Like Water for Chocolate Essay Example for Free

Like Water for Chocolate EssayLike Water For Chocolate by Laura Squalevella niggling Double twenty-four hours Dell Pub (Trd) ISBN 0553472550 Copy business 1994 CHAPTER ONE. JANUARY. Chrutnuw Ro/ INGREDIENTS 1 backside of arOin 1/2 choriw aaye oreyano 1 can of chitej rrano 10 haro ro PREPARATION Take oversee to chop the onion fine. To keep from crying when you chop it (which is so nettle), I suggest you place a inadequate bit on your head. The trouble with crying e rattlingplace an onion is that once the chopping gets you started and the tears begin to well up, the next thing you know you righteous patois stop. I dont know whether thats ever happened to you, scarcely I gather in to confess its happened to me, many quantifys. mom utilise to say it was because I was especially sensitive to onions, desire my great-aunt, Tita. Tita was so sensitive to onions, any time they were innovation chopped, they say she would scarcely cry and cry, when she was still in my great grandmothers intumesce her sobs were so loud that tear down Nancha, the cook, who was halfdeaf, could interpret them easily. Once her wailing got so violent that it brought on an early labor. And forwards my greatgrandmother could let issue a backchat or even a whimper, Tita made her entrance into this world, prematurely, right in that respect on the kitchen slacken amid the smells of simmering noodle soup, thyme, bay leaves, and cilantro, steamed milk, garlic, and, of course, onion. Tita had no need for the usual slap on the bottom, because she was al ordery crying as she emerged, maybe that was because she k tonic then that it would be her lot in life to be denied marriage. The trend Nancha told it, Tita was literally washed into this world on a great tide of tears that spilled over the bank of the table and flooded across the kitchen floor.That afternoon, when the uproar had sub rampd and the pissing had been dried up by the sun, Nancha swept up the residue the tears h ad left on the red st bingle floor. There was abounding salt to touch a 10-pound sack-it was used for cooking and lasted a long time. Thanks to her crotchety birth, Tita matte up a thick love for the kitchen, where she spent most of her life from the day she was born. When she was only 2 days old, Titas father, my great-grandfather, died of a centre attack and Mama Elenas milk dried up from the shock. Since there was no such(prenominal) thing as powdered milk in those days, and they couldnt buzz off a wet nurse anywhere, they were in a panic attack to satisfy the infants hunger.Nancha, who knew everything more than or less cooking-and much to a greater extent that doesnt enter the picture until later offered to follow chargeof feeding Tita. She mat up she had the scoop out chance of educating the innocent childs stomach, even though she had never mauled or had children. Though she didnt know how to read or write, when it came to cooking she knew everything there was to know. Mama Elena accepted her offer gratefully, she had enough to do amid her tribulation and the enormous responsibility of running the facing pages and it was the ranch that would provide her children the food and education they deserved-without having to worry about feeding a newborn baby on top of everything else.From that day on, Titas domain was the kitchen, where she grew vigorous and heavy on a diet of teas and thin corn gruels. This explains the sixth sense Tita developed about everything concerning food. Her eating habits, for example, were attuned to the kitchen routine in the morning, when she could smell that the beans were ready, at midday, when she sensed the water was ready for plucking the chickens, and in the afternoon, when the dinner peag was baking, Tita knew it was time for her to be fed. Sometimes she would cry for no reason at all, worry when Nancha chopped onions, that since they both knew the cause of those tears, they didnt pay them much mind. T hey made them a source of entertainment, so that during her childhood Tita didnt nonice between tears of laughter and tears of sorrow.For her laughing was a form of crying. Likewise for Tita the joy of existing was wrapped up in the delights of food. It wasnt easy for a person whose knowledge of life was based onthe kitchen to quail at the outside world. That world was an end slight expanse that began at the door between the kitchen and the rest of the house, whereas everything on the kitchen side of that door, on through the door leading to the patio and the kitchen and herb gardens was solely hers-it was Titas realm. Her sisters were just the opposite to them, Titas world seemed full of unknown dangers, and they were terrified of it. They felt that monkeying in the kitchen was seagullish and dangerous. But once, Tita managed to convince them to articulatio her in watching the dazzling display made by dancing water drops dribbled on a red voluptuous griddle.While Tita was s inging and waving her wet manpower in time, showering drops of water nap on the griddle so they would dance, Rosaura was cowering in the corner stunned by the display. Gertrudis, on the other hand, base this game enticing, and she threw herself into it with the enthusiasm she always showed where rhythm, movement, or music were involved. Then Rosaura had tried to join them- entirely since she but moistened her hands and then shook them gingerly, her efforts didnt occupy the desired put together. So Tita tried to move her hands closer to the griddle. Rosaura resisted, and they struggled for assure until Tita became annoyed and let go, so that sum carried Rosauras hands onto it. Tita got a irritating spanking for that, and she was forbidden to play with her sisters in her own world. Nancha became her playmate then.Together they made up all sorts of games and activities having to do with cooking. Like the day they saw a man in the village plaza twisting long thin balloons into physical shapes, and they decided to do it with sausages. They didnt just make real animals, they also made up some of their own, creatures with the fargon of a swan, the legs of a dog, the tail of a horse, and on and on. Then there was trouble, however, when the animals had to be taken isolated to fry the sausage. Tita refused to do it. The only time she was willing to take them apart was when the sausage was particularizeed for the Christmas rolls she love so much. Then she non only allowed her animals to be dismantled, she watched them fry with glee. The sausage for the rolls must be hot up over very low heat, so that it cooks thoroughly without get too brown. When d superstar, remove from the heat and supplement the sardines, which have been deboned ahead of time. Any black spots on the skin should also have been scraped off with a knife.Combine the onions, chopped chiles, and the ground oregano with the sardines. Let the mixture stand before necessitateing the rolls. Ti ta enjoyed this step enormously, while the filling was resting, it was very pleasant to savor its aroma, for smells have the power to complot the past, bringing back justs and even other smells that have no match in the present. Tita liked to take a deep breath and let the characteristic smoke and smell transport her through the recesses of her memory. It was otiose to try to recall the first time she had smelled one of those rolls-she couldnt, possibly because it had been before she was born. It might have been the unusual combination of sardines and sausages that had called to her and made her decide to trade the peace of ethereal existence in Mama Elenas belly for life as her female child, in order to enter the De la Garza family and share their delicious meals and wonderful sausage.On Mama Elenas ranch, sausage making was a real ritual. The day before, they started peeling garlic, cleaning chiles, and grinding spices. tout ensemble the women in the family had to participate Mama Elena, her daughters, Gertrudis, Rosaura, and Tita, Nancha, the cook. And Chencha, the maid. They gathered around the diningroom table in the afternoon, and between the talking and the jesting the time flew by until it started to get dark. Then Mama Elena would say Thats it for today. For a good listener, it is express, a wholeness word will suffice, so when they heard that, they all sprang into action. First they had to clear the table, then they had to assign t contains one collected the chickens, another drew water for finishfast from the well, a third was in charge of woodwind instrument for the stove. There would be no ironing, no embroidery, no run up that day.When it was all finished, they went to their bedrooms to read, say their prayers, and go to sleep. mind afternoon, before Mama Elena told them they could leave the table, Tita, who was then fifteen, announced in a trembling voice that Pedro Muzquiz would like to come and speak with her. After an endless sile nce during which Titas soul shrank, Mama Elena asked And why should this gentleman unavoidableness to come talk to me? Titas answer could barely be heard I dont know. Mama Elena threw her a cipher that seemed to Tita to contain all the years of repression that had flowed over the family, and say If he intends to ask for your hand, give notice (of) him not to bother. nuthouse be wasting his time and mine too. You know faultlessly well that being the youngest daughter promoter you have to take forethought of me until the day I die. With that Mama Elena got slowly to her feet, put her glasses in her apron, and said in a tone of final command . II Thats it for today. Tita knew that discussion was not one of the forms of communication permitted in Mama Elenas household, but even so, for the first time in her life, she intended to remonstration her mothers ruling. But in my opinion You dont have an opinion, and thats all I want to hear about it. For generations, not a single pers on in my family has ever questioned this tradition, and no daughter of mine is going to be the one to start.Tita lowered her head, and the realization of her fate afflicted her as forcibly as her tears struck the table. From then on they knew, she and the table, that they could never have even the slightest voice in the unknown forces that fated Tita to warp before her mothers absurd decision, and the table to continue to receive the bitter tears that she had first shed on the day of her birth. Still Tita did not submit. anxieties sprang to her mind. Doubts andthe next week she didnt speak a single word to her. What passed for communication between them resumed when Mama Elena, who was inspecting the clothes each of the women had been sewing, discovered that Titas creation, which was the most perfect, had not been basted before it was sewed. Congratulations, she said, your stitches are perfect -but you didnt haste it, did you? No, answered Tita, astonished that the sentence of sil ence had been revoked. Then go and rip it out. Baste it and sew it once more than and then come and show it to me. And remember that the lazy man and the stingy man end up base on balls their road twice. But thats if a person makes a mistake, and you yourself said a moment ago that my sewing was . Are you starting up with your rebelliousness again? Its enough that you have the audacity to break the rules in your sewing.Im sorry, Mami. I routine ever do it again. With that Tita succeeded in calming Mama Elenas anger. For once she had been very careful, she had called her Mami in the correct tone of voice. Mama Elena felt that the word Mama had a disrespectful sound to it, and so, from the time they were detailed, she had ordered her daughters to use the word Mami when speaking to her. The only one who resisted, the only one who said the word without the proper deference was Tita, which had earned her plenty of slaps. But how perfectly she had said it this time Mama Elena took com fort in the hopeFor one thing, she valued to know who started this family tradition. It would be nice if she could let that genius know about one little flaw in this perfect political program for taking care of women in their old age. If Tita couldnt marry and have children, who would take care of her when she got old? Was there a consequence in a case like that? Or are daughters who stay home and take care of their mothers not expected to survive too long after the parents death? And what about women who marry and pious platitude have children, who will take care of them?And besides, shed like to know what kind of studies had established that the youngest daughter and not the eldest is best suited to care for their mother. Had the opinion of the daughter affected by the plan ever been taken into account? If she couldnt marry, was she at least allowed to experience love? Or not even that? Tita knew perfectly well that all these questions would have to be buried forever in the ar chive of questions that have no answers. In the De la Garza family, one obeyedimmediately. Ignoring Tita completely, a very angry Mama Elena left the kitchen, and for that she had ultimately managed to subdue her youngest daughter. Unfortunately her hope was short-lived, for the very next day Pedro Muzquiz appeared at the house, his esteemed father at his side, to ask for Titas hand in marriage. His arrival caused a huge uproar, as his visit was completely unexpected. several(prenominal) days earlier Tita had sent Pedro a message via Nanchas brother asking him to abandon his suit.The brother swore he had delivered the message to Pedro, and yet, there they were, in the house. Mama Elena received them in the living room, she was extremely polite and explained why it was impossible for Tita to marry. But if you really want Pedro to get married, allow me to suggest my daughter Rosaura, whos just two years older than Tita. She is one hundred percent available, and ready for marriage At that Chencha almost dropped right onto Mama Elena the tray containing coffee and cookies, which she had carried into the living room to offer don Pascual and his son.Excusing herself, she rushed back to the kitchen, where Tita, Rosaura, and Gertrudis were waiting for her to fill them in on every detail about what was going on in the living room. She conniption headlong into the room, and they all immediately stopped what they were doing, so as not to miss a word she said. They were together in the kitchen making Christmas Rolls. As the name implies, these rolls are usually prepared around Christmas, but today they were being prepared in honor of Titas birthday. She would soon be sixteen years old, and she wanted to celebrate with one of her favorite dishes.Isnt that something? Your ma talks about being ready for marriage like she was dishing up a plate of enchiladas And the worse thing is, theyre completely different You cant just chastise tacos and enchiladas like that Chencha ke pt up this kind of running commentary as she told the others-in her own way, of course-about the scene she had just witnessed. Tita knew Chencha sometimes exaggerated and distorted things, so she held her aching heart in check. She would not accept what she had just heard. Feigning calm, she continued cutting the rolls for her sisters and Nancha to fill. It is best to use homemade rolls. Hard rolls can easily be obtained from a bakery, but they should be small, the grownupr ones are unsuited for this recipe. After filling the rolls, bake for ten minutes and serve hot.For best results, leave the rolls out overnight, wrapped in a cloth, so that the filth from the sausage soaks into the bread. When Tita was finishing wrapping the next days rolls, Mama Elena came into the kitchen and informed them that she had agreed to Pedros marriage-to Rosaura. Hearing Chenchas invoice confirmed, Tita felt her consistence fill with a wintry chill in one sharp, quick bang she was so iciness and dry her cheeks burned and turned red, red as the apples beside her. That overpowering chill a lasted a long time, and she could find no respite, not even when Nancha told her what she had overheard as she escorted don Pascual Muzquiz and his son to the ranchs gate. Nancha followed them, walking as quietly as she could in order to hear the conversation between father and son. strike Pascual and Pedro were walking slowly, speaking in low, controlled, angry voices.Why did you do that, Pedro? It will look ridiculous, your agreeing to marry Rosaura. What happened to the timeless love you swore to Tita? Arent you going to keep that vow? Of course Ill keep it. When youre told theres no way you can marry the woman you love and your only hope of being near her is to marry her sister, wouldnt you do the kindred? Nancha didnt manage to hear the answer, Pulque, the ranch dog, wentrunning by, barking at a rabbit he mistook for a cat. So you intend to marry without love? No, Papa, I am going t o marry with a great love for Tita that willnever die. Their voices grew less and less audible, drowned out by the crackling of dried leaves beneath their feet. How strange that Nancha, who was quite hard of perceive by that time, should have claimed to have heard this conversation.Still, Tita thanked Nancha for telling her-but that did not alter the icy feelings she began to have for Pedro. It is said that the deaf cant hear but can understand. Perhaps Nancha only heard what everyone else was afraid to say. Tita could not get to sleep that night, she could not find the words for what she was feeling. How unfortunate that black holes in space had not yet been discovered, for then she might have understood the black hole in the center of her chest, unconditioned coldness flowing through it. Whenever she closed her eyes she saw scenes from last Christmas, the first time Pedro and his family had been invited to dinner1 the scenesgrew more and more vivid, and the cold within her grew sharper.Despite the time that had passed since that evening, she remembered it perfectly the sounds, the smells, the way her new dress had graze the freshly waxed floor, the look Pedro gave her . . . That look She had been walking to the table carrying a tray of egg-yolk candies when she first felt his hot gaze burning her skin. She turned her head, and her eyes met Pedros. It was then she understood how dough feels when it is plunged into boiling oil. The heat that invaded her body was so real she was afraid she would start to bubble-her face, her stomach, her heart, her breasts-like batter, and unable to endure his gaze she lowered her eyes and hurriedly crossed the room, to where Gertrudis was pedaling the player piano, playing a waltz called the Eyes of Youth.She set her tray on a little table in the middle of the room, picked up a glass of Noyo liquor that was in front of her, precisely aware of what she was doing, and sat down next to Paquita Lobo, the De Ia Carzas neighbor . But even that distance between herself and Pedro was not enough1 she felt her blood pulsing, searing her veins. A deep flush suffused her face and no matter how she tried she could not find a place for her eyes to rest. Paquita saw that something was bothering her, and with a look of great concern, she asked That liquor is pretty strong, isnt it? absolve me? You look a little woozy, Tita. Are you feeling all right? Yes, thank you. Youre old enough to have a little drink on a special occasion, but tell me, you little devil, did your mama say it was okay? I can see youre excited-youre shaking and Im sorry but I must say youd better not have any more. You wouldnt want to make a fool of yourself. That was the last straw To have Paquita Lobo think she was drunk.She couldnt allow the tiniest suspicion to remain in Paquitas mind or she might tell her mother. Titas fear of her mother was enough to make her forget Pedro for a moment, and she applied herself to win over Paquita, any way s he could, that she was thinking clearly, that her mind was alert. She chatted with her, she gossiped, she made small talk. She even told her the recipe for this Noyo liquor which was sibyllic to have had such an effect on her. The liquor is made by soaking four ounces of peaches and a half pound of apricots in water for twenty-four hours to loosen the skin1 next, they are peeled, crushed, and steeped in hot water for fifteen days. Then the liquor is distilled.After two and a half pounds of sugar have been completely dissolved in the water, four ounces of orange-flower water are added, and the mixture is stirred and strained. And so there would be no lingering doubts about her mental and physical well-being, she reminded Paquita, as if it were just an aside, that the water containers held 2.016 liters, no more and no less. So when Mama Elena came over to ask Paquita if she was being properly entertained, she replied enthusiastically. Oh yes, perfectly You have such wonderful daughte rs. Such fascinating conversation Mama Elena sent Tita to the kitchen to get something for the guests.Pedro happened to be walking by at that moment and he offered his help. Tita rushed off to the kitchen without a word. His presence made her extremely uncomfortable. He followed her in, and she quickly sent him off with one of the trays of delicious snacks that had been waiting on the kitchen table. She would never forget the moment their hands accidentally touched as they both slowly bent down to pick up the same tray. That was when Pedro confessed his love. Sen on to Tita, I would like to take advantage of this opportunity to be alone with you to tell you that I am deeply in love with you. I know this declaration is presumptuous, and that its quite sudden, but its so hard to get near you that I decided to tell you tonight. All I ask is that you tell me whether I can hope to win your love.I dont know what to say . give me time to think. No, no, I cant I need an answer now you dont have to think about love, you both feel it or you dont. I am a man of few words, but my word is my pledge. I swear that my love for you will last forever. What about you? Do you feel the same way about me? Yes Yes, a thousand times. From that night on she would love him forever. And now she had to give him up. It wasnt decent to desire your sisters afterlife husband. She had to try to put him out of her mind somehow, so she could get to sleep. She started to eat the Christmas Roll Nancha hadleft out on her bureau, along with a glass of milk, this remedy had proven effective many times. Nancha, with all her experience, knew that for Tita there was no pain that wouldnt disappear if she ate a delicious Christmas Roll. But this time it didnt control. She felt no relief from the hollow sensation in her stomach. Just the opposite, a wave of nausea flowed over her. She agnise that the hollow sensation was not hunger but an icy feeling of grief. She had to get rid of that terrible sensa tion of cold. First she put on a wool robe and a heavy cloak. The cold still gripped her. Then she put on felt slippers and another two shawls.No good. Finally she went to her sewing box and pulled out the bedspread she had started the day Pedro first spoke of marriage. A bedspread like that, a crocheted one, takes about a year to complete. Exactly the length of time Pedro and Tita had planned to wait before getting married. She decided to use the yarn, not to let it go to waste, and so she worked on the bedspread and wept furiously, weeping and operative until dawn, and threw it over herself. It didnt help at all. Not that night, nor many others, for as long as she lived, could she free herself from that cold. TO BE CONTINUED Next months recipe, Chabeta weooina Cake. CHAPTER TWO. FEBRUARY. Chabefa Wany Cake INGREDIENTS. 175 aranw refinco granetlate0 uyar 300 yram cake flour, fteo three tim 17eay arateo peel of one basswood PREPARATION Place five egg yolks, four whole bollock, an d the sugar in a large bowl. Beat until the mixture thickens and then add two more whole eggs repeat, adding the remaining eggs two at a time until all the eggs have been added. To make the cake for Pedro and Rosauras wedding, Tita and Nancha had to cover this recipe by ten, since they were preparing a cake not for eighteen people but for 180.Therefore, they needed one hundred seventy eggs,which meant they had to arrange to have that number of good eggs on thesame day. To get that number of eggs together, they maintain all the eggs laid by the best hens for several weeks. This preserving technique had been employed on the ranch since time immemorial to ensure a supply of this nourishing and indispensable food throughout the winter. The best time to preserve eggs is August or September. The eggs must be very fresh. Nancha pet to use only eggs laid the same day.The eggs are placed in a cask containing crumbled sheep fodder, allowed to cool, and then covered completely. This will ke ep the eggs fresh for months. If you want them to keep for more than a year, place the eggs in an earthenware crock and cover them with a ten-percent lime solution. Cover tightly to keep the air out and store in the wine cellar. Tita and Nancha had chosen to use the first regularity because they didnt need to keep the eggs fresh for that many months. They had placed the cask containing the preserved eggs between them under the kitchen table and were taking the eggs out of it as they put the cake together. When she had beaten barely a hundred eggs, the phenomenal energy required for the task began to have a bad effect on Titas mood. To reach the goal of 170 seemed unimaginable.Tita beat the mixture while Nancha broke the eggs and added them to it. A fit of trembling shook Titas body and she broke out in goose bumps when each new egg was broken. The egg whites reminded her of the testicles of the chickens they had castrated the month before. Roosters that are castrated and then fatte ned up are called capons. The family had decided to serve capons at Pedro and Rosauras wedding because they would impress everyone with the quality of the dinner, as much for the amount of work required in their preparation as for the extraordinary flavor of the birds themselves.As soon as the get out of the wedding was set for the twelfth of January, they ordered two hundred roosters to be bought for castrating and fattening up. This task take flight to Tita and Nancha. Nancha because of her experience and Tita as punishment for feigning a headache to avoid her sister Rosauras engagement. I wont stand for disobedience, Mama Elena told her, nor am going to allow you to ruin your sisters wedding, with your acting like a victim. Youre in charge of all the preparations starting now, and dont ever let me catch you with a single tear or even a long face, do you hear?