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.

Food and Communication can lead to people to do good or bad things.

We need food as much as we need to communicate with others. Communication can have a big

impact in our lives. A few words can hurt someone's feelings or make people feel happy. In the

Book of J, the Odyssey and Like Water for Chocolate, communication 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

forbitten fruit, led them discover a different world through communication. 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 to Pedro through food.

According to the Book of J, a conversation between the snake and Eve was what made her to

eat the fruit and also be offered to Adam. In this case the conversation turned the bad way. The

snake used the conversation as a way to trick to Eve. He conviced her that nothing wrong would

happen if she ate the fruit. However, this was not true. Adam and Eve were punished by

Yahweh because they did not listen what Yahweh told them. They were throw out of the garden

and now they lost their privilige of living a peaceful life. To the woman he said "Pain increasing,

groan that spead into groans: having children will labor". For the man "Now bitter be the soil to

your taste; in labor you will bend to eat from it, each day you live"(Harol Bloom, Pag. 64).

Despite what made Adam and Eve commit sin and be punished by Yahweh, after Adam and Eve

had eating the fruit, "The eyes of both fall open, grasp of knowledge of their naked skin"(63).

Adam and Eve's sinful act of eatin the forbidden fruit, led them discover a different world

trhough communication because they have discovered a new world and now they are aware and

learned the good and bad things. Moreover, food and communication can have a bid impact in

our lives. If they would not listen to the snake they would not being punished by Yahweh. But, in

the other hand if they would not do it they would not discovered a new world.

In the Odyssey, Odyssseus and his crew they 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 find a way to trick people by using food.

Since the Cyclopes were a group of giants, Odysseus created a plan to run away from

Polyphemus who was also part of the group and wanted Odysseus and his crew to be his meal.

Yet, "Cyclopes, 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 his way Odysseus

was going to hurt him without his noticing. Odysseus stabbed the oliwood stake in the Cyclops'

eye. But, the worse thing is that Polyphemus could never find out what was Odysseus' name

because while the Cyclop was drinking, Odysseus gave him the wrong name so they can run

away from them. However, it was more than one ocasion that odysseus used food as a method to

survive againts 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 to Odysseus an herb. "Take this herb with you when you go to Circe and it will

protect you from her deadly tricks" (Homer 149). Odysseus not only could survive with the help

of the herb, but also could convinced to Circe to change his men back to human being.

Since Tita and Pedro were not allow to get married, their love was forbidden. Tita's mother

tried always to keep them apart, making it so difficult for them to talk to one another. But, one

way Tita could show to Pedro that she loved him was how she cook. Her food always 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, voluptuos, perfumed, totally sensuos" (Esquivel 52).

Pedro and Tita discovered that the meal "Was a new system of communication"(52), in wich

Gertrudis her sister received the sexual message and ended up acting wild and left the house.

Also, according to the book, when Tita was sad, her food could also made people to get sick as

happened when her sister Rosaura married to Pedro. Tita baked the cake for her sister's

wedding. "The moment they took their first bite of cake everyone was flooded with a great wave

of loging" (Pag.39). The cake caused intoxication to the guesses "An acute attack of pain and

frustation that seized that guest and scattered them cross the patio and in the bathroom, all of

them wailing over lost love"(39). As a result, we can conclude, that communication is very

important to survive inour society. Tita is a perfect example that a person cannot hold for so

long their feeilngs because one way or another we will end up demostrating it.

In conclusion, we are clear that food and communication are very essential to survivel. Each

character of the three books (the Bok of J, the Odyssey and Like Water for Chocolate) was

connected to food and communication. Although, Adam and Eve committed sin by eating the

forbidden fruit, they also discovered a new world by using food and communication. Odysseus

used food and communication as a way to trick people and fight againts the monsters that they

wanted to kill them. And Tita demostrated her feelings to Pedro through food.

In the movie "Tortilla Soup", we learned that all the character have a different type of lifestyle. However, the one that took my attention was Carmen for different reasons. Carmer not only was the career woman, but also she caress about her father more than her other sisters. She was not affraid in making decisions and make big moves in her life.

Carmen besides of being the oldest sister, she was a career woman. She wants to achieve all her goals and every member of her family respect her decisions. She dresses always casual and eventhought that her priorities are her job, she also caress for her family and friends. For example: she helped up to change the look of her sister leticia so she can get a boyfriend. Also, she went to see his father's friend inmediatly as soon as they called her to tell her that he was sick in the hospital. They had a conversation between him and Carmen that later made her change her mind about her job. When his father's frienf die, she was so sad and worried for her fathers lonlyness. She insisted him that he needed a woman that can spent the rest of his life. Since his best friend was no more alive, Carmen realized that her father would fall in depresion and also die.

She had a boyfriend but he cheated on her. She finished with this relationship and yet her priority was her job and her family that this notice did not put her down because she was a strong woman. When she was promoted in her job, she was supposed to move to Spain. But, the conversation that she had with his father's friend made her realized that her family was more important in her life. Especially because her father was more lonely than ever and her sisters have moved on with their live and did not live anymore with him. She decided to give up to this job opportunity and do what she really made her happy. Suddenly, she found out that she can cook as her father did and she stayed in charge of the kitchen where her father used to work.

In summary, Carmen was not only a career woman with a lot of opportunities in her life,but she was the daughter that eventhought she was ambitious she cares for the happiness of her family. She gave up to the opportunity to have the job of her dreams just to stay with family and made her father happy.

Food and Communication can lead to people to do good or bad things.

The human being not only need food to survive, but also need to communicate to people in order of expressing their thoughts and feelings. If people do not eat they eventually will die, and if they do not talk to others, the feeling of the heart and the spirit of the person will die also.

As i have mentioned, there are two ways how people can survive into society by eating, and by communicating. In like water for chocolate we have learned that Tita does not have a good relationship with her mother. In despite, Tita was allocated to spend the rest of her life in one place only. Tita had no other choice than just to cook and keep the house clean. But, eventually she found a way to feel a litle big better with herself. By cooking tita found that she can transmit her thoughts and feelings to the rest of the people. Tita is a perfect example to describe that a person can not hold for so long their secrets, doubts, or emotions because the heart get affected and the spirit of a person get sick and depress.

Since Tita and Pedro were not allow to get marry their love were forbitten. Tita's mother tried always to kept them apart. And making for them so difficult to talk one each other. But, the way how Tita could say to Pedro and the rest of the people that she still love him, was how she got to prepare the food. Her food always had a good taste. and also a kind of magic that make to people to act as the Tita's emotions. According to the book, if Tita was sad, people got sick by eating her food, but when Tita was happy, her food made people to act wild as unusuall. So we can say that for the most part people always feel better and release once they have communicated and share their problems or news to other people.

In the book of J, after God created Adam, he saw that he was alone and he created Eva so Adam could have someone who can share their life. But, when I say share a life, I mean also that the humans need to communicate their thoughts one each other. When people keep always quiet and never share their opinions, those people tend more to live a sour life and become mentally ill for holding so much in their heart. On the other hand, we have learned that food and communication can also have a big impact in our life. For example, a piece of fruit was that caused to change the life of Adam and Eva. Eva was enticed by someone to eat a fruit. She decided to communicate this to Adam and she also offered the fuit to him. If they would not listen to the sneak they would not have eaten the fruit and their life would not change and were not being punished by God.

To conclude, we are clear that food and communication are very essential in order to survive. Since God created Adam and Eve, the food was always a way to communicate their thoughts. And wheter can be bad or good thoughts, we need of this two thing in order to live in this world.

Food can gather people together

In every country people celebrate new years eve in different ways. Eventhought for other

cultures and countries the new year starts in a different day. In America we celebrate it on

the december 30. Family gather together. They eat chicken, pork and grapes. They dance all

night long. And they wait the year wishing that the next one will be better for them.

That night my family and the closes friends get together in one house to have dinner.

Everyone is assigned to bring one dish for the dinner. For example, my mother brings the

chicken, my aunt the pork or turkey. The rest can bring the dessert and drinks. The guesses

ussually arrive around 8:00 pm so they can set out the table and put all the food on place. After

everybody is there, we start eating and talking one each other and making jokes of all bad things

that happened during the year.

After everybody have finished eaten, we stay silence. The owner of the house raise his or

her voice to give a speak. This speak is to thank to everyone for have came and spent time with

them. Finally, the person wishes to all a good health, wealth and love for the new year. They

raise their glasses of champane and their cheer to one each other.

After they finish their drinks, we move to the living room. We turn the t.v. on so we can see

the people from Time Square. Before the clock reaches the midnight, we stand out and we keep

on our hands 12 grapes. While everybody is in circle, we start counting the seconds very loud.

Once the time reach to midnight, we start eating the 12 grapes wishing in our minds things

that we expect to do the next year. Right after, we start huging kissing and wishing to everyone

a happy new year. We take pictures and we dance all night long.

To conclude, the new year eve, is the day that families and closest friends gather together to

have dinner while waiting for the next year. Everybody try to have a good time by dancing,

and making jokes and wishing that the next year will be better.

According to the reading of like water for chocolate, I have learned that food can be a way to express people's feelings. Tita and Pedro are two characters that loved one each other. However, Pedro is married to her sister because her mother wanted to keep Tita single for all her life so she could take of her until she died.
Pedro accepted to married her sister because it was the only way of keeping close with Tita. Althought her mother wants them to keep them apart, they always find a way to be close. But one big sing of Tita to demostrated how she was so sad that her only love of her life was getting married another woman that it was not her, was when she baked the cacke for the wedding. And even though she followed all the instructions. Tears dropped into the mixture and at the time that all the guesses started eating the cacke everybody started feelig sick. As the same way as she was feeling inside of her heart.
Another occassion was, that when Pedro gave her flowers as excuse of being the woman that have been cooking for them for a year. Tita got so happy and she tie the flower againts her breast. Suddenly, it came to her mine to cook quail with the roses that Pedro gave her. At the time that there were eatin no one could not resist how tasty was the meal. "It is a dish for the gods" was the words of Pedro. Later, realizing that the food seemed to act as an aphrodisiac. Gertrudis, Tita's sister started feeling and intense heat on her body that she had to run to take a shower. But nothing could not stop her of continuing spreading the heat that eventually began a fire. This reaction of her sister was another sign of Tita's feelings toward Pedro because the food was cooked with a lot of love and thinking only in him. This is why i say that food could be a way of expressing our feeling toward others.

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