Ethnography of Como Agua Para Chocolate and Green Ceremonies

The following entry is my observation and correlation of thematic units present in the movie "Como Agua Para Chocolate" and the green bag lecture I attended led by Dr. Rachel Jackson.

"La mera verdad, es que la verdad no existe, todo depende en el punto de vista." -Laura Esquibel (Like Water for Chocolate)

The film Como Agua Para Chocolate is about life in Mexico during the Mexican revolution. It presented concepts enveloped in magical realism. Concentrating on the realistic aspects I found myself disturbed by the main plot points. Just like the Cherokee creation story The Legend of Kanati and Selu. Both stories exhibit inspirational highlights, but I recognized fundamental differences and similarities between the past and todays modern woman. 

Both stories serve as fables. However, Selu, the first woman sacrifices herself for her children. While Mama Elena from Like Water for Chocolate subjects her youngest daughter to a life of suffering. While these are contrasting aspects of both the movie and the story from the guest lecture, they share many similarities that I found to be quite disturbing. 

I specifically found it extremely disturbing that a mother would force her own daughter to a life of solitude and servitude at her side because of tradition. Which makes me realize that the concept of tradition is what helped keep a lot of people alive during a time in which life-expectancy was much shorter. Nonetheless, to see a woman follow a tradition so hindering for a fellow woman especially her own, gave me an uneasy feeling. However, like Selu, said daughter ends up choosing a life of servitude and sacrifice. She ultimately sacrificed herself for the love of her life; metaphorically and physically.

In Like Water for Chocolate Tita resisted oppression by cooking delicious food, while her oppressor could not. This is the way she was able to metaphorically give herself to the love of her life. In this same way we see mother Selu provide for her husband and children, though literally in the latter. Tita is also seen breast feeding her nephew which mirrors Selu feeding her offspring from her body. In this way the act of providing nourishment turns into an act of resistance. Feeding a child from your body when it is forbidden is an act of rebellion. This reminds me of today's women publicly breast-feeding and receiving judgement. Today’s modern woman are resisting oppression by publicly breast feeding their children. 

This concept resonates with both the movie and Selu. Selu used to hide from her husband and children when producing corn from her body and similarly Tita also had to hide when breast-feeding her nephew. The corn mother was murdered by her own sons when her secret comes to be known but proves resistance by making it so that her blood continued to produce corn once she died. 

The essence of the corn mother is still seen today providing nourishment for the people of this land. Dr. Rachel Jackson spoke about the green corn rebellion in which the livelihood of Oklahoma farmers was threatened due to a mandatory draft. The rebellion survived on the green corn growing throughout the country. So, Mother Selu is still providing for her children today very much like the sustenance our own mothers gave us.