My wife couldn’t fit in her clothes. She was distressed, and she put us all on a diet of salad and carrots. Water was the only think we could drink. I suffered a lot because I love food. I prayed to the Virgin of Zapopan so that my wife would give us more food. Thanks to the Virgin she noticed that she lost too much weight in her legs, her most attractive feature. So she finally began to feed us well. I offer this retablo to the Holy Virgin.

All the red fruits and vegetables in my refrigerator were disappearing. I was intrigued until one night I went to the kitchen for a glass of water and found out that the thief was a vegetarian vampire. I thank the Virgin of San Juan because my dog barked and growled and bit him. The vampire got so scared, he never came back, lest he decided to change his diet and to suck my blood.

I thank Saint Paschal Baylon because my husband and my son enjoy cooking. So I eat delicious dishes and have more time for other things.

My husband bought a little house in a place far away from the civilization. The place was very beautiful, with a lot of wild animals. But the bad things started when it turned out that the monkeys wanted to become our friends. They became a real plague. They stole the clothes when I did my laundry, they pulled our hair, took our food, they were everywhere, and soon enough my children became to behave like the monkeys. I thank the Virgin of the Solitude because my husband got another job and we had to move to Jalapa. Here I even have a washing machine and no monkeys.

I thank the Virgin of San Juan because I married a very sweet and beautiful woman who is also an excellent cook who satisfies all my culinary caprices.

My wife began to eat in the bed. I hated it because there were a lot of crumbs in the bed. Also she chewed it with so much noise that I couldn’t sleep or watch TV. But the worst thing was that I was on a diet. But thanks to my prayers to the Virgin of San Juan an ant army came to our bed attracted by the food. They bit my wife so she stopped eating in bed.

I thank the life that gave me so much and food for all my family and animals. Thanks.

1977

My husband and my son were bewitched by a mermaid singing. These fools wouldn’t fish. They came back home with no fish. Finally they realized that we had nothing to eat or to sell at the market. We were dying from hunger. So then they put corks in their ears for not to be bewitched. They were able to fish again, and I thank the Virgin for we have food on our table again.

I was a lousy cook and always burnt the food. I was afraid that my gluttonous boyfriend would leave me for a good cook. But Saint Paschal heard my prayers and requests and worked the miracle so I became a really good cook. I even invent my own recipes now. I thank the saint patron of cooks because my boyfriend has proposed to me.

I came to work as a cook in one house. But the lady who worked there was jealous because my masters loved my food better. She secretly put pepper and salt in my dishes. I ask Saint Paschal for help. And soon enough, the injustice was discovered by my masters. They fired her, so now I’m very happy to cook for the family.

Cholula, Puebla
Eufrosina Diaz

The Morales sisters were coming back from the market and met some martians in an alley. The martians said something with their high pitch voices. The sisters got scared, dropped their baskets and ran away. However, the curiosity brought them back. They looked at the alley and saw the martians eating the dropped food with joy. The sisters are thankful to the Virgin of Zapopan because the extraterrestrials didn’t abduct them and were merely hungry.

I love to spoil my cats and to give them nutritious and tasty food. I thank the Virgin of Zapopan for having such a sweet and indulgent family who lets the cats eat at table.

I thank Saint Paschal because I was admitted to the monsieur Pierre Bouvier school. He is the best chef but also the most strict teacher in the town of Santo Tomas. Thanks to the saint I cook very deliciously and occasionally invent new dishes. My teacher is very pleased with me. He thinks I’ll be a good chef.