he teaches little Tita everything she has to know by showing her that every ingredient she adds to a dish can make a difference. Not only the result of flavors and colors on your plate will change, also the effects on the person who eats it will differ. Only a very limited group of people knows that the use of secret ingredients might do something to your body that you were never aware of.[break]
The story takes place during the Mexican Revolution, when protagonist Tita is fifteen. The young girl lives with her mother and two older sisters, Gertrudis and Rosaura, on a ranch near the Mexico-US border. The beating heart of the house is the kitchen where Tita rules the pots and pans. Not only is this the place where she creates the most delicious dishes for her family, but also between the four walls of the charming kitchen is where she lets her emotions flow.
When Tita was a little child, mostly happiness and laughter filled the room as her grandmother spent hours cooking and telling stories to her. But when Tito fell in love, happiness turned into sadness. She had to struggle with the extreme love she felt for Pedro. But the tradition of matriarchy makes the love between Tita and Pedro impossible. Iron-fisted mama Elena believes that the youngest daughter has a duty of taking care of her mother until the day she dies, and therefore she’s forbidden to marry.
But their love is too strong to forget, despite the strict tradition. Mama Elena notices this and keeps a constant eye on the two, which makes meeting or interaction impossible. On her part, the only way Tita can express her feelings and communicate them to Pedro is through her cooking skills. On his part, when Pedro gets a negative answer after asking Elena for Tita’s hand, he decides he won’t give up on his love, and does everything to get closer to Tita.
He also finds out, reluctantly, that the only way to be with the love of his life is to marry Tita’s sister Rosaura. Poor Tita doesn’t see that Pedro uses this marriage as a tactic to be closer to her. Nothing can help Tita’s devastated tears and broken heart. Her inconsolable grief gives her power to use food as a way to draw the man she loves away from her sister. Tita’s culinary delights get Pedro stuck in a spell of which he can’t find his way out.
This fairytale-like story of a Mexican family and their life, problems and love drips of passion. Esquivel has the talent of writing a novel in which feelings are never without fire, and food is never the basic need you long for just because you’re hungry. Tita’s cooking bursts with feelings of love, sadness or anger, and because of the passionate love she feels for Pedro, her meals come with side effects you may not have ordered.
Whether they want it or not, the persons eating her dishes have to give in to the reaction of their bodies to the food. There is magic woven throughout the sensual story that makes every word come to life. Every dish is described in such details that you can actually taste the different flavors while reading it. Your mouth starts watering as sexual energy and passionate love are the key ingredients in all of Tita’s delicious meals. Mexican dishes have never been hotter than in Tita’s kitchen.
What makes the story even more original is the structure of the chapters. Every division of the tale is introduced by a month of the year, followed by a recipe Tita uses in this part of the story. The book reminds one of an old cookbook where behind every recipe and ingredient is hidden a story. In the case of Like Water for Chocolate, the hidden tale is about impossible love and culinary magic in times of the Mexican Revolution.
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