Beginning with the guava fruit from the prologue, food plays a central role in When I Was Puerto Rican. The guava symbolizes the end of Esmeralda’s childhood, but it is far from the only food mentioned throughout the book. In this book, food is used beyond grounding the reader in sensory details. Tiga Generosa only feeds the children oatmeal, which makes them groan, since they are used to spicy, juicy foods. Esmeralda’s parents briefly start a food truck, which quickly fails.

Food is also used as a symbol for culture. Family food is a comfort. Unfamiliar food can be a repellant part of a new location. When Esmeralda is at El Mangle, with the open sewage and the lagoon, she finds that she has developed a horror of dirty food and is often anxious to eat anything that has been near the filthy water. 

Early in the book, Esmeralda is captivated by the country music of the jibaras. Later she begins piano lessons, which she enjoys until her teacher is sexual inappropriate with her. Later, when her guidance counselor asks her what she wants to be when she grows up, she cannot think of anything. She later realizes that she is drawn to art.