Tuesday, March 25, 2008

From the mind of Laura Esquivel.

Now finished reading and I can't seem to stray from the ever prominent theme of food in the novel and the significance it holds. I came across a quote by Laura Esquivel where she offers insight to her unique outlook on food and nourishment, "my grandmother had a very interesting theory; she said each of us is born with a box of ma
tches inside us but we can't strike them all by ourselves; just as in the experiment, we need oxygen and a candle to h
elp. In this case, the oxygen, for example would come from the breath of the person you love; the candle could be any kind
 of food, music, caress, word, or sound that engenders the explosion that lights one of the matches... Each person has to discover what will set off those explosions in order to live, since the combustion that occurs when one of them is ignited is what nourishes the soul. That fire, in short, is its food. If one doesn't find out in time what will set off these explosions, the box of matches dampens, and not a single match will ever be lighted. If that happens, the soul flees from the body and goes to wander among the deepest shades,
 trying in vain to find food to nourish itself, unaware that only the body it left behind, cold and defenseless, is capable of providing that food."
It is obvious that she looks to food as a higher power, an element of life capable of illuminating even the dullest part of one's personality, comforting the soul. Food is a comfort, not only to the stomach but to the mind and spirit as well. To me, not so much, but to others the pure enjoyment and satisfaction that they emit at the very first taste of a dish is inspiring. I look to music as my "matchbook", much as the characters in the novel look to food as theirs. There's nothing more nourishing to my soul, if you will, than driving in my car with the stereo blasting, listening to music. This drive is essential for life and just as Esquivel states, each of us needs to find out for ourselves what ignites the flame and determines the level of importance. To me, food holds a low standard of importance compared to music, friends and family; however in the novel the family centralizes around food, it brings them together in a way that religion or occasions could not. 

No comments: