Like Water For Chocolate.

Like Water for Chocolate is a very different novel than the others I have read before. The novel is formulated into sections, rather than chapters it seems, with each section a different month of Tita's life. Each month is accompanied by a different recipe and how the recipe correlates to the month. Not being very interested in Mexican Culture or cooking I didn't know how well this book would sit with me; however one period of reading and I miraculously found myself four months ahead in April, page 66. Besides the smooth writing style of Laura Esquirel, the structure of the novel makes it a very easy and enjoyable read. The narrative structure of this novel intersperses Tita's story with the recipes and remedies that figure so prominently in her life. By placing an actual recipe at the beginning of each chapter, the importance of food to the story is consistently reinforced, and the story becomes more real, for somewhere in the new chapter this recipe will be followed by one of the characters.

My favorite example of the connection between the recipes and the story thus far is when Tita receives a bouquet of roses from her love interest Pedro, who happens to also be her sisters fiancee. This recipe was present in March of the novel and the featured recipe was Quail in Rose Petal Sauce. Due to the forbidden love of the two, Tita must dispose of the rose in a way that would not offend Pedro, she works the rose into her meal and it is a hit with the family. It has a very strange affect on each of the consumers, the meal acts as an aphrodisiac for the second sister, Gertrudis, as well Pedro. Tita herself goes through an out-of-body experience. Throughout the dinner, Tita and Pedro stare at each other, entranced. Once the dinner is finished, Gertrudis immediately heads upstairs to rid herself of the powerful aroma that she is emitting due to the sensuous meal. To make a long story short the force of her heat and passion causes the water from her shower to evaporate on contact and eventually sets the shower on fire. Fleeing naked from the burning shower, Gertrudis is scooped up onto a galloping horse by a soldier in the revolutionary army, who was drawn to the area by her intoxicating scent. Tita is now left alone in the house, while her sister becomes the talk of the town.

This chapter is by far my favorite, it is a prime example of the way everything centralizes around food in the story. It was a chain reaction from her recievance of the rose, to the aphrodisiac meal which imminently resulted in the escape of her sister. Especially for Tita food and cooking are her escape, for she is not as fortunate as her sister to be able to truly leave. I can't wait to see what is in store for the mouthwatering months ahead...