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Then, early Wednesday morning, shopkeepers and business owners along the Plaza set about covering
windows and doors in preparation for the messy onslaught. Large trucks rumble up the cobblestone
streets to arrive in the crowd-filled square and, from the back of the huge trucks, official instigators
begin ceremoniously pelting the awaiting throng with their precious cargo: sloppy, squishy tomatoes
trucked in from the four corners of Spain.
Dressed in clothing doomed for the rubbish bin, more than 20,000 people retaliate against the truckers,
each other and anything else that strays within range of their hand-crushed veggie blobs. Soon the
streets are awash in seeds, pulp and tomato guts - possibly one of the best starts to a great marinara
sauce to be found west of Italy.
The insanity ensues until more than 90,000 pounds of tomatoes have been hurled at anything with a
pulse that ducks, runs, stops, turns about, or fights back. For visiting tourists, be aware that anyone
with a camera or a baseball cap will be considered a prime target. Like all good battles, the assault is
over in less than half an hour. Everyone then reconciles with their former targets and fellow warriors
and heads down to the river to remove the saucy mess from hair and body.
Source: http://www.donquijote.org/culture/spain/fiestas/tomatina.asp
Do not write on this paper. Record all answers on the answer
sheet.
LA TOMATINA
Antes de Leer – Answer these questions in complete sentences BEFORE you read the article.
1. When you read the word tomatina what vegetable comes to mind?
2. Think of a festival that takes place in your city or neighborhood. What is it like? What events
are there? Is there food?
3. Have you ever been involved in a food fight? How did it start? Was it fun? What were the
consequences of the food fight? If you’ve never been in a food fight, do you think it would be
fun to be involved in one?
4. Based on the word tomatina and the questions above, what do you think the article you are
going to read will be about?
Después de Leer - Read the article carefully, and then answer the questions that follow.
12. How many tomatoes are used during La Tomatina? How many pounds of tomatoes are used?
21. Think of American festivals that use food (i.e. pie eating contests, hot dog eating contests, etc.)
Do you also think these festivals are wasteful? How are they similar or different from La
Tomatina?
22. If the town of Buñol still wanted to have a Tomato festival every year, but didn’t want to be as
wasteful, what could be some alternatives to throwing tomatoes?
23.What do you think the positive impact of La Tomatina is on the economy of Buñol? Is there a
negative economic impact?
La Tomatina Crossword
Across
4. __________________ is the city where La Tomatina takes place each year.
5. __________________ is the day of the week when La Tomatina takes place (translate to Spanish)
7. ________________ is a Spanish seafood stew.
10. Buñol is situated only 30 kilometers inland from the _________________ Sea.
12. Buckets of _______________ are poured on the participants before the tomatoes are thrown
13. __________________ is the month when La Tomatina takes place (translate to Spanish)
14. La Tomatina originated in this decade: ______________.
15. The night before La Tomatina, the narrow streets beneath the town's imposing ______________
bell tower are filled with tomatoes
Down
1. The seafood stew is served near the _____________ des Paellas, a street near the Plaza del Pueblo.
2. La _____________ is the name of the famous vegetable-throwing festival (do not include La)
3. Using a _______________ or wearing a baseball cap will make you an easy target for the tomato-
throwing mob.
6. Following the fight everyone heads down to the _______________ to clean off the tomato juice.
8. ________________ is the Spanish word for battle.
9. Every year the fight is nationally _______________ so people all around Spain can watch it.
11. _____________________ is the correct plural, English spelling of tomato.
Answer Sheet
Nombre __________________ Fecha __________________ Hora _______
Write all answers below. This paper due at the end of class.
LA TOMATINA
Antes de Leer – Answer these questions in complete sentences BEFORE you read the article.
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Después de Leer - Read the article carefully, and then answer the questions that follow.
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