Tita Quotes

It was very pleasant to savor its aroma, for smells have the power to evoke the past, bringing back sounds and even other smells that have no match in the present. -Tita

Tita knew through her own flesh how fire transforms the elements, how a lump of corn flour is changed into a tortilla, how a soul that hasn't been warmed by the fire of love is lifeless, like a useless ball of corn flour.

Inclusive se convertían en motivo de diversión, a tal grado que durante su niñez Tita no diferenciaba bien las lágrimas de la risa de las del llanto. Para ella reír era una manera de llorar.

And even though he doesn't mean it like I-want-to-leave-my-girlfriend-and-start-dating-you cute, something flickers inside of me. The "force of strength and destruction" Tita de la Garza knew so well.

Tita bajó la cabeza y con la misma fuerza con que sus lágrimas cayeron sobre la mesa, así cayó sobre ella su destino. Y desde ese momento supieron ella y la mesa que no podían modificar ni tantito la dirección de esas fuerzas desconocidas que la obligaban, a la una, a compartir con Tita su sino, recibiendo sus amargas lágrimas desde el momento en que nació, y a la otra a asumir esa absurda determinación

In typical Filipino fashion, my aunt expressed her love not through words of encouragement or affectionate embraces, but through food. Food was how she communicated. Food was how she found her place in the world.

-Perdóneme, Pedro. ¿Lo lastimé? -No tanto como yo la he lastimado, déjeme decirle que mi propósito... -No le he pedido ninguna explicación. -Es necesario que me permita dirigirle unas palabras... -Una vez lo hice y resultaron una mentira, no quiero escucharlo más...

durante su niñez Tita no diferenciaba bien las lágrimas de la risa de las del llanto. Para ella reír era una manera de llorar. De

Lo que me dijiste no cambió mi manera de pensar y te repito que me encantaría ser el compañero de toda tu vida, pero quiero que pienses muy bien si ese hombre soy yo o no. Si tu respuesta es afirmativa, celebraremos la boda dentro de unos días. Si no, yo seré el primero en felicitar a Pedro y pedirle que te dé el lugar que te mereces

¡Maldita decencia! ¡Maldito manual de Carreño! Por su culpa su cuerpo quedaba destinado a marchitarse poco a poco, sin remedio alguno. ¡Y maldito Pedro tan decente, tan correcto, tan varonil, tan... tan amado! -Tita

Hay muchas maneras de poner a secar una caja de cerillos húmeda, pero puede estar segura de que tiene remedio

«Porque no quiero». Tita con estas tres palabras había dado el primer paso hacia la libertad. Mientras

Al escuchar la confirmación de la noticia, Tita sintió como si el invierno le hubiera entrado al cuerpo de golpe y porrazo:

…durante su niñez Tita no diferenciaba bien las lágrimas de la risa de las del llanto. Para ella reír era una manera de llorar. De igual forma confundía el gozo del vivir con el de comer. No era fácil para una persona que conoció la vida a través de la cocina entender el mundo exterior.

A Tita le encantaría ser una simple semilla, no tener que dar cuentas a nadie de lo que se estaba gestando en su interior, y poder demostrarle al mundo su viente germinado sin exponerse al rechazo de la sociedad

Even someone like me felt utang na loob, that impossible to quantify sense of indebtedness and gratitude, to the people who’d raised me. But where was that magical line between selfishness and independence? Between my family and myself?

Why did you do that, Pedro? It will look ridiculous, you agreeing to marry Rosaura. What happened to the eternal love you swore to Tita? Aren't you going to keep that vow?' 'Of course I'll keep it. When you're told there's no way you can marry the woman you love, and your only hope of being near her is to marry her sister, wouldn't you do the same?' 'So you intend to marry without love?' 'No, Papa. I am going to marry with a great love for Tita that will never die.

Her greatest nightmare was holding a party and not having enough food for everyone.

Claro que lo sabía. Y claro que lo iba a considerar cuando tomara su decisión, la definitiva, la que determinaría todo su futuro

I made it to Adeena’s fifteen minutes late, which in Brown People Time (BPT) meant I was actually a little early.

I’ve never met people so enthusiastic about their food before.

So even though I was an only child, I had enough godmothers, cousins, aunties, and uncles to populate a small village. Or at least a relatively small town that began to feel smaller and more suffocating the older I got.

Decidió darle utilidad al estambre en lugar de desperdiciarlo y rabiosamente tejió y lloró, y lloró y tejió, hasta que en la madrugada terminó la colcha y se la echó encima. De nada sirvió. Ni esa noche ni muchas otras mientras vivió logró controlar el frí

All that time and money for your fancy education, you’d think your vocabulary would’ve improved by now. English isn’t even my first language and I’m practically Shakespeare compared to you.

Tita supo en carne propia por qué el contacto con el fuego altera los elementos, por qué un pedazo de masa se convierte en tortilla, por qué un pecho sin haber pasado por el fuego del amor es un pecho inerte, una bola de masa sin ninguna utilidad.

I am going to die. Sooner if not later. Tomorrow, if not fifty years later. That means I cannot waste time. I know I cannot help but waste time every now and then, but when I can I will make sure that every waking moment is spent in the pursuit of knowledge.

Tita se alejó rápidamente, dejando a John completamente desconcertado. Ella también lo estaba, pero se recuperó de inmediato al sentir en sus brazos a Roberto. Qué le importaba su destino mientras pudiera tener cerca a ese niño, que era más suyo que de nadie

Como ve, todos tenemos en nuestro interior los elementos necesarios para producir fósforo. Es más, déjeme decirle algo que a nadie le he confiado. Mi abuela tenía una teoría muy interesante, decía que si bien todos nacemos con una caja de cerillos en nuestro interior, no los podemos encender solos, necesitamos como en el experimento, oxígeno y la ayuda de una vela. Sólo que en este caso el oxígeno tiene que provenir, por ejemplo, del aliento de la persona amada; la vela puede ser cualquier tipo de alimento, música, caricia, palabra o sonido que haga disparar el detonador y así encender uno de los cerillos. Por un momento nos sentiremos deslumbrados por una intensa emoción. Se producirá en nuestro interior un agradable calor que irá desapareciendo poco a poco conforme pase el tiempo, hasta que venga una nueva explosión a reavivarlo. Cada persona tiene que descubrir cuáles son sus detonadores para poder vivir, pues la combustión que se produce al encenderse uno de ellos es lo que nutre la energía al alma. En otras palabras, esta combustión es su alimento. Si uno no descubre a tiempo cuáles son sus propios detonadores, la caja de cerillos se humedece y ya nunca podremos encender un solo fósforo

¡Con permiso! … Ah, y le sugiero que para la próxima vez que se enamore, ¡no sea tan cobarde! Tita,

A Tita le encantaría ser una simple semilla, no tener que dar cuentas a nadie de lo que se estaba gestando en su interior, y poder mostrarle al mundo su vientre germinado sin exponerse al rechazo de la sociedad. Las semillas no tenían este tipo de problemas, sobre todo, no tenían madre a la que temer, ni miedo a que las enjuiciaran.

You and I We do not talk anymore And all our asterisks Are turning Into flowers.

the group of fiftysomething-year-old women I privately referred to as “the Calendar Crew.” Their names were April, Mae, and June

Romeo and Juliet are not relationship goals.

Was it so wrong to want to make my own choices, even if they were the wrong ones? I already had Lola Flor and the rest of my family telling me what to do, I didn’t need my romantic partner doing the same.

almost said “just friends,” as if romantic partnership was superior to platonic friendship, but stopped myself. Adeena hated that term and idea. And I’d learned, time and again, she was right. There was no hierarchy to love.

Anna?" Someone knocks on my door, and it startles me out of my seat. No.Not someone. St. Clair. I'm wearing an old Mayfield Dairy T-shirt, complete with yellow-and-brown cow logo,and hot pink flannel pajama bottoms covered in giant strawberries. I am not even wearing a bra. "Anna,I know you're in there. I can see your light." "Hold on a sec!" I blurt. "I'll be right there." I grab my black hoodie and zip it up over the cow's face before wrenching open the door. "Hisorryaboutthat. Come in." I open the door wide but he stands there for a moment, just staring at me. I can't read the expression on his face. Then he breaks into a mischievous smile and brushes past me. "Nice strawberries." "Shut up." "No,I mean it. Cute." And even though he doesn't mean it like I-want-to-leave-my-girlfriend-and-start-dating-you cute,something flickers inside of me. The "force of strength and destruction" Tita de la Garza knew so well.St. Clair stands in the center of my room.He scratches his head, and his T-shirt lifts up on one side, exposing a slice of bare stomach. Foomp! My inner fire ignites. "It's really...er...clean," he says. Fizz. Flames extinguished.

Most satyrs excel at running away. Gleeson Hedge, however, was not most satyrs. He grabbed a barrel brush from his cart, yelled, "DIE!" and charged the three-hundred-pound manager. Even the automatons were too surprised to react, which probably saved Hedge's life. I grabbed the satyr's collar and dragged him backwards as the employees' first shots went wild, a barrage of bright orange discount stickers flying over our heads. I pulled Hedge down the aisle as he launched a fierce kick, overturning his shopping trolley at our enemies' feet. Another discount sticker grazed my arm with the force of an angry Titaness's slap. "Careful!" Macro yelled at his men. "I need Apollo in one piece, not half-off!

Bir tek gerçek vardır, o da gerçek diye bir şey olmadığıdır! Gerçek, herkesin baktığı noktaya göre değişir.

Que baile, que ría, que nada le impida galopar hasta la locura, que los ladridos de los perros no detengan su andar, que nunca tenga que elegir entre amar o vivir.

There truly was a separate stomach for sweets.

Tita, por su parte, se encargó de enseñarle algo igual de valioso: los secretos de la vida y del amor a través de la cocina.

...during her childhood Tita didn't distinguish between tears of laughter and tears of sorrow. For her, laughing was a form of crying.

Rhea, paired with Cronus as Titaness of the seventh day, may be equated with Dione, Diana, the Triple-Goddess of the Dove and Oak cult.

Athene, the Athenians’ city-goddess, was the parthenogenous daughter of the immortal Metis, Titaness of the fourth day and the planet Mercury who presided over all wisdom, and knowledge.

And thus, the Titans & titanesses made love without passion And so did the Gods & Goddesses. They only had Longing[Pothos], Love[Eros] & Reciprocal Love[Anteros] between them, but no Passion. And this fact accounted for the unimaginative number of offspring that some of them had. And the unimaginative tendency of Gods & Goddesses to take aunts & uncles, sons & daughters & even granddads & grandmas to wife or to husband. So much so that some Gods & Goddesses preferred to produce offspring asexually, even without Love. As Hera begot Hephaestus.

To my family, who’ve always encouraged me to go after my not-Asian-approved career choice of writing. Especially you, Mommy—you introduced me to the world of mysteries and shared your love of culinary cozies with me. This whole series is for you. Daddy, I will never bring the care and attention to cooking that you always did, but I hope you tasted the love all the same. I miss you so much, but I hope I did you proud.

I could ignore my godmothers’ first two comments—while being told you looked like a witch would bother most people, I considered it a compliment. I loved natural remedies, dark color palettes, and made bewitchingly delicious baked goods, so I’d learned to lean into the bruha image.

It was more like an encounter with grace. Tita faced crushing poverty without being crushed. As a reporter in the States, I had tried to understand what kept people from seizing opportunity in a society of plenty. As a reporter in Leveriza, I tried to understand how people seized opportunity where it scarcely existed.

You're more than your work... More than whatever contributions you think you're supposed to be making. More than whoever people think you're supposed to be.

Si primero es lo primero, el amor va antes que nada. Y si primero es el deber y luego el placer, amar es nuestro deber y placer. No hay nada antes ni más allá que el amor.

Nunca te volveré a tocar ni a besar. No me es necesario para amarte.

Besides, I hate seeing someone unsatisfied with their food. It means they’re going unnurtured. Unfed.

He wanted to ruin you,” she said. “That’s how I knew he wasn’t over you. And why I thought you were the one that killed him.

People are all imitations of monkeys Gods are all imitations of humans

Don’t get it twisted. You’re still pretentious and full of yourself. But you’re not like, a bad person or anything. And you are not the reason Janet’s in a hospital bed. So stop pitying yourself and figure out who put her there.

Tita pomyślała, że tyle razy siała nasiona pszenicy, sezamu, sadziła ziarna fasoli czy innych roślin, nie mając pojęcia, co czują te ziarna i nasiona, rosnąc i zmieniając tak diametralnie kształt. Teraz podziwiała tę gotowość, z jaką się otwierały, by woda mogła swobodnie do nich przenikać i doprowadzić do tego, że pękały, by dać początek nowemu życiu. Z jaką dumą pozwalały wychynąć ze swego wnętrza pierwszemu kiełkowi, z jaką gracją pokazywały światu nowe liście.

Siento que dejé pasar el amor. Que no lo cuidé. No lo podé. No le quité las hojas muertas. Lo vi nacer, crecer y dar un bello fruto que no tuve la precaución de cuidar para que se reprodujera para siempre. No, lo dejé caer en la tierra y permití que se pudriera.

No le fue fácil meter en la maleta el dia en que hicieron su primera cumunión las tres juntas.La vela, el libro y la foto afuera de la iglesia cupieron muy bien, pero no así el sabor de los tamales y del atole que nacha les había preparado y que habían comido después en compañia de sus amigos y familiares. Cupieron los huesitos de chabacano de colores, pero no así las risas cuando jugaban con ellos en el patio de la escuela, ni la maestra Jovita, ni el columpio, ni el olor de su recámara, ni el del chocolate recién batido. Lo bueno es que tampoco cupieron las palizas, los regaños de Mamá Elena, pues Tita cerró muy fuerte la maleta antes de que se fueran a colar.

FOOD Adobo (uh-doh-boh)---Considered the Philippines's national dish, it's any food cooked with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and black peppercorns (though there are many regional and personal variations) Almondigas (ahl-mohn-dee-gahs)---Filipino soup with meatballs and thin rice noodles Baon (bah-ohn)---Food, snacks and other provisions brought on to work, school, or on a trip; food brought from home; money or allowance brought to school or work; lunch money (definition from Tagalog.com) Embutido (ehm-puh-tee-doh)---Filipino meatloaf Ginataang (gih-nih-tahng)---Any dish cooked with coconut milk, sweet or savory Kakanin (kah-kah-nin)---Sweet sticky cakes made from glutinous rice or root crops like cassava (There's a huge variety, many of them regional) Kesong puti (keh-sohng poo-tih)---A kind of salty cheese Lengua de gato (lehng-gwah deh gah-toh)---Filipino butter cookies Lumpia (loom-pyah)---Filipino spring rolls (many variations) Lumpiang sariwa (loom-pyahng sah-ree-wah)---Fresh Filipino spring rolls (not fried) Mamón (mah-MOHN)---Filipino sponge/chiffon cake Matamis na bao (mah-tah-mees nah bah-oh)---Coconut jam Meryenda (mehr-yehn-dah)---Snack/snack time Pandesal (pahn deh sahl)---Lightly sweetened Filipino rolls topped with breadcrumbs (also written pan de sal) Patis (pah-tees)---Fish sauce Salabat (sah-lah-baht)---Filipino ginger tea Suman (soo-mahn)---Glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk, wrapped in banana leaves, and steamed (though there are regional variations) Ube (oo-beh)---Purple yam

Hekate, the third of this group, was always closest to us—although her name perhaps means “the Distant One”. It is not only her name that links her with Apollon and Artemis, who are also named Hekatos and Hekate, but also her family origin—if Hesiod is right in his account of it. She is elsewhere supposed to have been one of the Daughters of Night.{58} Hesiod, however, gives us the following genealogy:{59} the Titan couple Phoebe and Koios had two daughters: Leto, the mother of Apollon and Artemis, and Asteria, a star-goddess who bore Hekate to Persaios or Perses, the son of Eurybia. Hekate is therefore the cousin of Apollon and Artemis, and at the same time a reappearance of the great goddess Phoibe, whose name poets often give to the moon. Indeed, Hekate used to appear to us carrying her torch as the Moon-Goddess, whereas Artemis, although she, too, sometimes carries a torch, never did so. Hesiod seeks further to distinguish Hekate from Artemis by repeatedly emphasising that the former is monogenes, “an only child”. In this respect, too, Hekate resembled Persephone, the goddess of the Underworld. For the rest, she was an almighty, threefold goddess. Zeus revered her above all others,{60} and let her have her share of the earth, the sea and the starry sky; or rather, he did not deprive her of this threefold honour, which she had previously enjoyed under the earlier gods, the Titans, but let her retain what had been awarded to her at the first distribution of honours and dignities. She was therefore a true Titaness of the Titans, even though this is never expressly stated.

But on the minus side, Zeus had also had his share of fiascos. He swallowed Metis, the Goddess of Wisdom & Prudence, & thus was responsible for the disappearance of both wisdom & prudence in Olympus. And he could not keep his hands off all those lovely Titanesses, Giantesses, Nymphs & Mortal women whom he loved or secretly loved. He took them to wife, even when they were unwilling, such as Metis, Leto, Asteria & Nemesis. And he raped them, even when they were not aware that they were being raped, such as Alcmene, Danae, Io & Europa. And these were only a few of his many love affairs that Hera knew. What he had managed to keep secret from Hera was his greatest love affair of all- his affair with the Goddess of Love, which had already resulted in the mis-begetting of the monstrous love-child, Priapus.

Dear diary, I'm afraid I'm gravely ill. It is perhaps times like these that one reflects on things past. An article of clothing from when I was young. A green jacket. I walk with my father. A game we once played. Pretend we're faeries. I'm a girl faerie. My name is Laura Lee. And you're a boy faerie. Your name is Tita Lee. Pretend, when we're faeries we fight each other, and I say "Stop hitting me I'll die!" And you hit me again and I say, "Now I have to die." And then you say, "But I'll miss you." And I say, "But I have to. And you'll have to wait a million years to see me again. And I'll be put in a box, and all I'll need is a tiny glass of water and lots of tiny pieces of pizza and the box will have wings like an airplane." And you'll ask, "Where will it take you?" "Home." I say. — Sadie Goldstein [Olive] Synecdoche, New York (2008)

Bibingka had a soft and spongy texture, like a chiffon cake, but with a flavor all its own. Modern bibingka was simply baked in an oven, but it's traditionally grilled using charcoal. Lola Flor had a grill behind the restaurant that she used for occasions like this, and her bibingka was miles ahead of any other version I'd tried. My sweet tooth preferred the simplicity of the sugar-topped ones, but the complexity of the salted duck eggs against the other ingredients made me keep reaching for another piece.

And that... that just broke me. Because while I didn't agree with her idea of what a mother's love was, I couldn't deny that for both her and my mom, that was absolutely how they showed their love. That's what their love amounted to. My mother had loved in the way that she knew how. It had never felt like enough. But maybe I needed to either let people love me in the limited way they could or learn to ask for what I needed out of a relationship. And if they couldn't provide it... maybe I needed to learn to move on.

Civil engineers go where their work is needed. Chicago is my goal because it's the biggest challenge, and could really use this kind of change. But Shady Palms isn't perfect. I mean, it was here that I noticed which areas get the benefits of the town's services. Working in Chicago is my dream, but Shady Palms is my home. I want to make Shady Palms the safest and most equal place possible." "By overseeing construction projects?" Beth didn't bother to keep the mocking tone out of her voice, which made the other girls in the group snicker, but it didn't seem to affect Joy. Her earnestness shone through as she said, "You work for the Thompsons and are a member of their family. You know that construction projects are political---both in who gets them and which areas benefit from them.

Büyükannemin ilginç bir teorisi vardı: Hepimiz içimizde bir kutu kibritle doğarız. Ama tek başımıza bunu yakamayız. Deneyde görüldüğü gibi oksijene ve mum alevine ihtiyacımız vardır. Örneğin, oksijen, sevdiğiniz insanın nefesinden gelebilir. Mum aleviyse güzel bir yemek,müzik, okşamalar ya da güzel sözlerdir. Bunlarda biri patlamaya neden olur ve içimizdeki kibritlerin birini yakar. Bir an yoğun bir heyecan hissederiz. İçimizde çok hoş bir sıcaklık yayılır. Bu sıcaklık zamanla yavaş yavaş yok olur. Sonra yeni bir patlama olur ve içimizde bir kibrit daha yanar. Bu duyguyu yaşamak isteyen herkes kendi içindeki patlayıcıları keşfetmek zorundadır. Bunlar yanarak ruhumuzun beslenmesine yardımcı olur. Yani başka türlü söylersek, bu yanma ruhumuza enerji verir. Bir kişi kendi tutuşturucularını zaman içinde keşfedemezse, içindeki kibritler nemlenir, hiçbir şekilde yanmaz olur. O zaman ruhumuz bedenimizi terk eder. Karanlıkların içinde el yordamıyla boş yere kendisine besin arar. Ona besi sağlayacak tek kaynağın terk ettiği, soğuktan titreyen o vücutta olduğunu bilmez.

FOOD Adobo (uh-doh-boh)--- Considered the Philippines' national dish, it's any food cooked with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and black peppercorns (though there are many regional and personal variations) Bibingka (bih-bing-kah)--- Lightly sweetened rice cake, commonly consumed around Christmas. There are many varieties, but the most common is baked or grilled in a banana leaf-lined mold and topped with sliced duck eggs, butter, sugar, and/or coconut. Buko (boo-koh)--- Young coconut Champorado (chahm-puh-rah-doh)--- Sweet chocolate rice porridge Lambanog (lahm-bah-nohg)--- Filipino coconut liquor Lumpia (loom-pyah)--- Filipino spring rolls (many variations) Matamis na bao (mah-tah-mees nah bah-oh)--- Coconut jam (also known as minatamis na bao) Pandan (pahn-dahn)--- Tropical plant whose fragrant leaves are commonly used as a flavoring in Southeast Asia. Often described as a grassy vanilla flavor with a hint of coconut. Pandesal (pahn deh sahl)--- Lightly sweetened Filipino rolls topped with breadcrumbs (also written pan de sal) Patis (pah-tees)--- Fish sauce Pinipig (pih-nee-pig)--- Young glutinous rice that's been pounded flat, then toasted. Looks similar to Rice Krispies. Salabat (sah-lah-baht)--- Filipino ginger tea Tuyo (too-yoh)--- Dried, salted fish (usually herring) Ube (oo-beh)--- Purple yam

There’s a tap on my shoulder. I turn around and get lost in a sea of blue. A Jersey-accented voice says, “It’s about time, kid,” and Frank Sinatra rattles the ice in his glass of Jack Daniel’s. Looking at the swirling deep-brown liquid, he whispers, “Ain’t it beautiful?” This is my introduction to the Chairman of the Board. We spend the next half hour talking Jersey, Hoboken, swimming in the Hudson River and the Shore. We then sit down for dinner at a table with Robert De Niro, Angie Dickinson and Frank and his wife, Barbara. This is all occurring at the Hollywood “Guinea Party” Patti and I have been invited to, courtesy of Tita Cahn. Patti had met Tita a few weeks previous at the nail parlor. She’s the wife of Sammy Cahn, famous for such songs as “All The Way,” “Teach Me Tonight” and “Only the Lonely.” She called one afternoon and told us she was hosting a private event. She said it would be very quiet and couldn’t tell us who would be there, but assured us we’d be very comfortable. So off into the LA night we went. During the evening, we befriend the Sinatras and are quietly invited into the circle of the last of the old Hollywood stars. Over the next several years we attend a few very private events where Frank and the remaining clan hold forth. The only other musician in the room is often Quincy Jones, and besides Patti and I there is rarely a rocker in sight. The Sinatras are gracious hosts and our acquaintance culminates in our being invited to Frank’s eightieth birthday party dinner. It’s a sedate event at the Sinatras’ Los Angeles home. Sometime after dinner, we find ourselves around the living room piano with Steve and Eydie Gorme and Bob Dylan. Steve is playing the piano and up close he and Eydie can really sing the great standards. Patti has been thoroughly schooled in jazz by Jerry Coker, one of the great jazz educators at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. She was there at the same time as Bruce Hornsby, Jaco Pastorius and Pat Metheny, and she learned her stuff. At Frank’s, as the music drifts on, she slips gently in on “My One and Only Love.” Patti is a secret weapon. She can sing torch like a cross between Peggy Lee and Julie London (I’m not kidding). Eydie Gorme hears Patti, stops the music and says, “Frank, come over here. We’ve got a singer!” Frank moves to the piano and I then get to watch my wife beautifully serenade Frank Sinatra and Bob Dylan, to be met by a torrent of applause when she’s finished. The next day we play Frank’s eightieth birthday celebration for ABC TV and I get to escort him to the stage along with Tony Bennett. It’s a beautiful evening and a fitting celebration for the greatest pop singer of all time. Two years later Frank passed away and we were generously invited to his funeral. A

Tita no estaba conforme. Una gran cantidad de dudas e inquietudes acudían a su mente. Por ejemplo, le agradaría tener conocimiento de quién había iniciado está tradición familiar.

I was hoping we could fix things between us. But now it’s too late.” She shook her head. “Make sure you fix things when you can. Sometimes you don’t get another chance.

Como agua para chocolate” es un popular dicho mexicano que significa estar molesto o muy furioso. El mismo compara el estado en el cual tiene que estar el agua -hirviendo- para preparar chocolate. Este dicho es el que da el título a la primera novela de Laura Esquivel, quien utiliza el realismo mágico para presentarnos la historia de Tita, una personaje que tiene razones de sobra para literalmente estar como agua para chocolate.

Never ever blame yourself for how someone mistreats you. Especially when it’s an adult in a position of power.

Eww, first of all, Romeo and Juliet are not relationship goals. Second, in that story, it was the parents who did all the shady stuff. Romeo and Juliet were innocent.

Since I’d moved back home, I’d mostly been eating my aunt and grandmother’s cooking. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it and I’d bet good money my family could cook circles around anyone in town, but once in a while you crave something different.

But her refusal to try anything new and insistence on me being a “real” Filipino grated on me. As a second-generation member of a colonized country, born and raised in the Midwestern United States, what did that even mean?

I scrolled through my personal accounts, but nothing really caught my eye, so I switched over to the Instagram account I'd made for Longganisa. She was way more popular than I was, but I hadn't uploaded a new pic in a week and her fans were not pleased. I made a quick post of her splayed out on the sidewalk the day she gave up mid-run. A quick caption of "My human is mad I stopped running to sploot, but doesn't she know it's important to stretch?" and there we go. Enough to appease her fans for a couple of days, at least.

BY 5 A.M., Mamá Tita had pancakes and papayas and hot pinole on the table.

Filipinos were all about family. My whole life I’d had the concept of “family first” drilled into my head, and it’s how I’d lived until I went away to college. It’s not that I disagreed with it, exactly. Even someone like me felt utang na loob, that impossible to quantify sense of indebtedness and gratitude, to the people who’d raised me. But where was that magical line between selfishness and independence? Between my family and myself?

don’t know if you’ve ever been stared down by an elderly Asian woman, but It. Is. Terrifying. Don’t be fooled by the cute florals and jaunty visors—these women will end you, wielding nothing but their sharp tongues, bony elbows, and collapsible shopping carts.

Lila, this is what’s wrong with your generation. All you care about is yourself—your dreams, your needs, your independence. What about your family?

I've never known anyone with the capacity for sugar that Adeena has. She'd demolished her waffles, which she'd drowned in syrup, and then ordered a slice of triple chocolate tuxedo pie, another sugar bomb. If I ate the way she'd did, I'd have lost a foot to diabetes by now. Martha slid our desserts in front of us, and Adeena and I hummed in appreciation after taking our first bites. The lemon icebox cake was cold and creamy, with a background sweetness and a whole lot of tang. As I often did when sampling delicious desserts, I tried to deconstruct what was in it. Graham crackers, cream cheese, whipped cream, and a ton of lemon curd seemed to be the basis of the recipe. Similar to the ginger calamansi pie I'd made, but simpler and no-bake, if I decided to buy the graham crackers instead of making my own. Definitely worth experimenting with, as I had a jar of calamansi curd tucked away in the fridge just begging to be used. I made a note on my phone later, maybe as a summer offering. As per usual when eating out, Adeena and I swapped plates so we could taste each other's desserts. "What do you think, girls?" I grinned at Martha. "Delicious. I love how the lemon cake is sweet and tangy, but you don't go too far in either direction." Adeena added, "It's the perfect counterpoint to my chocolate pie, which is divine, by the way. Rich, creamy, and so satisfying.

People said that dogs tended to resemble their owners, and considering that my little wiener dog was a super cute brown girl with stubby legs, great fashion sense, and a tendency toward plumpness, I had to agree.

Would it kill you to say something nice?

Hmm, that setup smelled fishier than a barrel of patis left out on a summer day.

You’re more than your work, Lila. More than whatever contributions you think you’re supposed to be making.” She paused. “More than whoever people think you’re supposed to be.

A painting of the Last Supper graced the wall where we seated large parties, so our diners could eat awkwardly below it as they contemplated their sins.

Adeena was the afterthought. Sure they loved her, but not a day went by that she wasn’t reminded of what a disappointment she was. They hated her clothes and hair.

I’d almost lost a tooth due to some shoddy biscotti, the final betrayal.

That’s my half brother and half sister, Isaac and Averi. My dad remarried when I was seventeen, the same year my tita passed away. It was a rough year. His new wife was a worthless sack of shit, but those kids meant everything to me. She was too lazy to bother with raising them, so I took care of them. That was by far the hardest part of walking away.

FOOD Adobo (uh-doh-boh)--- Considered the Philippines's national dish, it's any food cooked with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and black peppercorns (though there are many regional and personal variations) Arroz caldo (ah-roz cahl-doh)--- A savory rice porridge made with chicken, ginger, and other aromatics Champorado (chahm-puh-rah-doh)--- Sweet chocolate rice porridge Escabeche (es-cah-beh-che)--- A dish that exists in many countries, but in the Philippines is specifically a sweet and sour fish dish consisting of fried fish covered or marinated in a sauce of vinegar, garlic, sugar, bell peppers, and other aromatics Ginataan (gih-nah-tah-ahn)--- Any dish cooked with coconut milk; can be sweet or savory Ginataang mais (gih-nah-tah-ahng mah-ees)--- A sweet porridge consisting of glutinous rice and corn cooked in sweetened coconut milk Keso (keh-so)--- Cheese (same pronunciation as the Spanish "queso") Lugaw (loo-gow)--- Savory rice porridge, similar to Chinese congee or Korean jook Lumpia (loom-pyah)--- Filipino spring rolls (many variations) Mais (mah-ees)--- Corn (same pronunciation as the Spanish "maiz") Mamon (mah-mohn)--- A Filipino chiffon cake, made in individual molds as opposed to a large, shared cake Matamis na bao (mah-tah-mees nah bah-oh)--- Coconut jam (also known as minatamis na bao) Pandan (pahn-dahn)--- Tropical plant whose fragrant leaves are commonly used as a flavoring in Southeast Asia; often described as a grassy vanilla flavor with a hint of coconut Patis (pah-tees)--- Fish sauce Salabat (sah-lah-baht)--- Filipino ginger tea Tokwa't baboy (toh-kwat bah-boy)--- Filipino side dish consisting of fried tofu and boiled pork cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, and chili, and usually topped with green onions Ube (oo-beh)--- Purple yam Yelo (yeh-loh)--- Ice (same pronunciation as the Spanish "hielo")

Once they were all finally gone, I turned around and noticed Adeena and Elena looking like the "Jessica Fletcher eating popcorn" gif as they shared a bucket of popcorn while enjoying the drama. "OK, I get that we're at a corn festival, but how did you get the popcorn so fast? Do you travel with props for moments like this?" Adeena winked. "You know how dedicated I am when it comes to a bit. But no, your sweet boyfriend left when things started getting heated and returned with snacks for us." Jae turned red as he held out a cone full of cornick from my aunt, a disk of corn tempura from our friend Yuki's booth, and other yummy corn-related snacks. "It was getting uncomfortable, and I figured I might as well make myself useful. I know what happens when you all get hungry, so I figured I'd grab food for you before it gets too crowded." "He's a keeper, all right," Elena said, grinning at him as she dipped the corn tempura disk into the accompanying sauce.

Elena came up with the idea of a fusion elote, taking her beloved Mexican street corn and adding Pakistani and Filipino twists to match with Adeena's and my respective backgrounds. Not only did Jae gave us his mother's recipe for the oksusu cha, or Korean corn tea, but he'd also volunteered to handle all elote duties: slathering the corn with thick, creamy coconut milk before rolling it in a fragrant spice mix that included amchur powder and red chili powder, grilling it, then squeezing calamansi over the corn before sprinkling it with your choice of kesong puti or cotija cheese. It was a simple yet laborious task, but he seemed to enjoy himself ( I wasn't one for gender stereotypes, but what was with guys and grills?) and I'd caught him sneaking more than one smoky, salty treat as he worked. The benefit of being the cook. Meanwhile, I arranged the sweet offerings I'd prepared: mais ube sandwich cookies, mais kon keso bars, and two types of ice candy--- mais kon yelo and ginataang mais. Corn as a dessert ingredient may seem strange to some people, but Filipinos absolutely love and embrace corn in all its salty-sweet possibilities. My first offering sandwiched ube buttercream between corn cookies, the purple yam's subtle vanilla-like sweetness pairing well with the salty-sweet corn. Cheese and corn are a popular savory pairing, but guess what? It makes one of my absolute favorite Filipino ice cream flavors as well, and I channeled that classic combo into a cheesecake bar with a corn cookie crust. Mais kon yelo, literally corn with ice, is a Filipino dessert consisting of shaved ice with corn, sugar, and milk, while ginataang mais, a simple porridge made with coconut milk, glutinous rice, and sweet corn, is usually served warm for breakfast or meryenda. My take on these simple, refreshing snacks utilized those same flavors in a portable, easy-to-eat ice pop bag. However, if you wanted to try the traditional versions, you could just pop down a few booths over to Tita Rosie's Kitchen, the restaurant run by my paternal aunt and grandmother. While my aunt, Tita Rosie, handled the savory side of the menu, offering small cups of corn soup and paper cones full of cornick, or corn nuts flavored with salt and garlic, my grandmother, Lola Flor, reigned over the sweets. The aforementioned mais kon yelo and ginataang mais were the desserts on offer, in addition to maja blanca, a simple corn and coconut pudding. Truly a gluten-free sweet tooth's paradise.

We both paused, knowing that wasn’t quite true. The law tended to work differently for people like us.

أراكي في كل شئ حولي دون انقطاع ولكن لم اري نفسي كما رأيتك !!

أكلشيهات مصطنعة ووعود لم تفوا بها وكأن شيئا لم يكن !!

A veces esta conciencia es sólo instintiva; el instinto de conservación que opera en el cuerpo y en el espíritu, y desde la resistencia luchamos contra la movida; hacemos deporte para estar sanos, casi todos lo hacemos —es la lucha contra el atronamiento físico—, cantamos hay quienes han compuesto canciones muy bonitas—, pintamos, escribimos, leemos; es la lucha contra los que pretenden negarnos la posibilidad de crear. Roberta Avendaño Martínez, Tita, delegada de la Facultad de Leyes ante el CNH.

¡La verdad! ¡La verdad! Mira, Tita, la mera verdad es que la verdad no existe, depende del punto de vista de cada quien.

Tita supo en carne propia por qué el contacto con el fuego altera los elementos, por qué un pedazo de masa se convierte en tortilla, por qué un pecho sin haber pasado por el fuego del amor es un pecho inerte, una bola de masa sin ninguna utilidad. En solo unos instantes Pedro había transformado los senos de Tita, de castos a voluptuosos, sin necesidad de tocarlos.

De pronto una idea que cruzó por su mente la hizo levantarse a mirar al cielo estrellado. Ella conocía, pues lo había sentido en carne propia, lo poderoso que puede ser el fuego de una mirada. Es capaz de encender al mismo sol. Tomando esto en consideración, ¿qué pasaría si Gertrudis miraba una estrella? De seguro que el calor de su cuerpo, inflamado por el amor, viajaría con la mirada a través del espacio infinito sin perder su energía, hasta depositarse en el lucero de su atención. Estos grandes astros han sobrevivido millones de años gracias a que se cuidan mucho de no absorber los rayos ardientes que los amantes de todo el mundo les lanzan noche tras noche. De hacerlo, se generaría tanto calor en su interior que estallarían en mil pedazos. Por lo que al recibir una mirada, la rechazan de inmediato, reflejándola hacia la tierra como en un juego de espejos. Es por eso que brillan tanto en las noches. Y es por eso que a Tita le entró la esperanza de que si ella pudriera descubrir entre todas las estrellas del firmamento cuál era la que su hermana veía en ese momento, recibiría por reflejo un poco del calor que a ella le sobraba.

There is a minor element of Christian bogeyism here, in which earlier powerful entities or beings are presented as ogre-like; but it isn't only an attempt on the part of Christian culture to villainize the older powers. Even in Pagan times, you can be sure that entities like Holda/Cailleach were in possession of terrifying aspects. Often, the Earth-Goddess was culturally storied as a Giantess or a Titaness herself, placing her previous to the Gods in generation- a true elder force, and often one that was presented as ambiguous or dangerous for many reasons. Her capability of showing a terrifying or ugly face, alongside a youthful and beautiful one, is the oft-repeated motif that identifies her for who she is.