The novel Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel has won many hearts as well as awards when first published in 1989 in Spanish and 1992 in English. In the novel Esquivel encompasses us with the sweet aroma of the imagination and creativity. Unfortunately, this can not be said of the feature film that was based on the book. Como agua para chocolate was released as a Mexican language film in 1993 featuring English subtitles. Although the subtitles were provided to help the Spanish-illeterate to understand the film, it was just as confusing to follow the plot with them.

Like a bad cook standing behind his/her cuisines, Esquivel's integrity is questioned here. Although directed by Alfonso Arau, the screenplay was provided by Esquivel herself. Unfortunately, Esquivel should have quitted while being ahead instead of marinating the novel into a tasteless movie. Most books thrive on the reader's imagination which quickly gets digested away when it comes to the widescreen. Although some films have complimented books very well (Jurassic Park, the Green Mile, etc.) Como agua para chocolate sports a genre of simply "Bad" and ends up giving the viewer a bad taste in

The plot depicted in the film is undercooked and quite a bit of detail was cut out. It was as though it was counting on people appetizing the book prior to viewing the film. Upon the nauseating wedding cake scene, Mama Elena admires the picture of the man she had an affair with but the film fails to inform who was in the picture. In Maria De Valdes' critique, she points out the significance of the 100-mile blanket that Tita literally dragged with her, saying it symbolized the many days and nights she spent being miserable. But it seemed as if the film made the scene as a feeble attempt for comedy relief and thus one could only wonder the significance of it. The film goes on with lackluster performance and spoilers that makes one lose their appetite. What the film lacked in taste is made up in the "romantic" scenes. It seemed like the director was more concerned in spicing up the visual details in those side-dished scenes than the main course. Such scenes as Gertrudis's setting fire to the bathroom due to her "hot condition" doesn't quite inform the viewer the central theme of Tita's cookery. And what about the watermelon scene? The film neither informs the reader that the watermelon was there as an aid on hot nights or that Pedro gained permanent residence on the ranch. Rather, the director, as if in hopes to gain more sales at the box office, has Pedro popping up conveniently to satisfy his teenage-instincts.

The novel/film takes place in Mexico during its revolution of 1910. The novel tells of the De Garza family affairs. Mama Elena, sporting a hairdo that befits all the evil step-mothers that ever existed and the occassional shotgun, spits out more fire than a jalepeño pepper. Mama Elena being the head honcho of the ranch after her husband died of a heart attack, barks orders to her three daughters, Rosaura, G

Some common words found in the essay are:
De Valdes', Green Mile, Mama Elena, Mama Elena's, Laura Esquivel, Water Chocolate, De Garza, Tita Tita, De Valdes, Unfortunately Esquivel, mama elena, agua para, como agua, como agua para, agua para chocolate, para chocolate, de valdes, mama elena's, water chocolate, de garza family, garza family, de garza, novel esquivel, mama elena's ghost,
Approximate Word count = 1232
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)