"She's THAT Marta??"

I never feel like I get enough time in Miami to see all the things I want to and visit with all the people I want to. (sigh)

But my mom (yes, Luza, the 94 year old), has been there all summer. Which means she has connected with lots of people from her life.  When she arrives in Miami the first thing she does is pull out her address book, sit by the phone and she starts dialing.

She calls friends that she knew from summering in Varadero in the late 50's. She calls her first next-door-neighbor in Miami, the wife of Evelio el Barbero, the daughter of her 2nd cousin. She calls my dad's nephew, my brother's best friends from high school, an ex-husband of one of my cousins. Seriously. The list goes on and on. Until she's dialed from A to Z in that book and has made appointments with everyone to see them.

What's very cool is that all these people are just delighted to hear from her and they all came to visit her while she was there.  One of her visitors, was my cousin's daughter, Yllien, whom I hadn't seen in years. But leave it to my mom to connect with her after all this time. She reported that they had such a nice visit and that she was particularly interested in what I was doing. So I asked for her number and promised to call before I left Miami. 

Sadly, it was on my last day in Miami that we were able to connect and not until 10 o'clock the night before my early morning flight.

So, Yllien very graciously picks me up and takes me to nearby Denny's because we didn't want to waste precious time driving and trying to find someplace that was open at that hour on a Sunday night. We get seated and she begins this incredible story:

She was visiting my mom and asking about her and about all of us when my 94-year-old mother (please keep this in mind as I tell this part of the story) starts asking her if she uses the internet.

"Conoces a Cuco y Yayo?" (that's Luza-speak for "Do you know Google and Yahoo?") "O al Microfono?"" ("Or Microsoft?")

I'm used to my mother, and if you've been reading my blog for a while this doesn't surprise you, but I can only imagine Yli's shock as she nods her head in assent and is thinking to herself, "Is this 94-year-old really teaching me about SEARCH ENGINES??"

When she is sure that nothing could shock her further, my mother then proceeds to ask her if she's heard of Babalú blog.  This is the point that Yli described as completely surreal. "Could she be talking about THE Babalú Blog?? The top-rated Cuban blog? That I read EVERY SINGLE DAY??"

Yes, of course it's that same Babalú. You know what's coming next, of course - my mother proudly announces that I am the cook for them - "La Cocinera." And as if in slow-motion, the dots connect for Yli:

"My cousin, Marta, and the one from Marta's Cuban-American Kitchen on Babalú are ONE AND THE SAME."

SHUT. UP.

 

This photo of us was taken by the night manager at my hotel at around 2 am which is when we reluctantly parted ways. I can't tell you what an awesome delight it has been to re-connect with my adorable cousin. (from my dad's side of the family, no less - the Verdés side - notice we have the same cheeks, but that's not important right now.)

I had to be at the airport at 4 am, so I never went to bed that night. (I know!) In fact, I'm still not sure I have recovered. Not just from the jet lag, but from the wonderfully mysterious ways that God works in my life.

(A big Hat Tip to my amazing 94-year-old mother for being the catalyst for this very cool reunion and this accidentally cool story, and also to Babalú blog for just being The-Best-Must-Read-Cuban-Blog-On-The-Web. =D)

The Perfect Blend

I just got back from Miami and I’ve got to admit:

If there’s one thing Cubans know how to do well (besides dancing and cooking and arguing, but that’s not important right now =D), it’s how to make the Best Coffee on This Earth.

Seriously, every Cuban home I was lucky enough to have been a guest in, served the most delicious, practically perfect, just-sweet-enough-with-the-perfect-amount-of-“espumita” cup of Cuban coffee.  But more than that, what I absolutely loved was that every single person who made the coffee prided themselves in their creation.  And in every home there’s always the One Person who gets asked to make the coffee because they just “know” how to make it right.

So today, because I love you and I know what’s good for you, I am going to share with you the Perfect Blend of art and science, which will produce that just-sweet-enough-is-there-anything-better-than-this? -God-I-love-being-Cuban cup of Café Cubano.

And as much as I hate to admit it, in my house, I’m not The Coffee Maker. My daughter, Kikita is.  Which makes us The Perfect Blend: I cook the meal. She makes the coffee.

See what I mean? Perfect. ;-)

How to Make Cuban Coffee

You will need:

• Stovetop espresso maker

• Cuban-style coffee (Bustelo, Pilon, La Llave – get them here.)

• Glass or metal pitcher

• Demitasse cups

1) Fill the bottom of the espresso maker just to the valve.

2) Fill the strainer with Cuban-style coffee until it’s packed in well.
3) Screw the top on tightly.

4) Place on the stove, over medium flame, slightly to one side, so you don’t accidentally burn the plastic handle.

5) Place sugar by tablespoon in the glass (or metal) pitcher – the ratio is one Tablespoon of sugar per demitasse cup. Remember we like our cafecito SWEET.

6) When the coffee just begins to brew, remove from heat and pour a little bit into the pitcher with the sugar.

7) Place coffee pot back on the heat to finish brewing.

8) Meanwhile, stir the sugar/coffee mixture quickly until the bit of coffee melts down the sugar and you get it nice and frothy. (this is your espuma!)

9) Pour the rest of the coffee into the sugar mixture and stir. Very gingerly, scoop some of the froth and drop it in each cup.
10) Then very carefully pour the finished coffee into the cups making sure you don’t damage the espuma.
11) Sit back and enjoy. Not just the coffee, but if you’re The One, receive the compliments graciously. Smile, Look down. Blush if you can manage it. And say, “it was my pleasure.” And mean it. =D

(cross posted  at Babalú blog)

VIOLETAS FOUND!

Kikita here.  Back in Cali and (mostly) recovered from my jet lag.

And smelling FABULOUS!

While I was still in Miami, I followed some nifty (yes, nifty) advice and took Mami and myself to Sentir Cubano in hopes of finding my much desired Cuban music.

Well, they did not have the coveted Cuban Music I was looking for (I had something very especific in mind), but they did have THIS:

Yes, the much sought after VIOLETAS!  There it was in all it's golden glory.  I swear I heard a choir of angels the moment I laid eyes on those beautiful bottles.

Then I paused.  It was too good to be true . . . I had thought these bottles always came in boxes . . . and the top was shorter, to twist off . . . Could it be?  NO!  I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!

Royal Violets in a PLASTIC bottle!

BUT WAIT!  IT GETS BETTER!

This beautiful plastic bottle I was holding in my hand is ESPRAY BOTTLE!  Like regular perfume!

I was beyond excited.  (Especially since now I didn't even have to face the Winn Dixie produce guy and see the offensive oranges)

I eventually found a record store and got my music, but it was kind of anti-climatic after finding a treasure like Royal Violetas in spray form at Sentir Cubano.

Thanks for the tip people, I couldn't have done it without you!

My Big, Fat, Noisy Cuban After-Party (come on - do The Wave with us...)

Exhausted but happy. So much I want to share.
The wedding was last night and it was fabulous, but I have to have some functioning brains cells to do it justice, so I will save posting about that until I get home.

I've had some incredible experiences with my family this weekend, but seriously, the after-party at my cousin's house tops them all. 

Everyone leaves tomorrow. For California. For Texas. And even for Cuba.  We don't know when we'll all be together again, but trust me when I tell you we took full advantage of our time together.

Our sides were splitting from laughing so hard. Seriously. We're all hoarse from yelling and carrying on.

The highlight was trying to teach Tio Fernando (97) how to do The Wave.....

FERNANDO (with his hands obediently high in the air): "What's supposed to happen now?"

We all just dissolved into piles of noisy laughter.

I know. You just had to be there.

And THAT was the best part. We were ALL there. =D

(Thanks, Illy & Bob for your generous hospitality!)

My Big, fat, Cuban Family Party (together) before the Wedding

Today's the wedding day. We've been anxiously awaiting this chance to have a big, fat, Cuban family wedding in Miami. Today is that day. People, we're out of our skin excited!

To be together, to be a family, to welcome more family, to poke fun at each other, to laugh together, to dance together, to tell jokes and family stories.

To celebrate being a family and NOT have to wait until Christmas.

Needless to say, we've been soooo looking forward to this wedding (to be together).

But wait.... we all flew in from somewhere this week.... and there's no time like the present, so last night we all got together in South Beach.....

And, of course, I had my camera.....

So after the buzz of "where are you?" phone calls, we managed to meet in some posh bar....

And we got the chance to be together, to be a family, to welcome more family, to poke fun at each other, to laugh together, to dance together, to tell jokes and family stories.

We agreed that it would be fun if we all dressed up and got together to do it again the next night.
Oh wait.... that's the wedding. Then how about Saturday night? Ummm.... Family Reunion at Cousin Ileana's?

Seriously, this is going to be a LOOOONNGG (and REALLY FUN!!) weekend (together).

(good thing we're all stocked up on Red Lipstick! =D)

Code Red

Prepare yourself South Florida.....

The last few days have been a flurry of texts and phone calls between my mom and my sisters and my cousins and my nieces and myself.
My big, fat, Cuban family is preparing to invade Miami. (Ay Dios mio!)

Michael and Kimberly are getting married on Friday. (Yay!)

And because of the nature of weddings and all the wedding business that has to happen during the reception and all that, well, there just won't be enough face-to-face time, so... we're all getting together again on Saturday. (Ay Dios mio!)

So, see, we're not just going to the wedding (which I'm sure will be just fabulous, but that's not important right now) we're TRAVELING. And as you well know, traveling involves PREPARATIONS.

And so the phone lines are burning with the questions:

"What are you wearing to the wedding?"
"Can I borrow your (fill in the blank)?"
"It's pouring rain in Miami, bring an umbrella."
"Are you having your hair done here or there?"
"What time is your pedicure?"

And so we carry on, as typical Cuban girls/sisters/cousins/nieces do.

So, world-class list maker that I am, I've got my checklist and realize that I completely forgot to get a new red lipstick! I know! Serious Makeup Emergency!!  (you can tell by all the exclamation points I'm using that this is SERIOUS!!!)

My current red is down to the embarrassing scraping-with-the-lip-brush stage and I have been meaning to get myself to Nordstrom, but that would involve actually getting dressed up just to go buy lipstick and well, darn it, it's summer! And I just haven't been feeling it and blah, blah, blah.... All that to say that I never got my new lipstick.  =(

Panicking here. Yes, I know it's my own fault for procrastinating and it's late in the game here. My flight leaves in a few hours....

So, I call my sister, Ofelia (who actually works at the Lancome counter at Nordstrom, which is why I get my makeup there in the first place, because I am being supportive, but I digress.....)

Me: "Ofie, Makeup Emergency! I need a red lipstick for the wedding!"

Ofie (in a completely calm, I-live-for-moments-like-this voice:
"Come over to my house. I think I might have one."

One hundred and fifty lipsticks later, I found seventeen reds.
(God, I love my family!)

Ay Dios Mio!  ;-)

See you in Miami!! 
(I'll be the one in the fabulous Red Lipstick. =D)

"Felicidades, Abuela!" (state your name)

I've written before about how my family spent summers in Varadero Beach in pre-castro Cuba.
My grandmother's birthday was in late June so we would be out of Havana and not with her to celebrate.

So we would call....

It seems like such a simple thing, making a phone call from Varadero to Havana, but it was quite an elaborate operation because the beach house didn't have a phone, so the parental units had to herd us kids to a nearby public phone. There were usually anywhere between 12 and 20 of us varying in ages from toddlers to teenagers.

Here we are at the beach house, Villa Obdulia, all dressed up in some get-ups that our mothers thought were adorable. What a fashion statement! Mini-striped & pleated skirts, colorful sleeveless tops, matching flip-flops and RIDICULOUS Peter Pan hats. If anyone is still thinking that yesterday's Toga thing is weird, as you can see, I come by it honestly. =D   (I'm in the 1st row, 2nd from left)

Back to my story and the phone call to Abuela on her birthday.....

We lined up and marched over to the phone booth and got our instructions:
There were so many of us that we were only allowed to say, "Felicidades, Abuela!" followed by our name.

It was all going beautifully...

"Felicidades, Abuela! Betty."
"Felicidades, Abuela! Miriam."
"Felicidades, Abuela! Lupe."

Perfect choreography. One kid in. One kid out. Next.

"Felicidades, Abuela! Yoly."
"Felicidades, Abuela! Alina."

Eventually, after all the big kids had said their felicidades, it was time for us four year olds...

"Felicidades, Abuela! Regina."
"Felicidades, Abuela! Marta."

At this point, my cousin, Fernando, who was right behind me, was so hyped up, nervous and worried about blowing his line that he breathlessly grabbed the phone and practically shouted:

"Felicidades, Abuela! MARTA!"

This is one of those family anecdotes that lives on and on. We all LOVE this story.
And of course, the line: "Felicidades, Abuela! MARTA!" has now become the stuff of familial legend.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I get an early morning text telling me that my cousin, Maria's daughter, Suzy, just gave birth to a beautiful 8 1/2 lb. baby boy. Suzy is a mother! Maria is a grandmother!! Doubly wonderful!  I called my cousin immediately, and (Yay!) I got to legitimately deliver The Line:

"Felicidades, Abuela! MARTA!"  =D 

I swear. I am so easily entertained.

Welcome Erick Daniel to our big, fat, Cuban family!

When in Rome...

It was a TOGA party we had last night for Adam's birthday.
(And yes, we did a sing along -  to Disney's Hercules)
I dressed in a toga.
I cooked dinner in my toga.
I became quite attached to my toga.
They're very comfortable and I think I look spectacular in RED.
Heck, this might turn out to be our Christmas card picture this year.... (that wouldn't surprise me).

Meanwhile the neighbors are thinking.... "Are the Darbys wearing TOGAS tonight???"
I swear. I'm serious about the Christmas card thing...

I took a moment from the frivolity to go post a recipe at Babalú for Pastel de Pollo.
But I quickly came back here. I wouldn't want to miss the fun!
TOGA!  TOGA!  TOGA!  =D

Helen.... Wheels?

My sister, Helen, has a daughter, whom she named... Helen. I know. It was a totally Cuban thing to name children after their parents back in the day, but that's not important right now.

Technically, she named her Helen del Carmen.
So in order to differentiate between them, the family thing has been to call the younger Helen by her full name: Helen del Carmen.
Ah... but there are so many levels of differentiation.... and you'd think with there now being two Helens in the family there would be no more room for nicknames, but nooooo....

There are times when my sister becomes Big Helen (which she's technically not) and my niece becomes Little Helen - which is a name more appropriate for a circus midget - meaning no disrespect to either Helen del Carmen or to circus midgets.... is it even politically correct to call them midgets anymore?

Ah.... but I digress....

Today is Helen's birthday.

My niece.
Little Helen.
Helen del Carmen.
Helen dC.
Helen Wheels.*
Helen del Taco.
My Disneyland Buddy.

or just Helen del...

Never mind. It's a Cuban thing. ;-)

Happy Birthday, HdC!

(* "Helen Wheels" is a song by Paul McCartney and Wings which is about Paul & Linda's Land Rover which they nicknamed "Hell on Wheels," but that's not important right now, either. =D)

Bilingual in the Bubble

DISCLAIMER: The following post may not be completely understandable to my non-Cuban blog readers. I apologize in advance.
 
I often refer to South Orange County (where we live) as The Bubble. This is white whole-wheat bread capital of So Cal.
I miss my Bilingual in the Boonies friend, Carrie. Unlike my (lovely and fabulous) American friends, Carrie "gets" me and I "get" her in that inimitable Cuban way. In other words we speak the same Spanglish. =D

For example, she didn't bat an eye when I told her that I was not just tired, I was "desmoñingada." (umm... extremely tired). And then she called me "una fiera" (a ferocious beast) and of course, I took that as a compliment. We spent hours "metiendo tremenda muela." (umm... talking... a lot).  She explained some ideas she had about sending my cookbook to Andy Garcia (which we'll discuss in greater detail later, but that's not important right now) and her explanation "me la puso en China" (umm...appeared to create some difficulty for me). There it is. Hours of Spanglish fun for the whole family! That's right, my whole family and hers, too...

Yes, that includes Maria, who knew exactly what to do when my kids yelled "un besito!"

Los extrañamos muchisimo! Too bad you live "en casa de yuca!" (umm...far. =D)