Lindbergh and Pepin - a random tale

Here is my mom with her dog, Lindbergh, circa 1930's.  He was the terror of their tiny Cuban town of Manati.
Yesterday, Val posted this cool picture of his father'slittle schoolhouse also in Manati, Cuba.

I knew that my mom's family lived in Manati for years. So, I began asking her if she recognized the name “Prieto.”

“Well, there was a kid they called Pepin Prieto.  We had a large German Shepherd named Lindbergh (pronounced Leem-Berr) who bit a large chunk out of his ... rear end.”

Then she started rattling off names of people who lived there. Perez-Puelles (was her family), Suris, Acuña, El Bolo, Lechuga, Lopez.

So, I sent an email to Val asking him if he was related to Pepin Prieto and did he recognize the names....Perez-Puelles, Suris, Acuña, El Bolo, Lechuga, Lopez.

First email:

“Pepin is my uncle.”

Shut. Up.

Second email:

"Perez-Puelles had a dog who bit Pepin in the nalga."

 
I start laughing uncontrollably as I report this information to her (she's 93) and she starts sounding a little apologetic... “That kid must still have the scar,” she says. “It was a terrible bite.”

So I promised her I'd check up and see if Pepin Prieto has a scar from the dog bite. Waiting on pins and needles for Val's answer....

Val and I have never met face to face, but apparently our ancestry is from the same little port town of Manati, Cuba yet we have already managed to be a pain in the butt to the Prietos. =D

How random is that!

So today at Babalu, I dedicated the recipe to this random story of Lindbergh and Pepin.

"Quick and Tasty Lechon - Estilo Pepin"

It's KILLER! ;-)

UPDATE 3/15/07: comment posted at Babalu by Pepin's daughter via Amanda D. : ". . .he still has a hole. He is 86 years old and he does not have any grudge against Lindberg and he is looking forward to see the photo."