fall behind. She never did, in fact, but missed calls indeed happened.
"More arepas, please."
Without abandoning cooking, she sighed. "Oh, Camilo, aren't you ever full?"
"More arepas, please."
"You had three already, love. Why don't you go and play with Mirabel? I promise I will be done really soon." Julieta wasn't impatient, per se, but right now, Camilo was becoming kind of a handful.
"I played with Mira earlier. She's now with Isa and Lulu," he stated.
"There's no one else you can go to?"
Camilo had his hand on his chin in thought. "Hmm…. Nope! More arepas for me."
Julieta shook her head while smiling. "Oh, what am I going to do with you?"
Instead of replying, her nephew switched his attention to the breakfast on the table. Julieta didn't have the ability to predict the future, yet felt she would be late on things if Camilo stayed in here. The persistent begging wouldn't end unless he caught an eventual stomachache, a feasible reason she shouldn't keep feeding him. Though, Julieta was hesitant about the thought of kicking out the little boy. He hadn't really caused any trouble, and besides, she liked the company. Being cooped up in this room could get a bit lonesome.
"Okay, Camilo, you can stay, but I can't keep giving you food. It's for the villagers and breakfast," she told him explicitly.
Camilo frowned, looking down at the floor gloomily. "Aww…"
Julieta put a single hand on his shoulder and lifted his chin with her dominant left one. Her dark eyes were filled with sincerity. "You are welcome to watch me cook, though, hon."
"I'd rather eat again," he pouted.
"How about…" She pursed her lips for a brief second. "How about you help Tía cook? Then you can have extra treats before bed tonight."
"Cook?" he said incredulously. "I don't know how to cook."
"Well, I'll teach you. And I believe your cooking will be just as good as your eating."
Camilo formed a smile. "I'm really good at it."
She leaned forward, their foreheads pressed together. "You're the best at it."
Julieta figured it was the perfect time for him to practice basic culinary. Camilo's palate was severely broad, which denoted his experience of different tastes and flavors. He was, by no means, a picky eater and keen on any edible material he placed in his mouth. Conveniently, cooking dealt with creating a variety of foods. Teaching Camilo to cook would widely benefit him, exposing a useful skill affiliated with the thing he loved. Also, cooking was a new semi-active activity he would get to try, and as a bonus, he got her, an expert, to do it with. She was merry in sharing something other than food that Camilo could probably see as engaging.
Camilo inquisitively wandered the room. "What can I do first, Tía? Can I make arepas or— Ooh!" He dashed over to where the pan rested on the flat top stove. "I can help fry eggs!"
Julieta giggled and turned Camilo around so he could face her directly. "Woah, don't get so carried away now. Before you can even start, there is one very important thing you have to do."
"And what's that?"
"Wash your hands. It cleans off bacteria and other icky stuff. We don't want to cook with dirty hands, do we?"
"No!" he said seriously.
Right then, Casita carried a small stool to the kitchen sink. Julieta grinned appreciatively at the house's courtesy. "Ah, thank you, Casita." She grabbed Camilo's hand and guided him. "I know you've washed your hands plenty of times before, so this should be easy for you."
Camilo stepped up on the stool, confident. "I don't need any help with this part. I'm a big boy."
As he washed his hands, Julieta left to collect a towel, not expecting to come back with droplets of water splashed on her apron. The little culprit's devious smirk was outstretched.
"Got ya, Tía!" he laughed.
She also gave out a laugh. "You certainly did, and good too." She dried his hands before placing her own on her hips playfully. "Now, who's ready for the exciting part?"
"I am!" Camilo bounced up and down vigorously.
"Follow me, then, my little apprentice."
The boy skipped behind her while Casita relocated the stool to the front of the counter. Once situated, Camilo studied his aunt tidying the area some before she placed the bowl and basket of eggs side by side. Giddy, he reached his arm out and snatched an egg but then found it to be taken away from Julieta.
"Not so fast, Camilo," she said. "Eggs are fragile, which means they break easily. We always need to be careful when we deal with them. Understand?"
"I understand clearly." He gave a thumbs up.
"Good." She lowered the egg near the bowl's edge. "Watch and learn." With one firm tap, the shell split apart, displaying a neat, fairly zigzag line in the center. Julieta separated the two pieces, the yellow yolk dropping gracefully into the bowl.
Camilo was impressed, evident from his wide eyes and agape mouth. "Woah.."
Mindfully, Julieta passed an egg to Camilo. "Let me see you have a go at it."
His gaze rested on the white object in full concentration, and then the bowl came into view. What he did next was simply return it to the egg, then back to the former, and so on. He was in a repetitive, continuous battle. Back and forth, back and forth.
Julieta waited patiently, adamant about not speaking so soon. Although Camilo was a quick decision-maker, this process was different, and to him currently, it required long thinking. Understandably, he hardly made thorough choices at his age. From his perspective, cracking this egg was far from basic. She was positive he would act at the right moment.
Finally, Camilo's arm budged, copying his tía's movements, and he hit the edge, with strict force. Pieces of shell ended up on the counter, along with a gooey mess; the sight wasn't pretty.
"Oopsie," Camilo said, embarrassed.
"It's okay, love." Julieta got a kitchen towel. "It's only an accident. It can be fixed." She wiped the counter. "I can help you with the next egg if you want me to."
"I'd like that."
Taking his hand, she secured another egg in it and wrapped her bigger hand over it. "Now, on the count of three, we'll crack this egg. One…"
"Two…"
"Three!" they said together. With that, the egg was cracked, and it turned out perfectly. No mess to be cleaned.
"We did it!" Camilo cheered.
"Excellent work, Camilo," Julieta praised, rubbing his shoulder. "Will you do the honors and put the yolk in?"
"Uh-huh!" Sticking out his tongue, he pulled the shell apart. The yolk dropped right in the middle.
Julieta smiled, proud of him. "That was really good. Okay, we need to place more eggs in this bowl. Are you up for the task?"
"I so am. But how many eggs exactly?"
"Enough to feed this big family of ours."
"That's why you cook so much," he pointed abruptly. "We have a lot of family members."
"That's right, Milo," she said softly.
Curiously, he asked, "Do you get tired of cooking?"
"Oh, I do sometimes," she answered straightly, "but I love it all the same."
"Your cooking is the best!" he said wholeheartedly, his arms thrown up.
Julieta covered her mouth and chuckled, flattered by the comment. "I'm glad you think so."
"It's the best in the whole Encanto. No, wait, the entire world!"
Her chuckles increased. "Don't make me blush." Camilo might be largely cheeky, but on the contrary, he knew how to please people. Her sister was obviously no exception; he had been a mamá's boy from birth.
Camilo took an egg out of the basket. "Let me crack this one myself."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I can do it," he insisted.
Julieta folded her hands and watched Camilo do his business. For the most part, nothing changed aside from his pacing quickening a little. When the egg came to its position, she saw him squeeze his eyes shut. He waited precisely three seconds to take action.
"Did I do it?" Camilo's eyes were kept sealed.
"Take a look for yourself," she persuaded kindly.
Cautiously, he peeked with his right eye. What lay in front of it flipped his frown into a definite smile. His egg was intact this time, save for the pieces that fell, but at least the yolk stayed inside. Furthermore, two crooked Y-shaped cracks appeared above the main crack, which was also awry.
Julieta clapped. "Great job, Camilo! I'm very proud of you."
"I'm happy I did it, but my egg is not as good as yours," he said.
She took hold of the eggshell and disconnected it. "With practice, you'll get better."
"Loooooots of practice."
Her hand lay on his arm. "Yep."
"Tía, we need more eggs," he told her, touching the bowl.
"Let's get to it, then."
Aunt and nephew went straight to their task, cracking away. Inevitably, Camilo slipped up in the process, as Julieta expected; eggs could be tricky to tackle. But he was trying his best consistently, and Julieta would praise him for that. From what she observed, Camilo was actually doing quite well. She had zero doubt the boy would progress rapidly.
Because this certain breakfast was for many people, making eggs took a while. To Camilo, it was like the clock couldn't run faster, whereas his aunt was used to cooking for extended periods. Through teamwork, they successfully wrapped up the job, the yellow food ready to be served in the black bowl.
Julieta wiped her hands on the front of her apron. "You worked hard on those eggs, Milo. Amazing job."
"They look delicious," Camilo said, viewing the dish.
"Do you know what's also delicious?"
"Arepas!" he shouted.
"Yes! We'll be making them next."
Camilo wiggled in an exuberant manner. "Yay!"
Julieta gathered the ingredients for a fresh, new batch. "Arepas are a quick and simple food to make. These ones will be the last batch."
"Okie dokie!" he chirped.
"First, we pour this bag of corn flour into the bowl," she instructed, holding the aforementioned bag.
"Can I do it? Can I? Can I?" he pleaded, barely containing himself.
Julieta handed the flour to the frisky Camilo. "Be my guest. But be sure not to pour too…"
Disregarding Julieta's words, Camilo dumped two-thirds of the bag, letting flour blanket the area and his face. Again, he made an accidental mess, the scale of it being the difference.
"Much."
"Uh oh.." Camilo twiddled his thumbs.
Julieta softened, using her apron to clean her nephew's face. "It's only corn flour, Camilo. We can get that up instantly."
After they, and Casita, cleared the mess, Julieta filled a cup with lukewarm water and carried it over. "The following step is to add water. Water helps create dough, which is what arepas and other bread are made of. Two cups are the right amount for this recipe. If you use too much, the dough will become sticky. On the other hand, if you use too little, it will not be smooth enough to shape it."
"Imagine not-smooth arepas!" Camilo pulled a disgusted look. "Eugh!"
The idea caused Julieta to giggle. "That would be something, wouldn't it? All right, go ahead and pour the water, Camilo."
He followed what she said before Julieta went back for a refill and emptied the cup. "It's kinda like a little puddle in there," he said, seeing the liquid practically engulf the powdery substance.
The aunt giggled again, finding Camilo's imagination entertaining. "Oh, it does. I've never thought of that."
Camilo drummed his palms on the surface. "What do we do now?"
"Then, we include a sprinkle of salt, two tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon of oil for cooking, and the most important ingredient. Can you guess what it is?"
"Queso!" the boy squealed.
"Correct," she spoke happily. "I usually put cheese in my arepas, but you can also put other things in them, like meat, vegetables, and more. You can even eat arepas plain."
"Cool."
Julieta gestured to the items. "Which ingredient do you want to add first, dear?"
"Cheese, of course!" He grinned ear to ear after saying that word.
"You got it." She held the block of cheese and shredded it with the cheese grater.
Camilo's mouth watered, watching the cheese strips cascade. "Yummy, yummy cheese."
"It's your favorite part, huh?"
"Totally!" he confirmed, then said, "Hey, Tía? Can you put extra cheese in my arepas?"
"I sure can." When Julieta finished, she picked up the next block and grated the entire thing. Camilo would one hundred percent stomach more than a few arepas.
Camilo pointed his finger at the salt shaker. "Now we add in salt."
"Remember to only use a sprinkle of it," she reminded. "It's like when you seasoned the eggs."
"I will," he guaranteed. He flipped the shaker to a forty-five-degree angle and jiggled it, scattering salt all around.
Julieta's face lit up. "Nicely done! I'm impressed."
"I told you I could do it," he said to her, pride conveyed in his voice.
"You're getting better at this, Camilo," she noted as she went ahead and dropped the rest of the stuff inside.
"I bet tomorrow I can cook all three meals!" the kid uttered, acting sort of on the smug side.
"I'm not so sure about that, love," she chuckled. "You don't get excellent at something overnight. Time, patience, and practice are the keys to success."
Camilo seemed confused. "But weren't you already successful at cooking when you got your Gift?"
Julieta moved her head from side to side. "Our Gifts are very special to us," she started, "however, we aren't automatically granted to use them perfectly. When I first received mine, I wasn't already an expert at making food. I had to learn and practice, and over time, I excelled. It's the same thing with your mami," she continued. "The weather would be unstable if she didn't learn to control her powers."
His eyes drifted away from her, reflecting the stunning information he came across. Julieta just smiled gently at him. As with many kids, her nephew would have an awestruck or similar reaction to stuff he hadn't known beforehand. In this case, his response was preferably silent, which was not odd. The chatterbox himself didn't need words every time for communication.
Then, Camilo's sight laid back on her. "I always thought we immediately knew everything about our talents."
"Even we Madrigals learn things when necessary," she claimed. "Okay, now let's get to the next step, and that is kneading." She used two hands to combine the ingredients.
"Kneading?"
"You'll see in a second."
Camilo peered at her work. "I'm seeing dough!"
"That means it's time for the kneading technique. Observe closely." Julieta pressed her hands into the thick mixture and stretched it outwards before folding it in half. Subsequently, she rolled it in a continuous motion, flattened the dough, and rotated it to repeat the process. "Shaping dough is important because it spreads the ingredients inside and also helps give it a smoother texture."
"Okay, neat," he remarked.
Julieta gave the dough one final squish. "There we go. And then we roll some of this into a ball before flattening it." In demonstration, she scooped up a handful and rolled it between her palms, then compressed the ball.
"Now it looks like an arepa!" Camilo mentioned gleefully.
"Yes, Camilo. It is set to put on the stove." She placed the disklike dough on the black surface.
Grasping what Julieta showed him, he collected a greater amount of mixture and shaped it to the best of his ability. The uncooked arepa took up the maximum length of his hand, with excess cheese poking out everywhere.
"Your arepa is looking quite lumpy there," Julieta said as she inspected it and then put it next to hers.
"Mine's gonna be super cheesy!" he said in anticipation.
"It definitely will. And after we get through with cooking the arepas, breakfast will be done."
"Yes!" He clenched his fist.
They cooked arepas like busy bees making honey; the kitchen was in full swing. Camilo did pull off creating normal-sized arepas, but he heavily gravitated towards contributing his cheesy ones. The creative concept convinced Julieta he would be inclined to consume that from now on, and not just for breakfast. She could easily tell those were his favorite food to make so far and also visioned the taste to be overwhelmingly appealing to him.
Julieta exhaled as she shifted into a comfortable position, her hand on her side, viewing the final result. The blue table was packed with arepas, bananas, biscuits, and other foods.
"We are all done, Tía!" Camilo triumphed.
"Just in time for breakfast." She smiled down at her nephew. "Thank you for helping me out today, Camilo. We made a great team."
"Cooking with you was so much fun!" He spun round and round in his spot, distracting himself.
That specific statement moved the woman. "I also enjoyed cooking with you, Milo," she said calmly, tenderness smothering her tone.
Getting dizzy, Camilo stopped twirling and shook his head to readjust his eyesight. "What tasty treats do I get tonight?"
"I can see you didn't forget about that," she indicated. "Let's see… I can bake polvorosas. How does that sound?"
"Mmm! Those sound fantastic," he responded dreamily.
"Polvorosas it is." Before Julieta could lift a foot off the ground to go clean, she was hit with a question from Camilo.
"Next time when we cook together, can I choose what foods to make?"
The same deep feeling arose within her. "Yes, my dear nephew. You totally can."
He rejoiced. "Yippee! I'm going to tell Mami all about what I did!"
As the boy zoomed out, Julieta called, "Tell the others that breakfast is ready, okay?"
"Gotcha!" he called back, disappearing to wherever his mother was.
Julieta straightened the kitchen, the sentimentality thriving. The image of her acting this fond at the end was absent previously, and yet it was happening. To think this precise behavior wasn't as intense when Isabela, Luisa, and Mirabel first cooked with her. Maybe the reason behind it was solely the utter jolliness of Camilo actually desiring to come in here again to cook. Earlier, she was uncertain about his opinion of cooking, the possible outcome being favorable or the opposite. In reality, cooking added to his interests, because of her; she alone influenced him, passing along her vehement interest. Thus, they shared it. Julieta was truly thrilled by that discovery.
From now on, Camilo would continue to help Julieta for the remainder of his youth and forwards, reaching well into his teenage years.