Epicuriosity

Friday May 28th

It’s a good day when you spit the live beatle out of your mouth before you swallow your last sip of coffee.
Today we leave Palmira and head back to my tia’s in Havana. I’m happy we’ll be spending time with my tia again and I’m so very happy for all the wonderful moments in Palmira, but I am very sad to be leaving. I cried as we left my tio Arturo’s house. My 94 year old uncle who I grew to love so much in just four days…..will I ever see him again? Will he remember me next time? te quiero mucho tio (I love you very much uncle).
We said our goodbyes to the other uncles and the entire street of family. My uncles loaded the car with fruit, garlic, milk, homemade tomato sauce (put in beer bottles and capped with wax) and coconut cookies. Off we went.
We stopped at another uncle’s house on the way (the one we stopped at on the way to Palmira). Guess what? We ate! At this point Mark’s stomach is not acting right and my dad is just getting over a sour stomach. MUST STOP EATING so much. My family just keeps putting food on our plates and then just as you are about to pop they bring out dulce (dessert). Today was flan. Oh how I loooove flan. Despite how full I was I ate two servings (well someone had to eat Mark’s share)
My dad purchased 100 pounds if rice and a huge block of homemade cheese from my uncle. Milk is very sparce in the city. Only children under 7 and the elderly can have it. The price of rice is ridiculously high and each person’s ration is only five pounds. That may sound like a lot, but rice is a staple of every meal. My dad purchased enough rice to give my aunt and uncles in Havana 3 or 4 times what their monthly ration is.
When we got back to Havana we dropped our uncles off with their rice and other goodies from the country. Their wives and family were so happy to see them and of course all the rice, garlic, etc.
When we got back to my tia’s house she couldn’t believe all the stuff we brought back from the country! Not to mention what we bought on the black market……
Dinner that night was LOBSTER! The black market is basically how people can barely afford to live. I’m sure the shrimp we picked up for Sunday’s dinner will be good too.
After dinner we relaxed with a bottle of rum and practiced our Spanish while my tia practiced her English. The subject of music came up and all of a sudden my tia handed Mark her bongos as a gift. No words can describe how he felt. He loves music, drums and world percussion and my tia, who lives in a third world country and has to wonder if she’ll have enough food for the month, just handed him an amazing sentimental gift. She would not let him refuse. There were many hugs and teary eyes.
It’s been an emotional day. It’s nearly impossible for me to remember and write down every detail that is making this trip so special, like pinning a protection charm on a two month old cousin to ward off evil spirits and holding the hand of my 80 something year old uncle as we ride through the countryside. I love Cuba! I love my family! I’m already trying to plan when we can come back.
Three more days, three more family meals and I still don’t have a single souvenir for my friends and family back home, There’s still so much I want to see and do!!