Throughout Tita's childhood, "the joy of living was wrapped up in the delights of food." [1] She is raised by Nacha, who brings her in touch with her culinary talents. However, her real mother is always cruel, irrational and unreasonable towards her daughter, who has to bear the brunt of her strictness and discipline. Always very inconsiderate, she hurts Tita the most when she forces her to follow the old family tradition that dictates that the youngest daughter must remain unmarried in order to take care of her widowed mother till her death. Thus, Tita cannot marry her beloved, Pedro Musquiz, who instead marries Tita’s sister, Rosaura. Tita is deeply hurt by this, but she accepts the harsh reality and continues to hide all her sorrow and unhappiness. Yet, her mother forces her to prepare the feast for Rosaura and Pedro’s wedding. Laura Esquivel combines food and magic realism for the first time here. As Tita prepares the wedding cake, her tears fall into the batter and icing, which in turn has a deep effect on all the wedding guests who consume it and have an intense feeling of longing.
Thereby, Tita unconsciously adds these emotions to the ingredients for every dish that she prepares and the effect of these emotions show that food is literally a part of her own being. She constantly uses food as a tool to express her passions as well. Tita is also able to communicate her feelings to her lover Pedro secretively, which further helps in their bonding. Ironically, through her cooking, she is able to strengthen her relationship with everyone, including Pedro’s two children, as also rebel against her rigid mother. Thus, just as an artist uses a canvas to paint his emotions, Tita uses her cooking creatively to evoke deep feelings in others and also discover her own innermost passions.
Hence, although love, lust and passion are the major themes in this novel, Tita’s discreet affair with Pedro also throw light on the importance of duty and responsibility in life. They both realize the need of keeping their love a secret and continue to respect Mama Elena’s and Rosaura’s feelings by not openly displaying their affection for each other. Even though Tita disapproves of the unfair family tradition which does not allow her to marry, she follows it to please her mother and ultimately the society. She takes care of her mother selflessly, despite her constant rebukes and later shows her forgiving nature, by helping her sister Rosaura through the tough times.
This novel clearly explores the struggles faced by women right from the beginning. Like many others, Tita is also victimized and forced to suppress her emotions, her sense of selfhood and ultimately denied her individuality. Yet, this novel celebrates the spirit of life, because ultimately, Tita emerges triumphant, as she bravely cruises through all the problems that life has to offer and finally unites with her lover, Pedro. She is shown to grow in strength and character, as she is able to assert herself and stand up for her rights. The domestic sphere is portrayed as a site of repression, which may confine women, but on the other hand even as a site for rebellion against traditional boundaries.
Thus, we as readers learn that one should always live life on one’s own terms. Every individual needs to somehow get his/her feelings and emotions across to the rest of the world and do whatever it takes to attain self-assertion and freedom. At the same time this novel has been described to accurately "map the trajectory of feminist history in Mexican society." [2] It truly is a celebration of feminism and womanhood. In the end, it can be viewed as a delicious feast that combines love, hatred, relationships, traditions and fantasies; a novel that contains all the ingredients that make up life.
