The character of food

In Like Water for Chocolate, food is a major character that serves many functions. Each chapter of the book is based on a certain month and focused on a particular recipe. Each recipe has to do with some dramatic episode or event in the De la Garza family. Food is extremely important to each member in the family; however, like Nacha, food has a whole different connection with Tita. Besides being a wonderful cook, Tita has a spiritual, emotional, and romantic connection with food. In several instances, elements of Tita (blood, tears…) have been mixed into the food which yielded very interesting results. Those who ate the food began to feel the same emotions that Tita felt while preparing it. Furthermore, food acts as conduit for Pedro and Tita’s romantic relationship. In this family, words are not needed to say the things that the food does. The food “speaks” among the characters. Additionally, food is constantly referred to when the feelings of the characters are being described. For example, the title of the book Like Water for Chocolate is used to describe Tita’s feelings: she was extremely agitated and about “to boil over”. In this story, food is used to heal, to speak, to express, to celebrate, and to love.