June: A Recipe for Making Matches
- 1 ounce powdered potassium nitrate
- 1/2 ounce minium
- 1/2 ounce powdered gum arabic
- 1 dram phosphorus
- saffron
- cardboard
Even though this isn't an actual cooking recipe, this chapter has a big significance in the story. By the end of the chapter, Tita finally opens up to Dr. John Brown, but only a little bit. Throughout this whole chapter, Dr. John Brown tries to get Tita to speak. In order to lure her in, Dr. John Brown shows her how to make a match. "While phosphorus doesn't combine with oxygen to burn at ordinary temperatures, it does burst into flame very rapidly at an elevated temperature," (Esquivel, 115). This quote shows how carefully Tita was paying attention to Dr. John Brown.