ESTEFANIA M. MORA
ENG 102/ 0838
04/28/2010

FOOD AND KNOWLEDGES CAN LEAD PEOPLE TO DO GOOD OR BAG THINGS

We need food as much as we knowledge to survive. Knowledge can have a big impact in our
lives because without knowledge we cannot distinguish the good and the bad things. In The
Book of J, The Odyssey and Like Water for Chocolate, knowledge plays an important role and it
has a special link with food. In The Book of J, Adam and Eve’s sinful act of eating the forbidden
fruit, led them to discover a new world through knowledge. Also, in the Odyssey, Odysseus, and
his crew used food as a way to trick the giants and run away from them. And in Like Water for
Chocolate, Tita expressed her feelings through food.
According to The Book of J, when the snake was having the conversation with Eve, the snake
used the fruit of the tree of knowledge as a way to make Adam and Eve commit sin. The
snake told Eve “ God knows on the day you eat from it your eyes will fall open like gods,
knowing good and bad.”(Rosenburg 63). Eve felt attractive to the fruit and she “sees how good
the tree looks, to eat from, how lovely to the eyes, lively to the mind” (63). Under the
influences of the snake, Eve accepted the proposal believing the snake. Regardless that she
was not suppose to eat from the tree of good and bad, she still did it. She also offered Adam
the fruit and they both ate it. Adam and Eve were punished by Yahweh. They were thrown out
of the garden and now they have lost their privileges of living a peaceful life. To the woman he
said “Pain increasing, groan that spread into groans: having children will labor you will bend to
eat from it, each day you live” (64). However, despite what made Adam and Eve commit sin,
and be punished by Yahweh, after Adam and Eve had eaten the fruit, “The eyes of both fall
open, grasp of knowledge of their naked skin” (63). Although, the forbidden fruit represents the
sin that committed Adam and Eve, it also represents a new life with knowledge. Adam and Eve
discovered a new world through fruit and now they are aware and learned what is good and
bad. According to “Shown Krahmer”, in his paper he mentioned that one of the reasons of why
Adam and Eve committed sin was because lack of knowledge. “Eve is seduced by the devil
because she is foolish, ignorant of the truth or lacking of knowledge. She lacks rationality and
wisdom” (Krahmer 2). Moreover, food and knowledge can have a big impact in our lives. If they
would not had eaten the forbidden fruit they would not been punished by Yahweh. But, on the
other hand, if they would not do it, they would not discover a new world.
In the Odyssey, Odysseus and his crew were always involved between wars, conflicts and
disagreements with people and monsters that they met during their trips. Although, they have
lost some members of his crew, Odysseus always found a way to trick people by using food. He
always prayed to the gods to help him to think how to survive from be food for the monsters.
Since the Cyclopes were a group of giants, Odysseus created a plan to run away from
Polyphemus who was also part of the giant group and wanted Odysseus and his crew to be his
meal. Yet, Cyclops, have some wine, now that you have eaten your human flesh” (Homer 134).
The ruby red wine was so tasty that Polyphemus asked for more, not realizing that this way
Odysseus was going to hurt him without noticing. The wine had begun to work on his mind and
he became drunk. Now, that he had lost consciousness because the wine, Odyssseus can
continue with his plan. Odysseus stabbed the olivewood stake in the Cyclops’ eye. But, the
worse thing is that Poluphemus could never find out what was Odysseus’ name because while
the Cyplop was drinking, Odysseus gave him the wrong name so he could never find him.
However, it was more than one occasion that Odysseus used food as a method to survive from
the monsters as he did right after he and his men travel to Aeaea. That was the home of the
beautiful witch goddess Circe. This witch converted to Odysseus’ men into pig by drugging
them. When Odysseus went to rescue them, a man named Hermes approached him. He offered
Odysseus an herb. “Take this herb with you when you go to Circe and it will protect you from
the deadly tricks” (Homer 149). One more time, Odysseus used his wisdom to convinced Circe
to turn back again his man into regular people. What a surprise had Odysseus when his men
saw him. Although, they were turn into pigs, and back again into humans, they never forgot
who was Odysseus, because they recognized him without any problem. Furthermore, in the
introduction of the book of Odyssey, the author made emphasis of the relationship of Odysseus
with the gods. They protected him of any bad situation that could harm the life of Odysseus.
The gods always gave him the wisdom to think to create plans to escape from death. “The gods
of Homer are mainly immortal men and women, incomparably more powerful than mortals,
but like mortals susceptible to all human emotions an appetites, therefore capable of being
teased, flattered, enraged, seduced, chastised” (Homer 54). Given these facts, we also
conclude that nobody could go against Odysseus. The gods gave him the knowledge to fight
with any witch or monster who wants to invite Odysseus In order to set him up and attack him.
More likely, this also can happen in real life. We see many people who practice any type of
religion asking to their gods so they protect them against death or poverty. As an example the
Christians, when they take the communion which is a piece of bread and wine, it represents
the body and the soul of Christ, their mind takes a position in which the person can talk to God
and ask him also for their needs. In this moment their mind obtains a different position in which
God is transmitting his wishes and the person obtains new knowledge of God so they can leave
a peaceful life (Adams 89-105). For instance, people transmit their wishes to God through food
and obtain knowledge and rationality by praying as also did Odysseus to his gods.
Since Tita and Pedro were not allowed to get married, their love was forbidden. Tita’s
mother always tried to keep them apart, making it so difficult for them to talk to one another.
Nevertheless, this never stopped Tita of showing her love to Pedro. One way Tita could show
Pedro that she loved him was through food. Her food had a good taste and also a kind of magic
that made people to act as Tita’s emotions. Sexual effects also happened when Tita cooked the
quails, a special dinner that she prepared for her family. “That was the way she entered Pedro’s
body, hot voluptuous, perfumed, totally sensuous” (Esquivel 52). Pedro and Tita discovered
that the meal “Was a new system of communication” (52), in which Gertrudis, her sister,
received the sexual message. The message that received Gertrudis it was indirectly for Pedro
and even though nobody expected that Gertrudis would act wild, Tita expressed her feelings to
Pedro though food. Also, a man from the federal troops who was engaged in a fierce battle,
perceived the aroma of Gertrudis and something urgent made him go to her way. “Then he
knew why he’d been drawn there. This woman desperately needed a man to quench the red-
hot fire that was raging inside her”(55). In this case, knowledge came indirectly to the man’s
mind and he just followed what his heart was transmitting to his mind. He needed the love of a
woman as same Gertrudis needed the love of a man. Also, we can compare this with the story
of Short Friday Shmul- Leibele pretends to gobble his wife as he eats the letter of her name
spelled on the challah bread, “Shmul leibele eats the Sabbath loaf” (Harrison 360). This episode
describes not only the love for God by eating the bread but also his love for her and sexual
pleasure. Although they are aware and conscious of knowledge that were not suppose to lust
for pleasure, the husband demonstrated his loves to his wife through food by eating the bread.
For Christians, the communion represents “Christ himself, living in those whom he has united to
himself in one mystical body” (Merton ix). In his book of “The living bread” the communion
represents Christ and if they take the communion they are accepting him. This is a way how
Christians demonstrate that God live in their heart through food. Each character like Tita,
Pedro, Shmuo-Leibele and his wife, ate the food as a symbol of love.

In conclusion, we are clear that food and communication are very essential for survival. Each
character of the three books (The Book of J, the Odyssey and Like Water for Chocolate) was
connected to food and knowledge. Although, Adam and Eve committed sin by eating the
forbidden fruit, they also discovered a new world with knowledge by using food. Odysseus used
food and wisdom as a way to trick people and fight against the monsters that they wanted to
kill them. And Tita also, demonstrated her feelings to Pedro through food.