Question

Like Water for Chocolate and then reflect on the importance of cooking in Tita’s life. What are the different meanings communicated through the various dishes, flavors and spices she uses? What types of effects do they generate? What role does food and its making play in the life of the sisters? Why are the three sisters so different? Respond to two other classmates.

Answer 1

Tita is the main character of the book Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. The book follows her journey to try to find her voice and achieve independence from her dominating family. One of the most important aspects of Tita's life is food. Cooking is her escape, and it is the only way in which she can feel truly herself. Because of this, the food that she makes is closely tied to her emotions, state of mind, and personal growth. The different dishes, flavors and spices stand as symbols of her inner life.

Moreover, these recipes and ingredients are also meant to create an effect of exoticism and uniqueness of the context that is representative of magical realism. Both the context, and the strong component of family and society creates three sisters who are very different from each other. These sisters are defined by the order in which they were born, their age, their gender, their family and their role in society. These unique personal elements are also expressed through the use of different foods and ingredients associated with each one of them.