I realize I haven't been posting as often as I like and I apologize, but that doesn't mean I'm not around. In fact, I seem to be all over the web today. I'm guest posting in a couple of places:
I have an essay about Mother's Day over at the Tiki Tiki. I tell you a lot about Luza. It's titled "My Mother. My Inspiration." Or as I like to call it: Not your typical Mother's Day tribute. (But that's not important right now.) Click on over and leave some comment love. I think you'll enjoy it.
I also have a homeschooling article about how I taught both my boys to read over at Mommy Maestra. It's called "Tintin and the Reluctant Reader." Please click on the link if you're interested (or at least curious).
Thanks for your patience. I'll be back in my own neighborhood very soon. And have I got stuff to tell you!
Hola! My name is Marta Maria Darby, and I am passionate about telling stories.
Designer, blogger, Cuban cook, scrapbooker, photographer and mother of four, I wear many hats which may or may not include seasonal fruit (but that’s not important right now). I have been blogging for almost seven years - sharing my life, my culture, my family, and my recipes in my own Cuban-American style.
I tell the stories of my extraordinarily ordinary Cuban-American life. I believe in celebrating the “everyday.” Often. And well.
Some Background
I was born in Havana, Cuba. My family left the island on February 14th (Valentine's Day), 1961. All my family's memories of Cuba, B.C. (Before Castro) are happy ones. We still maintain many of our Cuban traditions and love all things Cuban, particularly the music and the food. I am the youngest of six. My parents, Luz and Rodolfo Verdés were married for 60 years. My family lived in Miami for the first three years of our exile. We then moved across the country and settled in California. My dad, Papi, passed away in December, 1999. But we have never lost our Cuban-ness. (<--Is that a word? If not, it totally should be.)
My big fat cuban family
I live in Southern California with my husband, Eric in our cottage home with a white picket fence. I am mother to Amy-30, Adam-27, Lucy-20, and Jonathan-18, who were all born here in the U.S. They are extremely proud of their Cuban heritage.
Celebrating Cuban-American Life
This blog, My Big Fat Cuban Family, is a daily destination for hundreds of Cubans worldwide. Each day I get to weave stories and anecdotes about my very passionate and fabulous Cuban family and our delectable Cuban food. I get to celebrate the blending of my two defining cultures as I live life on the Cuban-American hyphen. I’m 100% Cuban and 100% American.
Marta’s Cuban American Kitchen was born online six years ago when I was invited to become a regular contributor to the popular Cuban blog, Babalú. I am pretty masterful (if I do say so myself) at taking the Cuban recipes that I grew up with and re-inventing them for today’s modern kitchen. (I also make a mean all-American apple pie, but that’s not important right now.)
In 2009, along with my online partner and friend, Carrie Ferguson Weir, I helped launch the popular Latina Cultural site, Tiki Tiki Blog. Many of my stories, recipes, and videos can be found populating those pages.
Ten Things You Should Know About Me (in no particular order)
I’m passionate about “all things Cuban,” especially the food and the music.
I talk with my hands.
I always wear perfume and red lipstick.
I’m fiercely loyal to those I love.
I find humor in pretty much everything, and don’t take myself too seriously.
I have homeschooled my kids for years and have a passion for learning and I read anything and everything I can get my hands on: Kindle, books, magazines, cereal boxes.
I’m a Reagan Conservative and an Evangelical Christian.
I’m a techie, especially loving anything with the Apple logo: Mac, iPad, iPhone.
I am the family historian - a job I take very seriously, therefore I scrapbook.
My daughter, Amy Kikita has been working hard these past few months to lose weight. She has to date lost 30 pounds and the scale is still moving to the left every day.
I admire the courage it has taken her to face her own fears and presuppositions about what this will mean to her and her life.
Today on the Tiki Tiki, she shares her essay titled "The Fat Friend."
Please read. In fact, you should totally go hang out at the Tiki Tiki all week and enjoy this wonderful series on Body Image.
We left Cuba when I was so very young that I barely remember my grandmothers. I think my dad's parents had already passed away by the time I was born. And I have just the few mental snapshots that a five year old can retain of my mom's mother.
Here's a beautiful old photo of her, my maternal grandmother, Osmunda Perez-Puelles when she was pregnant with my Tio Fernando. (Incidentally, Tio Fernando will be turning 100 in Miami next week.)
The only abuela I have ever known is this woman in this 100 year old photograph.
My mom says that maybe that's why I have always loved old people. And it's true. I am very aware of the richness of life that most older people have to impart to us "youngsters." That attracts me tremendously.
I hope to be that wise old woman myself to my (as yet, unborn) grandchildren someday.
It's from this perspective of not really ever having had a grandmother in my life that I worked on this beautiful project for Tiki Tiki Blog.
It's a fabulous collection of stories by seven women who fondly remember their grandmothers and share their reminiscences.
Tiki Tiki readers submitted photos of their grandmothers and I am extremely proud to say that I designed this cover and created this E-book, Celebrating Abuela. (I know. Shut up. Get the sandpaper...)
Of course, I also added the photo of my mom, Luza (left-hand side of cover), because she is the Quintescential Cuban Grandmother.
Happy Mother's Day to all of you from me and my big, fat, Cuban family and from my good friend, Carrie at Tiki Tiki Blog. She's completely genius when it comes to collecting and editing these wonderful stories. (My job is just to make it all look pretty, but that's not important right now.)
And to those of you who still have her with you, celebrate your abuela.
I've been home for a week now and I'm still processing all the wonderful things I got to do and experience in Miami. I'll be writing about the trip little by little as I sort through my stuff and check my mental rolodex to remind myself of the stories I want to tell.
This particular one, I videotaped. (I know! Shut up!)
I'm starting to get more things on film and I'm finding that I enjoy telling my stories this way. I have even stopped cringing when I hear my voice on tape. Weird, right?
My Tiki Tiki blog-partner and Cuban friend, Carrie, took me to the Palacio de los Jugos on Flagler and 57th when we were in Miami last week.
Usually, I hold out for Versailles or La Carreta, but Carrie convinced me that the best "comelatas" are to be had at the Palacio.
What I found: All Cuban food is not alike. (The thing about Cuban food, though, is that it's sooo affordable, wherever you go.)
We managed to eat our way around the building (very cheaply!). Don't judge us. We both live far from Cuban restaurants (and La Dieta empieza mañana).
But can I just say....THIS over-abundance of Cuban food on every corner is why I could never live in Miami. (Well, and the humidity, but that's not important right now.) I have no self-control when it comes to Cuban food. And I couldn't be held responsible for my actions if I lived so close to all that deliciousness.
In my life I've never seen so much fabulous Cuban food in one spot..... except for maybe here, at my house, on Nochebuena. =D
Cuban girls "do" the Palacio: L-to-R - Amanda, Yllien (my cousin), me, & Carrie after we successfully tasted everything in the building.
Follow us, as Carrie and I explore the wonders of the Palacio de los Jugos....I miss it already. * heavy sigh*
Thank you all for your concern. I'm definitely home now and back to my real life which includes laundry and laundry and more laundry and I have some videos I have to edit - in between loads of laundry.
I'll tell you all about Blogalicious Weekend and what I did and the cool places I got to stay in and my visit to the Palacio de Los Jugos....next week.
In my mind I am still in Parranda mode, so while I'll be doing my best to scale Mt. Washmore* I'll definitely be moving my Cuban butt self to the delicious sounds of Celia Cruz.
I've been blogging here at MBFCF for almost four years (Wow! That's like high school!) now.
I love blogging as an a creative outlet. Not only because it's my blog and I can write pretty much whatever I want, but also because I get feedback. And for the most part, that feedback is positive, which makes me happy.
I enjoy blogging so much that I also cook (and write) over at Babalú blog as you know. My feature there is called Marta's Cuban American Kitchen. That's where most of my recipes live on the web.
I'm assuming you already know that I also co-edit a blog called Tiki Tiki with my friend, Carrie Ferguson Weir of Bilingual in the Boonies fame.
I was especially excited that they chose a blurb from one of my articles. (See actual post about my family's cleaning habits here.) They also mention my recipes....
If you get a chance, check out the other Mom Blogs. Those women are talented! But also, get yourself over to the Tiki Tiki. Check out the contributor articles and videos. And you may want to consider sharing some of your stories there. (Sin pena!)
What exactly is the Tiki Tiki? This video from Cuba Nostalgia explains a lot.
My Big Fat Cuban Family is all about my Cuban American life. Enjoy my ramblings on my blog about my Cuban family, Cuban heritage, Cuban culture, Cuban life. And some decent Cuban recipes with pictures, too.
