I have fallen in love so many
times, through the story of many heroes and heroines, who have fallen trapped
to the powers of Cupid. Still, I have never felt anything close to the heated
passion that I have felt while reading Laura Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate.
The story opens to the narration
of the birth and coming of age of Tita, the youngest daughter of the all-female
De La Garza family. Due to the Mexican tradition of the youngest daughter
having the duties to care for her mother until the day she dies, she was robbed
of her rights to marry; hence the story of her tragic love affair with Pedro,
who decided to marry her sister, in order to stay close to Tita. With the many
years that they lived together under one roof come the amount of pain and temptation
from these two lead characters.
The chapters of the book was
divided into months, in each comes a delicious recipe, with an even more
tasteful backstory to relish. I may not be a big fan of cooking, but the
description of Esquivel of how scrumptious food affect people, certainly
inspires me. The recipes themselves are not as easy, having most of their
ingredients based on Mexican delicacies and produce. Preparations of many home
remedies, from solution to foul breath to curing burns, may be found inside the
book. Although I must say that the instructions of the recipes and remedies seem stiff that they don't blend in with the story. It's like a recipe pasted in the middle of a story.
I would like to commend the set
of characters. It was impossible not to love Tita. I don’t know if it was her
described skill in cooking or her humane imperfections, but she did make a
perfect heroine. Although there was minimal description of the physical
features of the characters, I ended up thinking of Pedro as a handsome man.
Mama Elena, Tita’s mother, sent chills down my spine, whenever she was
mentioned. She was the perfect picture of a woman with a whip. I also noticed
how all the characters seemed to represent different kinds of people from
different walks in life, each with their own burdens and responsibilities.
The book itself is a remedy.
Satirical, it shows how people condemned one another to conform to society and
tradition, and how those with courage, breaks off from these chains that bound
genuine happiness. There was a part where Tita’s sister Rosauro, who married
the Pedro, allowed Pedro and Tita to have an affair, given that it was discreet
as to not give her marriage and family a bad image. It goes to show how people
resort to deception and denial when the matters of honor and image are
concerned. It also showed a reality between the different relationships of
people with their family members. The characters were portrayed to be the
turning point from a traditional family and its Mexican customs to adapting to
the concept of democracy. It showed how these women stayed up and kicking,
until the last blow of life.
There was a sense of familiarity
with every dish prepared and served by Tita. It felt like a tradition, having
to stand in her kitchen and listen to her stories, even only by flipping through
the pages of the book. I think that I have grown up with Tita in that kitchen,
under the vigilant and glaring eyes of Mama Elena. At night, I find comfort
that Tita would always have the comfort and love of Nacha, the house cook. The
recipes did not only make the book more interesting, but it gave the feeling of
actually reading Tita De La Garza’s journal, in spite of it being a work of
fiction. Also, the dishes mentioned help refresh and signify certain scenes or
parts of the story – like how the famous Christmas rolls seem to bring to life
the carefree childhood of Tita, learning how to cook in the kitchen with Nacha.
There is one particular part that
seemed to have stuck with me. It was when John Brown, the family doctor of the
De La Garza family, was explaining to Tita how to make a match stick. He said
that like the phosphorous, there is something inside everyone of us that can
ignite a fire, but not everyone has found or know what will start the spark. In
the book, this was related as to tell of Tita’s lack of interest to live and to
communicate to people (due to some happenings prior to that conviction). It
gives hope, yet also imposes fear; there is the lingering horror of not ever
finding that spark.
I like how the author
incorporated magical realism, which I found both witty and humorous at times. I
would have loved to see Mama Elena haunting the farm and Nacha evaporating to
thin air only to let alone Tita and Pedro for the very last time. Some
descriptions and narrations may also be found exaggerated, but most of them
refer to a deeper meaning and add humor to the story. The surreal scenes though may cause confusion to some readers.
I must warn people though that
this book is not for everyone. There are certain parts of the book, which
pertains to intimate moments between some of the characters. These sensitive
parts though were narrated in a discreet manner. Some actions and decisions of
the characters are still beyond the comprehension of minors though.
I don’t think that I have ever
read a book as exquisite as this one. I cannot discern which is which, but some
part of me was buried within the story and as for the other part, I felt like I
consumed the story as how I would eat my most favorite dish, slowly as to savor
and taste every spice, twist, and flavor. It taught me patience and timing, as
Tita had said about cooking. I moved my way deep into the story, burying myself
into the burdens, desires, and emotions of the characters. It takes a certain
level of maturity to fully understand the concept and situations in the story.
As illustrated in the book, love
is hard. Like a dark chocolate, it is bitter and sweet. It cannot or may be not
reciprocated, and that is the fear that haunted me as a reader until the end of
the book. Esquivel’s novel did and will certainly raise a lot of eyebrows, but
in its queerness and mystique, I have to say that it was beautiful. Like Water for Chocolate filled not
gaps, but the cravings of my soul.
