Like Water for Chocolate- food and feelings

I thoroughly enjoyed “Like Water for Chocolate” not just because I am a Spanish minor but because the film handles melancholy/serious issues with a mix of sincerity, humor, and passion. The issues range from love and heart break, to illness and death. The protagonist of the film- Tita, essentially waits on her evil mama Elena on hand and foot- the food that she cooks for her is a big part of this. It is interesting that Tita’s passion is to cook, but it is also part of her servitude, which she hates. Coincidently Tita uses her cooking for control and mischief. For instance, when she makes a dish with the rose petals give to her by her lover, the dish provokes the guests to feel sexually aroused. Or when she cries over her lover into the wedding cake of her sister- and the tears cause her guests who eat the cake to long for their loved ones. Food and feelings really go hand and hand.

I enjoyed the review “Picks & Pans - Like Water for Chocolate starring Lumi Cavazo,” by Joanne Kaufman because it is open minded and honest about what to expect from the film.She captures the passion of the film by providing the unusual examples of the profound effects of Tita’s cooking without going overboard. She refers to the kitchen as “(Tita’s) only safe haven” – I agree and think she explains this well

Kaufman wraps it up by saying:“This visually sumptuous movie, which takes its title from the Mexican method for brewing hot chocolate by boiling water to the point of exquisite agitation -- a metaphor for sexual arousal -- may not be everyone's dish. But those willing to give themselves over to the gently ironic narrative, a large portion of mysticism and some wildly fanciful plot turns, are in for a treat.” This concluding thought is respectful and realistic of the culture and point of the film.

Kaufman, Joanne. “Picks & pans - Like Water for Chocolate starring Lumi Cavazo” People Weekly. 7 June 1993: pg 201. ProQuest. Western Libraries, Bellingham. 17 May 2008.