Pernil is pork-shoulder that you marinate in kosher or sea salt, fresh oregano, garlic, olive oil and a little bit of white wine vinegar for up to 24 hrs, then bake for 8 hours, until the salt forms a crust. Arroz con Gandales literally translates to rice with pigeon peas, to which you add sofrito (chopped and blended onions, garlic, tomatoes, red or green peppers, salt, pepper and olive olive) and diced, fried ham, green olives, sometimes capers, with Saffron and other spices. Tostones are plantains, which have been sliced, salted and fried in olive oil, before the plantain ripens fully, otherwise, you just slice and fry it and its called Platano Maduro, which is basically a sweet fried banana. (Plantains are starchier than bananas so they dont get as mushy.) Both are delicious!