A Puerto Rican pernil recipe that makes a Thanksgiving standout

When the guests arrived, each of them closed their eyes, took a deep breath, and hummed, “Oooh, it smells so good in here!” When the first number reached 20, my mother began to set plates for me to put on the table. I held my breath as I walked the 15 feet from the kitchen to the dining room, balanced bowls stacked high with rosemary baked potatoes, freshly baked cookies and tortillas. Followed by her and my brother with cranberry sauce, cobs of asparagus and corn followed by almond-covered chickpeas. I put the sweet potato chips near my seat for easy access. My mother followed me with serenata, cold cod salad and a hot steamed fish Arroz Son Gandules. I put an apple pie next to a pumpkin pie and a flan de queso. In the end, all the dishes were left on the table, except for one. The centerpiece of our two-culture feast remains empty, waiting for its diva, still sitting in the oven so its skin stays as crispy as possible.