MARCH, Quail in Rose Petal Sauce
- Pedro (otherwise known as Mr. Obvious) sends Tita a bouquet of red roses to congratulate her on being named official ranch cook.
- D'oh. Rosaura, who is preggers and knows what's up between her hubby and Tita, sees the bouquet and cries.
- Mama E tells Tita to get rid of them.
- What does Tita decide to do with the roses? Why, a recipe of course.
- When the quail in rose petal sauce is served the reactions are mixed: Pedro loves, loves, loves it; Rosaura gets sick; and Gertrudis gets turned on.
- Can you say aphrodisiac? Gertrudis is so hot and bothered that when showers the bathroom catches on fire.
- Natch, she runs out of the bathroom to save herself and the smell of Gertrudis's body is so strong it makes Juan (a rebel soldier) gallop on horseback toward her.
- When he sees Gertrudis he knows she "desperately needed a man to quench the red-hot fire that was raging inside her" (3,190).
- What happens next is NOT for kids: Juan lifts Gertrudis onto his horse and they make intense love (and yes, the horse is galloping the entire time). Yowza.
- Both Pedro and Tita watch the steamy escapade from the ranch—Pedro wants to ask Tita to run away with him, but doesn't. Talk about frustrating…
- Post love-making sesh, Mama E asks Tita what happened and she invents a story about the Federal troops setting fire to the bathroom and kidnapping Gertrudis. Nice one.
- Mama E buys the story, hook, line, and sinker.
- Later, Father Ignacio (the parish priest) tells Mama E that Gertrudis is working at a brothel.
- How does she react to this news? Mama E burns Gertrudis's birth certificate and pictures and her name is never mentioned again.
- We are told that each year, Tita prepares the quail dish in honor of her sister's "liberation."
- That same night, Tita works on her bedspread and starts writing a cookbook.
- "TO BE CONTINUED…"