Recipe for Disaster

**"Recipe for Disaster"** is the first segment of the second episode of the first season of *Hamster & Gretel*, and the third episode overall. It is paired with "Math Punch" and premiered on Disney Channel on August 13, 2022.

Gretel has accidentally burned the ropa vieja that Carolina was preparing for family dinner night, so she and Hamster have to find a replacement while Kevin stalls Carolina for time.

## Plot

Gretel informs Kevin that tonight is family dinner night, which they are disappointed will interfere with their plans (Kevin wishes to watch TV all night, while Gretel planned to visit Bailey). Despite their attempts to change her mind, Carolina insists that they enjoy family dinner night and tasks them with keeping an eye on their ropa vieja, which is in the oven. However, Gretel mistakenly burns the dish while using heat vision on it, forcing the children to find a replacement.

While Hamster and Gretel travel to various Mexican restaurants to find a suitable replacement for the ropa vieja, Kevin keeps Carolina occupied by having her take him to various places. During each visit, however, Kevin is repeatedly placed in situations that end up embarrassing him, including being labeled as "Balloon Man-Child" after an encounter with Hiromi's photography class. Meanwhile, Hamster and Gretel find a dish that tastes nearly identical to Carolina's ropa vieja recipe but find themselves in a battle with El Luchador, who also wants the ropa vieja.

At an abandoned farm, Carolina gives Kevin a speech about how kids seem to be more interested in modern times than creating memories with their families, prompting Kevin to realize that family dinner night is not about the ropa vieja, but rather, the memories the family creates while enjoying it. Hamster, Gretel, and Kevin then rush home to make a new ropa vieja dish using their family recipe, only for Kevin to drop it, launching the burnt ropa vieja onto the countertop as Carolina returns. After the kids explain to her what happened, Carolina reveals that the ropa vieja was in a different oven all along and the burned dish was actually a dirt cake meant for dessert. The Grant-Gomez family then enjoys their meal as the episode draws to a close.

## Cast and characters

* Meli Povenmire as Gretel Grant-Gomez
* Michael Cimino as Kevin Grant-Gomez
* Beck Bennett as Hamster
* Matt Jones as Dave Grant
* Carolina Ravassa as Carolina Grant-Gomez
* Liza Koshy as Veronica Hill
* Hiromi Dames as Hiromi Tanaka
* Carlos Alazraqui as El Luchador

### Additional voices

* Beck Bennett as Waiter
* Hiromi Dames as Casa Ropa Vieja Waitress
* Dan Povenmire as Maître D'
* Brock Powell as Luchador Announcer
* Carolina Ravassa as Quitting Waitress
* Isaac Robinson-Smith as Laundromat Guy

## Running gags

### Image scene transitions

Hamster and a smiling Gretel
(used to transition to the Casa del Comio Cuban Food restaurant)

## Transcript

*Click here to read the full transcript of **"Recipe for Disaster"**.*

## Background information

### Trivia

* El Luchador's logo and disclaimer in the episode appear to be metafictional devices that exist within *Hamster & Gretel*, alluding to a fourth wall break.

### Allusions

* ***Phineas and Ferb*** - The tune that plays while Hamster and Gretel are at the first restaurant is the same one that plays at the titular restaurant in the episode "Chez Platypus".
* **Jackson Pollock** - During the song "Ropa Vieja", Kevin mentions the time when he "dropped that plate full of hot empanadas and made a Jackson Pollock on Mom's terracotta", which alludes to this American abstract painter.

### Errors

* Before Kevin opens the entrance door to see Carolina, the oven door is open. Then as Kevin gets the door, Gretel is still standing there doing nothing and the oven door is suddenly closed.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.dgepress.com/disneybrandedtelevision/shows/hamster-gretel/episodes/recipe-for-disaster-math-punch/
2. ↑ https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-saturday-8-13-2022-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html