Can a book really convey a cultural aspect of a culture well enough for us to see the true cultural beliefs of a country? This is why I think so, "Like Water for Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel represents many cultural aspects of the Mexican cultural lifestyle throughout the novel using everything from small cultural references to large references. This is mainly due to the fact that Laura Esquivel is from Mexico and has strong cultural beliefs. Laura Esquivel from what the Gale Contextual Encyclopedia tells us "Esquivel was born on September 30, 1950 in Mexico City, the daughter of Julio Caesar, a telegraph operator, and Josephine Esquivel." (Gale encyclopedia, 560). From him being so connected to his culture we gain a deeper perspective on Mexican cultural practices. In “Like Water for Chocolate” we see Laura's true beliefs and cultural connections emerge through her mother and through the use of recipes as a transition to chapters. Mexican culture is always present in this novel in many different aspects of culture in the novel. We see a great conflict arise from this religious belief as Tita tries to marry Pedro but being the youngest sister she has to wait for her mother to die. While the novel depicts this well, it shows the true commitment that Tita and her family have to their religion. As we see more into Tita's life, we see Tita give up on marrying Padro. After she forgets about Pedro, he goes on to marry Rosaura and Tita falls in love with John. The whole story is then interrupted when the mother dies and returns to haunt Tita for her affair with Pedro. The idea of ​​the afterlife is presented to us in this part showing us how great an influence life after death has on Mexican religion. This novel unfolds through both...... middle of paper ......rint.Marchi, Regina M. Day of the Dead in the United States: Migration and the Transformation of a Cultural Phenomenon. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2009. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Network. April 21, 2014.Smith, Stephanie J. Gender and the Mexican Revolution: Yucatán Women and the Realities of Patriarchy. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2009. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Network. April 21, 2014. Merrim, Stephanie. The spectacular city, Mexico and colonial Hispanic literary culture. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2010. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Network. April 21, 2014. "Day of the Dead." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th edition (2013): 1. Literary Reference Center. Network. April 21, 2014.Goldman, Phyllis Barkas. “The Unique Culture of Mexico.” Monkeyshines on Mexico, Land of Legends (1995): 94-125. Historical reference center. Network. April 21. 2014.