For Book Club this month, we read Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, or Como Agua Para Chocolate if you are fortunate enough to be fluent in Spanish. Like Water for Chocolate follows the story of Tita, the youngest daughter in a traditional Mexican family. According to Tita's mother, Mexican tradition dictates that the youngest daughter should take care of her mother until her death, so Tita is forbidden from marrying her true love Pedro. Unable to control her own life, Tita expresses her frustration and sadness and love through her cooking.
For the most part, everyone present at the discussion enjoyed the book. We discussed the magical realism of the novel and wondered about the translation – how accurate and how well received it was. My brief research didn’t reveal much regarding the translation, but sources did assert that the novel was a best seller. Pam and Katie said that the film adaptation is very well done. Having already read Como Agua Para Chocolate, Pam chose to read another of Esquivel’s work, The Law of Love.
We enjoyed a vegetarian Mexican dish while discussing Esquivel's works – sopa seca de tortilla – a tortilla casserole, as well as frijoles refritos, chips, salsa, and some cerveza.
--Andrea Scherer
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