Summary Of Like Water For Chocolate By Laura Esquirel

Like Water for Chocolate written by Laura Esquirel takes place from January to December; each starts with a different dish. Usually this dish is based on the main occasion of that month. Every chapter begins with the dish title, followed by the ingredients and then the preparation. This gives a strong emphasis on food; and because food is a central element in the novel there are many different interpretations and depictions of the food. Within this novel there are a variety of Mexican dishes which all have a connection to the story in a similar yet different way. While they do this they give the reader different depictions about food which is what will be analyzed.

The first depiction is rather broad and it is life. The first dish which is

Disappointed, she discovered that the smoke wasn’t hers. It originated in a small room at the far end of the patio. Its chimney was emitting such a pleasant and familiar aroma that she opened the window to inhale it more deeply. Eyes closed, she saw herself beside Nacha…” (Esquirel 109-110).

This quote refers to Tita smelling a familiar aroma that takes her back in time to a memory verifying that food is memory. While showing that food is memory, it also shows food is emotion, as the smell of the food brought Tita out of her depressed state that is her yearning to ascend to

Like Water for Chocolate depicts food as art through the descriptions of the food and the preparation. All the necessary steps to be taken in order to get everything just right is expressed here, “It’s very important to pay attention to this sort of detail, since the goodness of the chocolate depends on three things…” (Esquirel 165). The detail put into explaining what goes into the dish goes to show how food is a form of art in the sense that to have the right outcome everything has to be correct. Besides that example when it states “she was considered the finest exponent of the marvelous art of cooking” (Esquirel 48). The quote is referring to Tita being the last cook on the ranch while also stating cooking is an art. In doing so, it lets one make the connection that if cooking is an art then food is art as it is a product of cooking. In addition to that, we have the thoughts others give when talking about the food from its presentation to its taste. As an example, Pedro states when he taste Tita’s Quail in Rose Petal Sauce, “‘It is a dish for the gods!’” (Esquirel 51). Pedro exclaims how delicious the food is in taste which is similar to how others may look at art from a deeper meaning to just its raw